He saw by the jut of her chin she was not about to tell him, so he stored that piece of information away for later.
“Yes, you are correct I did those things, and I do have the journal. And,” he held up a hand as she opened her mouth again, “I was going to tell you, but have not had the chance.”
“I am nobody’s fool, Lord Stafford. Had you wished to tell me, you would have called or sent word immediately. You didn’t, and nor did you tell me of your intention to visit the Crimson Serpent—”
“I would not have taken you to the Crimson Serpent, Lady Alice. Never,” Jamie added so she understood. “It is not a place for you. For that, I will not apologize, but I will do so for not alerting you to what I learned when we went there.”
“We?”
“Lords Hamilton and Corbyn accompanied me.”
“It matters not.” She turned to look out the window, which allowed her to see nothing as the curtains were drawn. “I will not work with someone whom I do not trust, and I no longer trust you, Lord Stafford.”
“I did what I felt needed to be done, and will not apologize for that,” Jamie said. “Perhaps I was wrong in not contacting you immediately, but I would have told you what I learned when the opportunity presented itself.”
“I don’t believe you.” The words were cold and hard and spoken to the curtains.
Jamie held himself still, though every muscle in his body screamed to move.
If another man had questioned his word, he would have demanded satisfaction on a field at dawn. That Lady Alice did so with such certainty cut far deeper than a blade could.
“I gave my word, and I keep it. Always, my lady. It is an insult to suggest otherwise. Besides, I sent word—”
“Today, which is two weeks after your visit to the Crimson Serpent.” She didn’t move, just kept her eyes trained away from him.
Jamie let his gaze drift over the soft curve of her cheek and the arch of her proud neck. Her gloved hands were clenched in her lap. She was furious with him, ready to flay him alive with her tongue, and God help him, she had never looked more alive, more beautiful.
“If a man questioned my word,” he said, leaning forward, “I would be extremely displeased.”
One delicate shoulder lifted and fell, dismissing him. The gesture was meant to provoke, and it succeeded. Heat licked through him, mingled with anger and something darker, more dangerous.
“Damn it,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “I have dealt with this alone for so long, but I did not deliberately keep the information from you.”
“That’s a lie.” Her head whipped around, eyes flashing.
“It’s not. Yes, I wanted to keep you safe, and yes, I am worried about your involvement in this—”
“It is not your right to worry about me. You promised to keep me abreast of everything regarding Jackson and didn’t. Clearly, this is not working, so we shall pursue him alone from now on,” she said.
He surged forward before he could stop himself, his fingers clamping around her wrists.
“You will not pursue this alone,” Jamie said. “I promise to tell you everything from this moment on.”
Her breath hitched as her gaze locked with his, wide eyed, furious, and yet there was something more there in the beautiful amber depths.
The savage need to taste this woman again drove him to pull her into his arms.
“No.” The word held no force.
“Yes,” he rasped as his mouth found hers.
The kiss was rough and born of frustration and fury. She gasped, tried to speak, but he swallowed the sound, angling his head to take more of her.
Jamie knew he should stop but his hand was at the back of her head, holding her to him, his other arm banded around her waist as though he could keep her there forever.
She clutched his shoulders, her fingers biting through the wool of his coat. He felt the tremor run through her body, telling him she wanted this as much as he did.
The carriage jolted over a rut, throwing her hard against him. He caught her, pulling her onto his lap. Her skirts tangled around them both, the faint scent of roses rising as pinsscattered from her hair as Jamie slipped his fingers into the thick black mass.
