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Lottie let out a little sigh of relief. Finally, this madness would be stopped.
“Thank you for your honesty,” he said tersely, then stepped toward her. “But you should call me Gordon. At least when we’re in private.”
Lottie tried to back away but came up against the bed. “You—you can’t still wish to marrynow,” she sputtered.
He stopped mere inches from her person and his mouth curved into something close to a smile. “You do realize I agreed to marry you even when we thought you had run off with anItalian.”
Lottie couldn’t manage more than a dazed shake of her head.
He then leaned in so close that his pungent aftershave tickled her nose. “It’s a bit of a relief, actually,” he drawled. “Now I won’t have to be gentle with you tonight.” He reached out and cupped the back of her neck. Though his grasp was firm, he stroked her hair with surprising softness.
“You horrible man,” she whispered.
“I will be whatever kind of man you wish, Lottie. If you want a brute, so be it.” Then he pressed his mouth to hers in a hard kiss. Gordon Wetherby was no mere toady. He was as calculating as Uncle Alfred, and in less than an hour he would have control over her fortune, her person, her entirelife. She pressed her hands against his chest, prepared to push him away, but then an idea sprung forth. And she had just one chance to enact it.
She fought down her revulsion and began to move her trembling hands in slow strokes. Gordon had a rather muscular chest—not that she ever planned to see him shirtless. He immediately pulled back, surprised and panting hard. Lottie could now recognize the signs of desire in a man. He wanted her. Badly. And she would use that to her advantage.
Lottie took a deep breath and silently prayed that she could pull this off. “I…I had no idea you were so passionate,” she said in a breathy voice.
He inhaled slowly and stared deeply into her eyes. “I’ve long had a passion for you, Lottie. And unlike that bastard, I will not walk away from this. Ever.”
Lottie managed to flash him a coy smile at the unsettling words and continued to stroke his chest. “And yet you claim to not be sentimental.”
He actually blushed.
“But if we are to do this,” Lottie began in her most simpering tone, “may I make a request?”
Gordon gave a dazed nod as if he were truly enchanted by her.
“This is my only chance to have a wedding. A week wouldn’t make much of a difference. And it would give us more time to get to know one another.” She pressed her cheek against his, and he shivered. “Don’t you want your family there? Your dear aunt?” Thank God he couldn’t see her grimace at the words.
Gordon sighed and wrapped an arm around her waist. “No, my darling. Given your uncle’s state, we shouldn’t delay.” He actually sounded remorseful as he pulled back. “I am sorry you can’t have a proper wedding.” His gaze then fell on her lips and grew hot once more. “But I don’t think I can wait a week to have you. Not now.” He bent to take her mouth in another hungry kiss, but this time Lottie pushed him away and stalked to the other side of the room.
“Leave me, then.”
He began to walk toward her but stopped at her sharp look.
“If you won’t give me a week, at least give me an hour.”
His eyes hardened once again. “You always did want more than you deserved. Very well. But you will pay for it later.” Then he spun on his heel and left.
The click of the lock echoed through the room.
Chapter Twenty-Two
So, this is where you grew up?” Rafe raised an eyebrow as he scanned the quiet streets of Sir Alfred’s tony neighborhood. “No wonder you never pick up the check.”
Rafe was here in an official capacity to deal with the leak and unofficially to help Alec. Though Alec had initially balked, he was glad not to be alone now. They departed Venice on the next available train, then had to wait a day in Calais due to the weather, which put them two days behind Lottie.
“That’s rich, coming from an earl’s son.” Alec cast him a glance before continuing to look out the hackney’s window. “We were in Surrey most of the time, anyway. That is, when I wasn’t at school.” He pressed his lips together as Sir Alfred’s properly imposing town house came into view. Alec banged on the roof of the carriage and it stopped across the street. He pressed a hand against his knee to still his jittering leg. The closer they had come, the more restless his nerves grew. They watched the town house for another few minutes, but not a soul came in or out, and the curtains were drawn over every window.
The hairs at the back of his neck prickled. “I don’t like this.”
“Perhaps they went to Surrey.”
Alec’s heart sank at the idea. He needed to see Lottie.Now.“Let’s find out.”
As they alighted from the carriage, another pulled up in front of the town house and a spritely man in dark clothes wearing a vicar’s collar emerged.
