“I see.”
Those two words had such an ominous ring to them, Roslynn actually shivered. Nettie had warned her he wouldn’t like it, but she could see by the tight set of his jaw and the frigid blue of his eyes that he was quite furious. And yet he didn’t move from the chair. His grip might be a little tighter on the brandy snifter he held in one hand, but his voice remained soft as he continued—soft and menacing.
“This was not our original agreement.”
“Everything has changed since then,” she reminded him.
“Nothing has changed, except what you imagine in your suspicious little mind.”
She cringed. “If you won’t agree—”
“Stay right where you are, Roslynn,” he cut in harshly. “I haven’t finished analyzing this newest condition of yours.” He set his glass down on the table next to him and clasped his hands over his waist,all the while never taking his eyes off her. And then calmly again, or at least with self-restraint: “So what you want is the temporary use of my body for breeding purposes?”
“You needn’t be vulgar about it.”
“We’ll treat the subject as it deserves, my dear. You want a stud, nothing more. The question is whether I can be detached enough to give you only what you want. It would be a new experience for me, you see. I’m not sure I’m capable of performing in a purely perfunctory manner.”
At the moment, he was. He was so angry with her he wanted nothing more than to turn her over his knee and thrash some sense into her. But he would give her exactly what she was requesting and see how long it took her to admit it wasn’t what she wanted at all.
Roslynn was already having doubts. He made it sound so—so animalistic. And perfunctory? What the devil did he mean by that? If he was going to be indifferent about it, then how could he make love to her? He himself had said that it couldn’t be done unless desire was involved. Of course, that was when he had told her he wanted no other woman but her, and that had all been lies. But even now he said he wasn’t sure he could do it. Hell’s teeth! He had been after her from the beginning. How could henotdo it?
He broke into her thoughts with a quiet command. “Come here, Roslynn.”
“Anthony, perhaps—”
“You want a child?”
“Yes,” she answered in a small voice.
“Then come here.”
She approached him, but slowly, and a little fearfully now. She didn’t like him this way, so controlled,so cold. And she knew his anger was still simmering just below the surface. Yet her heart was accelerating with each step that brought her closer to him. They were going to make love. How didn’t matter. Where didn’t matter, though she spared a glance at the empty bed before looking back at the chair. And then suddenly she remembered Anthony’s threat the night George and Frances had been here, that he owed her a lesson in a chair. Roslynn stopped cold.
Unfortunately, she stopped too late. She was close enough to Anthony for him to reach out and drag her down onto his lap. She turned to sit sideways, to face him, but he wouldn’t let her, maneuvering her the way he wanted, which was sitting straight, with her back to him. The position only made her more nervous because she couldn’t see his face behind her. But perhaps that was his intention. She just didn’t know what to think at this point.
“You’re stiff as a board, my dear. Need I remind you this was your idea?”
“Not in a chair.”
“I haven’t said we’ll do it here but then I haven’t said we won’t. What does it matter where? The priority is to first discover if I’m up to this endeavor.”
In the position he had placed her, sitting forward on his thighs, she had no way of knowing that he was already up to any endeavor, and had been since she’d walked into the room. She felt him gather her hair in his hands, but again, she didn’t know he pressed the silken locks to his lips, to his cheek, couldn’t see his eyes close as he savored the feel of her hair against his skin.
“Anthony, I don’t think—”
“Shh.” He pulled her head back by her hair as he leaned forward to whisper into her ear. “You do entirely too much thinking as it is, my dear. Try a little spontaneity for a change. You might like it.”
She held her tongue as he slipped her robe off her shoulders, his hands traveling down her arms, pushing the sleeves down to her wrists and then off, then retracing the path back to her shoulders. He continued touching her, on her shoulders, her neck, but she quickly became aware of the difference between this time and the last time. Even last night in the carriage when he had caressed her bare arm was different from this. Then she had felt his ardor like a hot brand. Now she sensed nothing, only complete indifference, as if touching her were simply a matter of course. Perfunctory—oh, God!
She couldn’t bear it, not like this. She started to get up, only to have a hand grip each of her breasts, pulling her back against him.
“You’re not going anywhere, my dear. You came here with your damnable conditions, and I agreed to them. It’s too late to change your mind—again.”
Roslynn’s head fell back against his chest. His hands hadn’t remained still while he spoke. They had begun kneading, squeezing, drawing a fullness into her breasts.Hemight not be feeling anything, but she certainly was. And she couldn’t seem to help it, to stop the warmth from uncoiling in her belly, making her limbs grow languorous one moment, tensed in anticipation the next.
She no longer cared if he was lacking ardor. Her own senses had taken over. It was too late to change her mind. He said it was too late. And it was a means to an end, wasn’t it? She had to keep that in mind.
Moments later, she had very little in mind. His hands were roaming the front of her body, stroking gently, roughly, but in no way indifferently now,though she had ceased to notice the difference. Even the silk of her negligee gliding up her legs was a heady caress. And then one hand touched the triangle of hair he had bared and became still.
