Jackson faltered. The coldness in her gaze—it was like a stranger stared back at him. Nothing like the Anna he’d known.
The muscle in his chest panged.Ached.
If his Anna was gone... She turned away.
“No!”
He snatched her back and crushed his mouth to hers.
Curse it all!He shouldn’t touch her. Not in anger. Not like this.
He’d meant to make amends, to show her he wouldn’t walk away this time. That she was safe with him. Being a brute hadn’t been part of the plan.
He’d pull back. Set her aside. Be rational.
But then her fingers fisted in his hair, andshe kissed him back.
Soft, demanding lips, nails scraping his scalp.Electrifying. Like a lightning bolt to the head.
And sizzling heat straight to his groin.
Rational, be damned.
He threaded his fingers through her uncovered hair, scattering the few pins across the floor. The mass of fiery curls was heavy silk in his hands. His thumb found the base of her hairline and rubbed light circles.
Her responding moan parted her lips under his.
He flicked his tongue against her lip.
Another moan, this one throaty, wanton.
His Anna wasn’t gone.
He smiled, his teeth scraping along her plump, lower lip. No, his Anna was alive, kicking, andbiting.
He pulled back, the sting to his lip not diminishing a single, blasted second of pleasure seeing the high color in her cheeks, the swollen flesh of her mouth.
Lovely. Wild.
And more dangerous than ever, for them both.
There was no stopping their marriage now. To do so would be to ruin her honor irrevocably. But he would do as promised and find her brother. And when he did, there would be no need for her to stay in London.
He’d send her away, where she could be safe from any backlash from the Home Office. Where Mrs. Dove-Lyon’s hopes of distracting him would come to naught.
He wouldn’t send Anna to Grandfellow Hall, of course. Forcing her to live side by side with his mother and brother would be far too cruel. He had five other houses across England. She’d have her pick.
She swayed toward him, her gaze on his mouth.
Jackson groaned and stepped back, wrangling his desire with Herculean strength. “I will help you find your brother.”
She blinked, his words seemingly setting in. Then her eyes narrowed because not even a kiss of mythic proportion would dull that sharp mind. “How? By using your title to demand answers? I told you William’s disappearance needs to be kept quiet.”
He snorted. “Contrary to your belief, I can be subtle.” He hesitated.Offering the barest truth couldn’t hurt. “I do, in fact, know of someone who could help. An investigator, but not with Bow Street.”
“Who?”
“A man who enjoys his privacy.”
