The Desires of a Countess (19 page)

But here they were in the brightly
lit dressing room where there were no shadows to hide in. And he
stood far enough away that nothing was left to her imagination.
She
should
have
covered her eyes. But she couldn’t help herself. She
looked.

He was more handsome than she’d even remembered. His
broad shoulders and arms were rippled with the kind of muscle men
gained from hard work, as were his powerfully built legs. His chest
was peppered with curly hair that laid a path down his flat stomach
to his manhood. She blushed as it slowly began to ease to attention
at her marked stare.

“S-Simon,” she stammered as she finally forced
herself to turn her head. “I thought you—that is I didn’t know
you—I mean to say-”

He let out a chuckle that brought her eyes back to
his face. Unlike her, he didn’t seem the least bit uncomfortable.
In fact, he seemed amused.

“If you’re going to stay, the least you could do is
help me dress.”

“No,” she said in a strangled tone as she tried to
keep her anger in mind even through the growing need within
her.

“Then perhaps it would be best to wait where Grimley
left you?” His smile was as intoxicating as it was infuriating.

“Perhaps.”

With a little nod and just one more peek, Ginny fled
the room, closing the door behind her. She hated how she could hear
Simon laughing all the way down the hall.

Why was she so weak to him? It was more than the way
he looked or the animal attraction between them. Yes, he was a
magnificent specimen of a man, especially naked. But if it were
just the heat he inspired in her, she could fight that. She knew
she could.

There was something else about Simon that made her
want him, even need him. She sank back into the chair in the
sitting room as she tried to push those thoughts away.

“Idiot girl,” she muttered.

“No, not an idiot. Just impatient.”

She scrambled to her feet as a fully dressed Simon
entered the room. How could he look so damned pulled together after
just a few short moments?

He grinned. “I’ve been known to be impatient myself.
Would you like tea? It’s rather early, I could even ask my cook to
make us some breakfast.”

Ginny blinked at him, drawn in.

No, she was angry. She had to remember that.

“I don’t want tea. And you aren’t going to distract
me by being charming… or naked!”

Saints, why had she added the last part?

“You find me charming when I’m naked?” he asked with
an innocent look as he poured himself a cup of tea from the service
on the sideboard. “Why Ginny, I never knew you cared. Or at least,
I never thought you’d admit it.”

“I don’t,” she snarled through
clenched teeth as she fought a frustrating urge to smile at his
teasing. “I’m
furious
with you. You betrayed me.”

With a frown, Simon set his cup down on the table.
“Yes, you should have told me the whole story earlier. I wouldn’t
have sprung your family on you like that had I known your troubled
history with them.”

She let out an exasperated sigh. Though she’d seen
his goodness and felt his tenderness in the few weeks she’d known
him, she certainly didn’t trust Simon enough to let him that close
to her soul. Too close to all those inner parts of her that held
her secrets.

“And just what story do you
think
you know
now?”

“I spoke to your brother after you went
upstairs.”

She folded her arms as she sat back down. “Ah yes,
Noah. The savior of the world. I’m sure he had a few choice words
about me.”

Simon took the seat across from hers and looked at
her with sympathy in his eyes.

“Actually all he told me was that you were angry
about being forced to marry. And though you may choose not to see
it, it was perfectly clear to me how much he loves you and longs
for you to be a part of your family again. They all do.”

Ginny shut her eyes to block out the sting that his
words brought. She didn’t want to soften to her brother or anyone
else in her family. But she couldn’t help the memories that washed
over her. Images of happier times that she had managed to forget
when her anger had taken over so very long ago.

As a child, she’d worshiped her older brother. When
he’d chosen Audrey to join him on his adventures instead of her, it
had broken her heart.

“Ginny.”

Simon reached out to touch her arm. The caress was
feather light, but she felt it throughout her nonetheless. Just one
brush of his fingertips was enough to make her want to launch
herself into his arms. But she fought it.

“No,” she said as she pulled away. “I want to go
home.”

He frowned. “Very well, I’ll have someone bring your
carriage around. You’ll want to rest and-”

“No, back to the countryside. To Westdale. Now.”

There she could hide. Hide from her family and the
desperate need she felt to reconcile with them. And if she could
convince Simon to stay in London, she could hide from him, as well.
Hide from the feelings she didn’t dare name.

