A Persistant Attraction (23 page)

Amanda reveled in the sensation of his shaft thrusting against her belly. She wrapped her legs around his and rubbed herself against him.

His lips took hers in a brutal kiss. She met him with full force, opening to his tongue and forcing hers into his mouth as well. He bit at her lips, and she sank her nails into his back.

He slid lower until his hips rested between her legs. The tip of his shaft pressed against her. She lifted her hips, trying to make him enter her, but he pulled back.

He looked down at her. “Promise me there will be no annulment.” The shift in subject took her by surprise. “What?”

“Once I’m inside you, there is no turning back. We will remain married, and no other man shall ever touch you.”

“You couldn’t truly stop now, could you?”

“I’ll stop, even if it kills me.”

Panic ran through her. She needed Rhys so badly she could hardly think, but she could not let him manipulate her. “I don’t want to be your property.”

“I only ask that you be my wife.”

Amanda knew it amounted to the same thing. As her husband, he could take nearly all her freedom away. Could she trust him with her future?

He rocked his hips, making her gasp. “Give me your promise.” She shook her head again. “You won’t stop. You want this as much as I do.”

“I’ll stop if I must.”

She could hear the strain in his voice. Maybe she could break him. But he surged forward, pushing the tip of his shaft inside her. Then he pulled back and held himself out of reach.

She squeezed her eyes shut, unable to bear the knowing smile on his face.

“Please.” She hated herself for begging, but all she could think of was what it would be like to have him deep inside her.

He thrust again, letting her feel him against her damp flesh. “Marriage to me won’t be as bad as you think.”

But it would. Marriage to a rake like him was nothing but a trap. “I can’t.”

“You have to. Scandal or no scandal, you have to stay married to me, because you can’t live without this.” He pressed the tip of his shaft into her once more. “You are as consumed by desire as I am. Would you truly deny us both?”

“We don’t have to be married to—”

He pressed ever so slightly forward. “Yes, we do.”

“What happens when our passion dies?”

“I will never stop wanting you. Not if I live to be a hundred.” He angled his hips so his pubic bone rubbed her clit. The sensation was more than she could take.

“God help me. I’ll be your wife. Just please don’t stop”

“You won’t regret this.”

She didn’t believe him. But as he moved to fill her, she didn’t care.

“This will hurt a little, but the pain will fade.” He pushed deeper.

She felt impossibly stretched. Her body still craved him, but she was no longer sure she could accommodate him fully.

“Rhys—”

“Don’t be afraid. I’ll give you everything you want and more.” She wasn’t sure if he meant he’d satisfy her lust or prove himself a good husband.

But she stopped caring when he surged deep.

For a second, she panicked, feeling as if she’d been split in two.

“Breathe.” Rhys’s voice seemed to come from far away, but already the pain was fading. She needed to move. She needed
him
to move. Tentatively, she pushed upward with her hips.

He grabbed them and stilled her. “Not yet. Give yourself time to adjust.”

“Please. I’m fine. I need to move. Now!”

The gentle concern left Rhys’s face. In its place, she saw the naked man who only emerged when he was filled with anger or passion.

He slid into her, slowly at first, but as she lifted her hips to meet each thrust, he increased his pace.

“Amanda…” His breath came in pants. “Tell me if I…hurt you.” She tightened her grip on his back, afraid he would pull away. “More,” was all she managed to say.

He did as she asked, driving harder and faster. In the back of her mind, she recognized she would be sore later, but she didn’t care. She wanted every savage stroke.

She wanted them both to lose control.

She hung on the edge of another peak of pleasure. Just before she tumbled into oblivion, she feared she might never come back. Then it was too late. Pleasure knifed through her, consuming all her thoughts.

Rhys had never seen anything as beautiful as Amanda’s sexual surrender. He wanted to stall his own orgasm so he could bring her up and over again, but he couldn’t break his fierce pace. Amanda’s eyes fluttered open, and she smiled. The contented look on her face undid him.

He fought the urge to spill his seed deep inside her. She’d agreed to remain married, but he had no intention of getting her with child before things were truly settled between them.

