Claire immediately handed her still untouched orgeat to James. A blaze of indignant anger burned in her eyes.
Bloody bastard.
Leah had begun building quite a collection of private insults for Guy, bastard being the latest.
She had tried. Her initial efforts at attempting to like him were not half-hearted in any way. But it was hard to like a person who treated you the way Guy treated Leah. The man was an overbearing pig.
He was just like her father. The first time she had looked deep into his eyes searching for any sense of connection, she had seen Tobias Shepherd staring straight back at her.
And now this. The battle over a glass of orgeat. From the moment Guy had handed her the drink, she’d known he was going to make her down every last drop. If there was one thing she knew about bullies, it was that they were nothing if not predictable. Whatever they did, it had to be with the long-term goal of eventually beating you down and winning. Guy, no doubt, would feel that by making her drink the foul, sweet liquid, he had won.
She felt sorry for Claire and James. Embarrassed for them to witness such behavior. From her knowledge of the Radley family, she suspected it was not something that they were used to seeing. Leah, meanwhile, had a lifetime’s experience of it upon which she could call.
As Guy led Claire toward the entrance to the ballroom, Leah gave a small sigh of relief. She needed time to regroup her thoughts and steady herself for the next skirmish in the ongoing battle of wills. Guy might think himself the master of the game, but Leah was far from done.
“Are you alright, Leah?” asked James.
She gave him a bright smile. “Perfectly well, thank you. It is a lovely evening. Your sister dances well, so I am certain that Mister Dannon will appreciate her lightness of foot.”
Leah bit down on her bottom lip. She was not going to make further mention of the incident with the drink. It was more important that she gather her wits and focus on the task at hand—that task being to get James Radley somewhere private.
“Shall we follow them?” he asked.
“In a moment. But before then, do you think we could go somewhere and talk?”
When his brows furrowed, she tapped him lightly on the arm, reassuring him. “Guy has already secured my father’s approval to court me, and he has a second appointment at our home tomorrow. I’m not asking you to take me to your bedroom and ravish me. I just want five minutes of your time, James.”
“Of course,” he replied.
She offered him her arm and led him silently toward the hallway. Her heart was thumping a strong tattoo in her chest. James Radley may not like what she was about to do. She could only pray that Guy Dannon would hate it.
Chapter Eight
Much as he disapproved of the way Guy treated Leah, James still felt a strong sense of unease at allowing her to take him by the hand and lead him away from the main party. This was the sort of situation every young man was warned about. Going anywhere private with an unchaperoned, unmarried young woman was fraught with peril.
He was about to tell her that this was not wise, and that they should head back to the ballroom, when she stopped at an open door and quickly pulled him inside. This was madness.
“I think we should leave,” he said.
“You agreed to five minutes. That is all I ask,” she replied.
His gaze took in the room. From the large oak desk and towering shelves of books, it appeared to be the host’s private study.
“This is the perfect place,” she said. She let go of his hand and locked the door.
James swallowed a lump of nervousness. Leah was up to something, and every ounce of his good sense was screaming that whatever it was, he was in grave danger.
“For what?” he ventured.
The words had barely left his mouth before Leah took hold of the front of his evening jacket and pulled him hard toward her. With Leah gripping firmly onto his lapels, James had little choice but to bend. They came face-to-face, mere inches apart. He looked deep into her blue eyes, unable to pull away.
“This.” And then she kissed him.
It was not just one kiss. Leah graced James with a blaze of hot, passionate kisses that took his breath away. Kiss after kiss, which soon had him seeing stars. When she opened her lips and her tongue darted into his mouth, James’s cock went hard.
He should have resisted, should have pushed her away. But as the kiss deepened, he knew there was no hope of that happening. He was her willing captive. He kissed her right back.
His hand slipped around the back of her head, cupping the soft bun in which her hair had been set. She groaned. Every muscle in his body tensed. He wanted her. Their tongues tangled in a passionate encounter. Hot sexual need for this woman coursed through his veins.
