Still…
“Will that be all?”she asked, just to be certain.“You’ll not have expectations of courtship after?”
His answering chuckle had an unpleasant effect on her nerves.“Trust me, Miss Croft.Marrying you is the furthest thing from my mind, but a taste, that’s something I can’t quite resist.”
She ought to slap him for insulting her so.She ought to leave.But she desperately wanted to know who’d betrayed her.So she steeled herself against what came next and gave a swift nod.“Very well.”
To her consternation, his mouth did not descend over hers right away.Instead, he reached around her and drew her flush up against him.The action was so unexpected it forced a gasp from her throat.
He responded with a rough sound and pressed himself to her with firmness.Her back hit the side of the church, distracting her from his shift in position and the sudden press of his hips against hers.
“Please stop.”She placed her palms against him, prepared to push him away.“This isn’t the kiss I agreed to.”
“Come now,” he murmured, moving against her with added force.“We both know you secretly want this.”
“You’re wrong.”
He slowed his movements, causing a forceful sensation to stir deep inside her.A wicked chuckle echoed next to her ear.“Am I?”
To her everlasting shame, her body responded to what he was doing with pleasure, and the keen desire for more.
It made no sense.She did not long for this man.She yearned for Marsdale, but it was as if some foreign power had taken possession of her free will, igniting a fire she could not control.
“Like that, do you,” he asked when a soft moan escaped her.His voice was gruff, almost accusatory.A snort followed.“You almost had me deceived for a moment – made me question whether or not I’d misjudged you.But it’s clear to me now that I didn’t.”
It was hard to untangle his words when it felt like a maelstrom was rising inside her.Before she could sort out his meaning, he captured her mouth in a kiss so aggressive she failed to notice the sharp metal tip pressing into her throat.
11
Adrian had barely finished dressing when a knock at his bedchamber door preceded his butler’s arrival.
“I apologize for disturbing you,” Elks said while Murry ran a brush down the navy-blue superfine jacket Adrian wore, “but there’s a Chief Constable Kendrick to see you on what he insists is a matter of utmost urgency.”
Adrian frowned and tried to figure out what had brought Kendrick to his home so early in the day.“Thank you, Elks.Please show him to the parlor.”
“Do you suppose one of your many associates might have ignored the order to stop using the benefit of the Croft name for business?”Murry asked once Elks was gone.
“Possibly.”One thing was for damn sure.If such a thing were occurring, he’d find the culprit and make him pay for the trouble.
Unhappy with starting the day in a state of annoyance, Adrian downed the last of the coffee Murry had brought him earlier, and went to discover why Kendrick had come.He wanted the visit over and done with quickly so he could address other matters.The late-night call he’d paid his mistress had caused a delayed start to his day.
A clipped stride brought him to the parlor where he found the constable waiting.The man’s slim frame was slightly hunched as he studied the porcelain pieces displayed behind the glazed doors of the bureau bookcase.
“Mr.Kendrick.”
Adrian’s voice caused his visitor to straighten and turn, bringing his oval face into view.His dark blonde hair had been carefully combed to one side and greased with pomade, offering him a neat and professional look.
Blue eyes met Adrian’s from beneath a pair of tightly knit eyebrows.The gravity of his gaze was echoed in the straight line of his thin-lipped mouth.A hint of stubble upon his jaw suggested he’d not taken time to shave.
“Mr.Croft.I’m sorry to call on you so early in the day.”Kendrick spoke curtly, his posture stiff, as though he was just as unhappy to be here as Adrian was to have his morning disturbed by his presence.
“I trust you wouldn’t have done so unless there was cause.”Adrian gestured toward the seating arrangement.“Shall we sit?”
“Thank you, but I…” He cleared his throat and squared his shoulders.“I’m afraid there’s no easy way to say this.”
“Say what?”Adrian asked when the man said nothing further.
Seconds passed.A muscle worked at the edge of Kendrick’s jaw as he seemed to weigh his next words.A sliver of unease spread across Adrian’s shoulders.He flexed his fingers and fought the urge to reach for the miniature in his pocket.