His body begged for release, and he barely pulled out in time. Hot, gripping pulsations wracked his body until he collapsed against Amanda, thoroughly satisfied in a way he’d never been.

Amanda slowly came back to awareness. She felt the cushions beneath her and Rhys’s weight on top of her as she listened to the crackling fire. She had no desire to stir, wanting to enjoy the aftermath of pleasure as long as she could.

A few moments later, Rhys rolled off of her and pulled her against him, encouraging her to snuggle against his warmth. Neither of them spoke.

She drew small circles on his chest as they cuddled. His skin still burned as hot as hers had at the peak of their passion. By the end, her body had been slick with sweat, but as she stroked his abdomen, she realized it was hot and dry.

Alarmed, she rose up on one arm and lifted a hand to his face. His forehead nearly scorched her hand. “You’ve got a fever.”

Slowly, he opened his eyes and gave her a lazy smile. “I’ll be fine.” She frowned, sitting up fully. “Let me see your arm.”

“No!” he snapped.

“You’re burning with fever. We need to figure out why.”

“I’ll see to it later.”

“You are the most stubborn man I’ve ever encountered.” She rose to her knees and reached for his arm, determined to remove the bandage.

“No!” He tried to push himself up to a sitting position, but his arm gave way, and he fell back to the floor.

“Obviously, you are
not
well.”

She touched his arm again, and he didn’t protest. Carefully, she unwrapped the bandage.

He closed his eyes, and his breathing grew shallow.

She didn’t want to hurt him, but she had to see his wound. Finally, the last round of the thick bandage came loose. She expected to see a cut, perhaps a gash where a bullet had grazed him. What she saw stunned her. She took a deep breath and fought to still the churning of her stomach.

“What have you done?”

“I had to show my loyalty to Les Centimes. They insisted on branding me.” For several seconds, Amanda was incapable of speech. She was afraid she would lose the contents of her stomach if she so much as moved. The idea that someone would

dare hurt Rhys in such a fashion and that he would willingly suffer such agony was more than she could fathom.

“Why would you agree to this?”

“I was in too far. If I refused, they would have killed me. They intend to make a strike against the regent in two days. I was willing to do anything to foil their plan.”

“But you told Farrington you wanted nothing else to do with the investigation.”

“He ruined my deception. If any of my contacts saw me with the two of you, they will know I’ve been lying to them. Several of them know Farrington from our time in France and—”

“What?”

“I cannot risk them getting their hands on you.” He was hiding something. Amanda was certain of that, but she didn’t want to push him when he was in so much pain. “What will we do now?”

“
We
don’t do anything.
I
will talk to Farrington as soon as you’ve nursed me to your satisfaction. Hopefully, I’ve gathered enough information for us to stop them.” She found the courage to look at his wound again. “They deserve to die.” Rhys gave her an odd smile. “We’ll have to let Farrington take care of that.” Suddenly, Amanda remembered all the cruel things she’d said to him earlier, accusing him of having fun, of enjoying himself with women at the party. All that time he’d been in pain.
You have no idea what I’ve been through
. His words echoed in her mind and tears spilled down her cheeks.

“What’s wrong?” He reached for her with his good arm.

Feeling his warm fingers slide along her cheek made her tears fall all the faster. “I’m so sorry.”

“For what?”

“I didn’t believe you’d been working all this time. I thought you’d sought out one of your mistresses when our wedding night didn’t go as planned. I was so angry with you.

I—”

“Any woman in your position would have assumed the same. I’d hoped to be able to visit you yesterday, but any contact I made would have put you in greater danger.”

“I missed you.” She wanted to tell him she cared about him. More than anything now she wanted their marriage to be real. But she was already pouring tears all over his chest when he was injured and feverish, she couldn’t burden him further by revealing she’d fallen in love with him. It would only make their relationship more awkward unless he felt the same way. She didn’t dare assume he did, but the fierce way he’d asserted that no other man would touch her gave her hope.

