Page 56 of Lord of Mistrust

“Presumptuous knave. Did I say I was?” Her eyes sparkled at him.

“You implied it.” He kept her hand to his lips and gazed at her, his brows raised.

“And do you care for me?” She blinked uncertainly.

How could he deny it? “Of course, I do. But if we cannot be wed—”

“Tush. Love will find a way. I have a very determined mother, and I believe I take after her somewhat. It is you I want, Robert—not coin, not land, not consequence. These things would be meaningless without you.”

His heart flamed. She was right. He shouldn’t always believe the worst, expect the worst. He should trust in Fate. Sometimes, it worked in one’s favor.

She sent him a provocative smile. “About this ‘searching’ affair. You must tell me exactly what you did, so I know how much to punish you.”

Punishment? The way she was looking at him now, any punishment from her would be an exquisite pleasure.

“It is better demonstrated than reported,” he answered, entering into the spirit of the game.

She withdrew her hand from his and lay on the bed. His pulses leaped.

“So, here I am—insensible. I suppose I should close my eyes. Show me what you did.”

She looked so tempting lying there, like a feast for a starving man. He wrestled with his last shreds of common sense.

“We should not do this. ’Tis sin enough for me to be in your chamber with you, let alone… interfering with your person.”

“Was it that bad?” She sounded fascinated.

“It was, alas.” But only bad in a certain sense. He remembered the moment with relish.

“I insist you show me exactly what you did. And have no fear—I’ve left strict instructions that I am not be disturbed before eleven of the clock.”

“What hour is it now?”

“I’ve absolutely no idea. Let’s assume we’re running out of time, and you must hurry.” Chloe folded her hands across her stomach and lay still, waiting for his demonstration.

He was being given some kind of test, he was sure, and his future happiness depended on him passing it. But what did Chloe want? What did she expect?

Women were a constant puzzle, and this one more so than most. But he was prepared to give her all the time she wanted. If he was to be permitted to touch her again, nothing in the world would force him to hurry. Leaning over, he reached behind her head to remove her hairpins.

“Why did you do that?”

“They got caught up in your bodice when I tried to remove it. I won’t make you suffer that indignity this time.”

Besides which, he wanted to savor the chestnut silk of her hair. He smoothed a long curl between his fingers.

“Did you do that back then?”

“Nay. I’m doing it now because I want to. Tell me if you have any objection.” He brought the lock of hair to his lips and kissed it, inhaling its sweet scent. It was a perfume he would never forget.

Next, he must remove her bodice. If ever a scheme was designed to test a man’s self-control, this was it. Yet, he wasn’t certain she wanted him to control himself. A delightful prospect. Sliding an arm under her waist, he lifted her into a sitting position, but she stiffened and resisted him.

“You’re not playing fair, Mistress. You were limp at the time.”

Chloe flopped in his arms, and a laugh escaped him. Her eyes flicked open, and he struggled against the urge to kiss her. It would spoil the game. Or would it?

“Not quite that limp. Now, my love, remember that this is a serious demonstration. I won’t have you deliberately jeopardizing it.”

She leaned against him as he began unlacing her bodice. Every detail of the body beneath had been etched on Robert’s memory that night. He’d never forgotten how it had felt to run his hands over her enticing curves. He also remembered the desire that had coursed through him then—it was building up now, but was intensified by the fact that the woman on the bed was awake and toying with him. He didn’t understand the game yet, nor what the rules were, but he’d make damned sure he was the winner.