And besides, he had injured her.Not at all offensive. She was surprised by how much those words stung. Shouldn’t she be used to contempt by now? But she had never thought she would hear it from him when he had been so kind to her last night. So solicitous of her pleasure and forgiving of her inexperience.
And now he had tainted her memory of the hour she had spent in his bed, being hislovely girland hisdarling.
For a man of many words, he had chosen very badly. Let him stay hurt.
Get out of here, she willed him.Get out, before I kiss you again.
Because, despite her anger, his hazel eyes were melting her core, igniting a desire to vanquish that injured expression and replace it with the feral hunger she had seen on his face while he had been inside her.
He drew himself up and bowed. “My lady.”
She curtsied and watched him walk out of her bedchamber. As soon as the door closed behind him, she staggered and collapsed into a chair.
It was a pity he knew who she was. But she had originally counted on his knowing her anyway, hadn’t she? When Edmund had written to their father months ago and mooted a shooting party for him and his friends, when she had first planned to seduce the earl, she had foolishly thought Phineas would know her right away. How stupid it had been to think that the best moment in her life as a young woman, a moment which had fueled every release she had ever had, would hold any significance for him. Thatshewould hold any significance for him.
Thank God he would go back to town tomorrow, having no idea of her shameful deformity, no idea of how limping and hideous her speech was. She had kept that from him.
Tomorrow, she would be shut of the physical phenomenon of Phineas Edge, forever. Her chest would stop hurting. And, if she could manage to forgetnot at all offensive, she would be able to comfort herself by conjuring his cock and his hands and his lips and his other words, hisloveliesand hisdarlings,for the rest of her life.
Her breathing had returned to normal and the throb between her legs had almost subsided when Jones came in with Lavinia.
“She did very well, my lady,” Jones said, untying the leash. “She didn’t pull my arm off this time.”
Lavinia bounded up to Caroline and naughtily put her front paws in her mistress’ lap and sniffed Caroline’s mouth before swiping it with her long tongue.
“La,” Caroline said and snapped her fingers and the dog got down. Lavinia must have smelled Phineas, and, could it be? Caroline could swear Lavinia had a smirk on her droopy face as she lay down at Caroline’s feet.
He tastes good, doesn’t he, La? Well, I hope you enjoyed that. Because my lips will never, ever taste like his again.
Five
“Isay, Edmund, how is it that your sister never comes to town?”
“Caro? I mean, Lady Caroline?” Edmund frowned. “Why do you ask, Phin?”
Phineas had been only half an hour behind the shooting party and had managed to catch up since the men were strolling and stopping frequently. However, he had neglected to bring his gun out with him and so could only watch as the gamekeeper and his assistants and the pointers flushed birds and the other men tried to bring them down.
Caro, her brother said. So, Carowasher name. Her family name, or at least, her brother’s name for her. And Caro had given that name to Phineas last night.
That had to mean something.
“I seem to remember dancing with her a long time ago at a ball. I’ve never seen her again until . . . well, I saw her portrait in the gallery this morning.”
Edmund grunted while reloading his flintlock. “She hates that painting. Father commissioned it and insisted it hang in the gallery. My sister says the whole thing is a lie, and she has never smiled like that, ever.”
Ah-ha! Phineas couldn’t restrain his own grin. Carohadn’tsmiled at the portrait painter. His own powers werenotfailing. She was just a woman who did not smile. And that was perfectly fine since her kisses, her groans, her wetness had told him she liked him and what he had done.
Shehadliked what he had done, hadn’t she? And liked him?
But why then the rejection in her bedchamber? The short answers. The persistentno’s. The iciness. Well, until she had kissed him again quite savagely and then rejected him once more.
His darling little Caro liked to blow hot and cold, did she? Well, it was a good way to keep him on his toes. And two could play at that game. And a very fun game it might be. Although he would prefer the darling to blow only hot. As she had last night.
“But she never comes to town?” Phineas persisted.
Edmund looked over at his father who was having a word with the head gamekeeper. He answered in an undertone, “After my mother died, the marquess decided my sister had much better stay here and take over the duties of mistress of the house. She is shy, you know.”
Again. The shyness. It was an abominable falsehood.