Rhys watched as Amanda hastily pulled his shirt over her head. He feared the dress Farrington had bought her was beyond repair. Once they were out of danger, he would have to buy her a replacement, one she would wear only for him. He wished she felt comfortable remaining naked with him, but he hoped that would come in time.

He pulled on his trousers and stretched himself on the sofa at her insistence. She’d tried to cover him with a blanket. But hot as he was, he couldn’t stand the thought of anything else touching his skin.

He should never have exerted himself before his arm had healed, but how could he resist Amanda? The throbbing in his arm accelerated and the heat it produced radiated through his body. But he could ignore most of the pain when he concentrated on Amanda’s declaration that she had missed him and her uncharacteristic tears. They gave him hope as none of her other actions had.

He studied her while she cleaned his arm and covered it with a fresh bandage. Her face was soft and relaxed, and her silky hair fell across her shoulders. She looked young and innocent despite her inappropriate attire. She was as gentle and tender as she’d been when caring for his stab wound. He hoped in the future he would see this nurturing side of her more often without having to sustain more injuries.

“Farrington will be here soon. We need to get you into some decent clothes,” he said when she’d secured the clean bandage. “And we need to introduce you to the servants. It will be their job to protect you if I have to leave.”

“You are not going anywhere in this condition. Besides, you said your plans had been compromised.”

“They have, but I may need to meet with someone else from Farrington’s organization.”

“They can come here.”

“Only the topmost agents know the location of this safe house. We cannot risk it being compromised.”

“You will not go running around London in this condition.”

“I have a slight fever. I’m hardly at death’s door.” He started to sit up, but she pushed him back. He was shocked by how little strength he had to resist. “Your skin is on fire. We need to summon a physician.”

“No! I cannot let anyone examine my arm. If word gets out to the authorities about Les Centimes too early, everything will be ruined.” Amanda sighed. “If you promise to stay here and rest, I will wait to summon aid.” He glanced at the window. He could see the pink and orange light of dawn.

Farrington would surely be there any minute. “I’ll do my best to conduct all my business from here. That is the best promise I can make.” She nodded. He hoped it was a sign of acceptance.

“Wrap yourself in this.” He tossed her the blanket she’d attempted to cover him with.

“Go upstairs and enter the first room on the left. You will find some women’s clothes in the wardrobe. I believe they will fit you”

Amanda’s scowled. “Where did these clothes come from?”

“They are cast-offs from my sister.”

“Oh.”

“Did you actually think I brought my mistresses here?”

“No. Yes. Never mind.”

“As I said, only a few agents know of this place. I wouldn’t compromise a mission in so foolish a way.”

“I didn’t mean to offend you.” She actually had the decency to look contrite.

“Once you’re dressed, search the desk for writing supplies. Send a note to your aunt telling her we’ve decided to take an impromptu wedding trip.” Amanda looked stricken. “I hadn’t even thought of Aunt Claire or Elise since we found you. If she’s discovered my absence, they’ll be worried sick.”

“If they find out where you were last night, they’ll likely kill me.” Amanda snorted. “Hardly. Aunt Claire will be thrilled you’ve forced me into hiding rather than letting me run about having adventures.” Rhys struggled to sit up despite her protests. He cupped her head in his hands and forced her to look directly at him. “You do understand how important it is that you stay here.”

“Yes, of course I do. Now let me get changed so I can be back before Farrington arrives.”

Rhys realized she expected to sit in on his conversation with Farrington. “Amanda, there is no need for you to be here while I talk to Farrington.”

“Someone must see that you don’t overexert yourself or make idiotic promises.”

“I assure you I can take care of myself. It would be better if you stayed upstairs.

There is a library you could avail yourself of, and the servants would be happy to supply you with anything else you need.”

“Lord Farrington respects my ability to assist with the investigation. Why can’t you?”

His fists clenched involuntarily and pain shot up his injured arm. He would take pleasure in wrapping his hands around Farrington’s throat when the man arrived. How dare he involve Amanda in the agency after Rhys had specifically forbidden it? And now, he had to deal with Amanda speaking of the man in complimentary tones.