When she’d completed her tasks, she found him waiting in the foyer, ready to depart. With all of the riotous emotions that had attacked her during the last half hour, she’d hardly had time to notice how dashing he looked in a burgundy jacket and charcoal breeches. And although his face did look like a bad artist’s canvas, there was no denying his handsome features—that ever-present glint of responsibility that shadowed his eyes or the terribly attractive curve of his mouth.
Catching herself, she allowed him to escort her outside to his carriage. Her palm settled comfortably against his as he helped her alight, and when he settled himself across from her, she could not help but wonder what it might be like to have him touch her with greater insistence. What a silly thing to even consider at a time such as this.
“Does it hurt?” she asked a moment after the carriage had set off down the street. “Your face, that is.”
“Not too much. It looks worse than it feels.”
“Did you at least win?”
He smirked. “I did indeed.”
“Good.” Her concrete nod made him smile. “But I still don’t see why you had to go there. The neighborhood isn’t safe, Coventry. Any number of terrible things could have happened to you, given your appearance.”
“Oh?”
“You cannot hide your wealth, which could have made you an easy target for any number of villains.”
“Not too easy of a target, I should hope.” He leaned forward. “Or is your opinion of me so low that you think me incapable of surviving a few unpleasant muggers?”
“Of course not. But there are murdering scoundrels there too, men who would not hesitate to use a knife if it got them what they wanted.”
“And knowing this,” he said while leaning closer still, “you had no qualms about going there yourself without escort.”
She saw the mistake she had made in her argument, but that didn’t change the fact that the more she thought about his little adventure the previous evening, the more it worried her, because really, what if something had happened? What if he’d been cornered and killed? Such incidents were not unheard-of.
“I went during the day and I did not actually enter St. Giles.”
“Even so, you are a woman, and therefore at far greater risk than I would ever be.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Coventry. Why must you be so difficult?”
He looked at her with a thoroughness that immediately made her regret the outburst. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly, and then he quietly said, “Perhaps because your actions insist that I have to protect you from even yourself.”
“And who will protect you from yourself?” She stared into his dark brown eyes. “Who will be there to stop you the next time you think of asking a stranger to ruin your handsome face?”
The edge of his mouth tilted. “You think me handsome?”
She watched his gaze change to a warmer shade, the effect of it sending a dart of heat straight to her belly. Her stays felt suddenly tight against her breasts, and her throat had grown uncomfortably dry. Awareness crackled in the space between them. Why on earth did she have to say that?
Deliberately sitting back, she looked away and responded crisply. “In an ordinary sort of way.” She dared not glance at him while she sat there staring at nothing in particular, for she could feel him watching her with a closeness that threatened to reveal everything she felt for him. Which was something she simply could not allow.
Eventually, he shrugged. She wasn’t sure how she knew that he did so, but there was something about the way in which the air shifted and the carefree tone of his voice as he said, “Then I must confess that I find your face enchanting. In an equally ordinary sort of way.”
Without thinking, her eyes shot toward his, only to find that his face was even closer now than it had been before. “You are impossible,” she said, since staying silent would do her no good at all.
“No more than you, I imagine.”
His hand came up, the astonishing touch of his fingers against her cheek jarring her senses and sending her reeling. Her breath caught in her throat. A series of shivers caressed her skin. If only she could keep her stomach from rolling over so she could enjoy the intimacy of the moment a little. Instead, she remained completely stiff and unsure. What was he doing and what did he expect her to do? She really wasn’t the least bit sure, but the studious look in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a dangerous gleam that excited her while at the same time filled her with no small amount of trepidation.
“Whatever shall we do?” He asked the question as if to himself—the contemplative tone hinting at deep thought and consideration.
“I... I...”I cannot speak. You’ve addled me with your nearness.
“Hmm...” His gaze dropped to her mouth, the color of his eyes now concealed behind lowered lashes. The air grew thick around them, and once again, Amelia struggled to breathe as she began to detect his intention. He would kiss her. Right here in the carriage. She didn’t even care about the reason behind such abandon or the consequences that were sure to follow. All she could do was wait, her entire body perched on the edge of her seat while her heart threatened to burst from her chest and—
The carriage drew to a shuddering halt and Coventry quickly leaned back. “We are here.” Hard lines masked any hint of longing on his part, the look in his eyes now one of practical determination and resolve. It was as if the moment had never happened—as if all it had been was a figment of her own imagination.
And yet... And yet, she could not deny the lingering feel of his fingers against her cheek or the craving that had consumed her seconds ago. It had not been of her own making, but of his.Hehad instigated it. His eyes had reached inside her to confirm it, and when she stepped down from the carriage, assisted by the steady touch of his hand, she realized he’d shown her something she’d never thought to inspire in him until now: unrestrained desire.
