Samantha gasped. Adrian was kissing her for the first time in weeks. Yet there was no tenderness in it, no deeper connection, but rather a callous display of power.
It broke her heart even as her body and mind both responded, so desperate for this sort of closeness with him, they perversely wanted more. So she didn’t resistany further or try to fight back, choosing instead to submit and turn the kiss in her favor.
This was what she’d been missing, this heated passion he’d shown her when he’d first kissed her. He’d swept her into their own secret world back then – a place in which nothing besides them mattered. She longed to find her way back there with him, to take their relationship one step further and fully cement it once and for all.
He reared back, a horrified look in his eyes, chest rising and falling with each labored breath. A shake of his head as he leaned back farther, releasing his hold on her in the process.
She reached for him, attempted to hold him to her, but he brushed her aside and was suddenly rising. Flint hardened his gaze as it traveled the length of her body, observing the way her skirts bunched at her knees, her slightly askew bodice.
A hint of appreciation surfaced for a split second before it vanished once more. Pivoting, he strode for the door and thrust it open, allowing the forceful sound to accompany him from the room.
Defeated, Samantha pushed herself into a sitting position, adjusted her gown, and hauled herself upright just in time to hear the front door slam shut. Her gaze drifted toward the window overlooking the street, to Adrian briskly walking away.
She watched until he’d vanished from view, annoyed with herself for the counterproductive way in which she’d reacted. Going on the offensive – hittinghim – had been a mistake, albeit an instinctive reaction to his menacing manner. To the increased tension between them.
Inhaling deeply, she reminded herself that the battle between them was far from over. He would return and when he did, she’d make sure he listened to everything else she wanted to say.
Spitting mad, Adrian tore along the pavement, ignoring those foolish enough to greet him. Lord help him, he’d never been so enraged by anyone in his life. And all because of a blasted kiss.
But no, it was more than a kiss, and he reckoned she bloody well knew it.
Never mind the initial reason behind it. All that mattered had been the result.
As soon as his lips had touched hers, he’d been back in that blasted field where he’d learned what it meant to hold her for the first time. Only now, he was her husband. They’d had no need to stop. Something his body had been too aware of.
Shit.
The heat from all that suppressed desire was like an inferno burning him up. By God, she was his nemesis at the moment, yet there was no denying the need she instilled in him. It was even stronger now than before, like a dangerous spark ignited by all the pent-up tension between them.
A groan of frustration ripped through him. He wanted her. Desperately. No denying that inconvenience. But how the hell could he let himself have her when she’d invented the woman he’d lost his heart to?
This question had thankfully forced itself through the fog in his brain when she’d responded with fervor, saving him from making what would have been a colossal mistake. He fisted his hands. Ridding himself of his mistress had clearly been a foolish decision, but it had been made based on what he’d believed to be true. Not on reality itself.
He stormed toward Brook Street, cutting a path directly to Reed’s. If only he hadn’t sent Murry out, he’d have asked him to join him for a good bit of sparing. But maybe luck would prevail and Wrengate would be there instead. One could only hope.
The boxing club came into view. Adrian moved to the edge of the pavement and stopped to wait for a gap in the traffic to let him cross. Only to have his path blocked by a carriage that pulled up directly before him. The door opened and Orendel leaned out.
His stark expression and troubled gaze sent a warning down Adrian’s spine. Right before the earl told him, “There’s been another murder.”
7
It was still early in the day and Samantha had much to accomplish. Despite every instinct compelling her to keep her distance from Harlowe, she needed him if she was to try and help Isak. Besides, she hadn’t visited Clearview since her wedding. That was a month and a half ago, and while she could try to make up excuses about spending time with her husband, that would only get her so far.
A visit would put to rest any potential suspicions that she was deliberately staying away.
So she fixed her hair, collected her bonnet and gloves, and set off. With the servants still absent from the house, she was left with no choice but to take a hackney. Not that she minded. Public transportation had served her exceedingly well in the weeks leading up to her wedding. She took no issue with it though shedid believe it might bother Adrian slightly, now that she knew he enjoyed tracking her movements.
She sighed as she settled in for the journey, the vehicle gently rocking as it travelled out of the city. There was no sense in blaming him for a situation that had been entirely of her own making.Hewas the victim, not her, though she reckoned he’d wallop her if he knew she thought in such terms.
She pinched the bridge of her nose and tried not to think of the argument they would likely have later when both returned home. One problem at a time.
The carriage turned onto the Clearview House driveway, taking her past the neatly trimmed lawns and tidy flowerbeds. It pulled to a halt and she alit, asked the driver to wait, and climbed the steps leading up to the large front door.
“It’s such a pleasure to see you,” Harlowe informed her when they met in the parlor. He pulled her into a hug before stepping back. A smile followed, along with a flicker of wry humor. “We feared you might have forgotten about us, yet here you are.”
Anyone else would have fallen for his show of paternal affection, but Samantha knew better now. She would no longer be fooled. Nevertheless, she offered a smile in return. “I’m sure you must know I could never do so.”
His gaze searched hers and she forced a gentle expression to soften her features. Non-threatening. No hint of animosity. As far as he would know from this encounter, she was still on his side.
