They walked down the steps of the townhouse and began a slow, but steady progression along the row of shops and houses lining the street. Various people and carriages passed, but they were ignored as Devin and Constance strode in silence. She was waiting for him to speak, while he was likely gathering his thoughts.
He stopped abruptly and faced her. “I know you don’t care for my council, and I have no right to give it, but you are making a mistake by encouraging Sir Isaacson.”
She lifted a brow. “Am I?”
“Yes,” he retorted firmly.
“I see.” She rolled his warning around her mind for a moment and then inclined her head. “In that respect, I will be cautious around the baronet, but only if you can give me a reason why, other than your apparent dislike for men of his standing.”
His jaw clenched several times before he finally said, “I don’t trust him.”
She waited, but nothing further was forthcoming. “That’s it? That vague warning is all you can say?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’m afraid that’s not a good enough reason.” She shrugged and started walking again, saying over her shoulder, “If you expect me to trust you, then you need to do the same for me and tell me why you feel this way.”
She gasped when she found herself moved into an alley beside two buildings. Instantly, the bright sunshine that they had been enjoying turned dismal and intruding, but when Devin trapped her against the brick with his hard body, her breathing hitched with something other than alarm.
“What are you doing?” She hated how breathless her voice sounded.
“If you won’t listen to reason, then perhaps I can get you to listen to this.” His mouth descended on hers in a passionate entreaty.
Constance groaned when his hand found her breast. He flattened his palm against her corset and rubbed enticingly. A flood of warmth rushed to her core, where she pulsed with arousal. When he thrust his hips forward and rubbed against her, she had to bite her lip to keep from groaning a second time. “You’re not playing fair,” she panted.
He moved slightly and she closed her eyes briefly, the flames within burning even higher. “When it comes to Sir Brooks Isaacson, I don’t.”
“What… do you have against… him? Really?” She flattened her palms against the rough brick behind her, hoping that the harsh surface would keep her brain functioning properly.
“I have several reasons to dislike him.” He bent down and nibbled the sensitive skin behind her ear. “But you don’t need to hear all the torrid details. Can’t you just take me at my word?”
She laughed lightly. “This, coming from a confirmed thief who just served a five-year sentence in Australia?”
He stilled. “Who told you?”
She blinked, some of her ardor cooling somewhat by his tone. “Luke. But I didn’t think it was a secret. Perhaps he thought I needed to understand who I was shielding under my roof before I brought you there.”
He stared at her hard, those dark eyes chips of obsidian in the dim alley. “So, you believe a criminal like me can’t possibly be a good judge of character, is that it? Or you just can’t believe me because I’m a commoner instead of someone who holds a title?”
Frustrated by this game of cat and mouse, she put her hands against his chest and shoved, but he remained steadfast. “If you’re going to be like this, then you can just release me.”
His gaze softened once more. “How would you like me to be, Constance?” he murmured, and she felt the cool air of her upper leg being bared, followed by the teasing dance of his fingers along the top edge of her stockings. “I can be anything you want.”
He swiped a finger along her nether regions and her hips bucked, the memory of his hands upon her flooding back with a vengeance. “Stop teasing me and let me go.”
“Never,” he whispered in her ear, before he bent down and disappeared beneath her skirts.
At the first swipe of his tongue, her legs nearly buckled, but he had grasped her hips and held her upright with his strong hands. Keeping her in place, he continued to pleasure her with his mouth while she began to see stars dance before her eyes. Everything around them faded, even the fact that they were in a deserted alley where anyone might come upon them, but Constance was so focused on Devin and the pleasure he was giving her, the pleasure she suddenly craved, that she didn’t care about anything else at the moment.
When she crested, she leaned her head back against the wall and rolled her hips with the convulsions that continued for several minutes. It was difficult to stay silent when she wanted to scream his name aloud, but she managed to do little more than whimper. When it was over, he reappeared before her line of vision and steadied her when she would have swayed on her feet.
With her breathing still erratic, she stared at him through hooded eyes. “Why are you doing this to me?” It was both a benediction and a desperate plea.
His eyes were bright when they lit on her face. “Because, I have to save you, and if seduction is the only way to do that, then you can be assured I’ll be a devoted admirer.”
Constance opened and shut her fan countless times where she sat in Lady Blessington’s drawing room later that afternoon. She couldn’t seem to ignore Devin’s final warning to her before he’d escorted her back to the townhouse. Although, it wasn’t as though she could truly consider his attentions as a warning.
That was only how her heart saw it.