Simon’s lips thinned. “We’ve discussed that at
length, Ginny. For Jack’s sake, and for your own, you will remain
here at least for a few weeks.”

She let out her breath in a haughty sigh. How she
hated being ordered around! He knew that full-well and yet he still
did it. “I won’t see my family.”

“That’s going to be difficult since they’ll all be
at the Duchess of Singleton’s ball tonight.” He sipped his tea, but
his aquamarine eyes stayed firmly locked with hers.

She stood up and clenched her fists
at her sides. “
I
won’t be! You can drag me to London, Simon Webber, but you
can’t make me go anywhere or see anything I don’t want
to.”

“You’re acting like a child,” he said, his voice
going up just one level. It was the only thing that revealed his
obviously growing frustration.

God, she did sound like a petulant child, but that
was better than letting him know how afraid she was. She’d spent
years building up the wall around her heart. She didn’t know if she
could survive if her family tore it down. And if Simon got inside
of her soul…

She turned toward the door. “Well, I’m not a child.
And you can watch while I walk away.”

“Virginia!”

The use of her full name and the sharpness of his
tone made her turn. When she did, she faced a Simon she hadn’t seen
before. He looked stern and determined.

“I will be at your house tonight at
eight sharp. And
you
will be ready for the ball.”

Their eyes met and she could see very clearly that
he was not playing a game with her. If he hadn’t claimed full
control over her life before, he was certainly planning to do so
now.

With a shiver, she turned and stormed out of the
room. Control was the one thing she couldn’t afford to lose, even
to Simon. And when he came to her that night, he would learn that
lesson well.

Chapter Fourteen

Simon clenched his hand into a fist and did his best
to remain calm. Ginny’s goal was to make him angry, and he wasn’t
going to give her the satisfaction of his explosion.

“It’s called breathing. You take air in, then expel
it out,” Adam said with a laugh.

“I don’t find this situation amusing in the least,”
he ground out. “She’s defying me just for its own sake and she
isn’t even thinking about the consequences.”

Adam shrugged, but his attention was shifted to the
door when Harriet came in.

She gave Adam a shy smile before she said, “I’ve
tried everything. I talked to her, I reasoned, I begged. I even
tried threatening, but Ginny says she isn’t coming.”

“Is that all?” Simon asked, just barely controlling
his anger.

Harriet twisted her mouth to cover an amused grin.
“She told me, ‘You can tell that barbarian lout he can have a good
time without me. I’m not about to be dragged anywhere’. I remember
because she had me repeat it several times so I’d get the wording
right.”

Simon blinked hard, then turned to Adam. “Mrs. Percy
is to be a special guest of the Jordan family at the Duchess’s ball
tonight, so I think you’d better take her now so she doesn’t miss
out on the fun. Her ladyship and I will be along shortly.”

“Do you want me to send your carriage back for you?”
Adam asked as he shot a sly smile in Harriet’s direction.

“No, Lady Westdale’s carriage will
do fine.” He watched with interest as the pair linked arms. Was
that a
twinkle
in
his stout friend’s eyes when Harriet Percy touched him? It couldn’t
have been. Adam didn’t twinkle.

Besides, he had more important things to consider
right now. After the pair departed, Simon went to the staircase and
looked up. This was going to be a battle. If he wanted Ginny to
listen he was going to have to be more forceful than he’d been in
the past. Obviously giving Virginia Blanchard space and freedom
accomplished nothing.

Taking a deep breath, he climbed the stairs
two-by-two. He hesitated at her chamber door. With a muttered
curse, he opened it and strode inside.

She was sitting on her window seat curled up with a
book. The instant the door flew open, she scrambled to her feet.
His eyes narrowed. She was wearing a gray flannel gown that was
obviously two seasons old or more. Her auburn hair was done in a
simple bun, but flyaway strands flew around her face. She didn’t
look like she’d belong in a ballroom in any stretch of the
imagination. But she still looked lovely.

“Simon-”

He kicked the door closed behind him and folded his
arms. “Put on your ball gown.”

Her eyes widened, and he had to smile. Had she
really believed he’d simply walk away if she denied his request to
attend the ball?

Her face hardened and she mimicked his folded armed
posture. “No. I told you I’m not going. You wasted your time coming
here tonight.”

With a control he didn’t know he still possessed, he
straightened his arms at his sides and said, “I swear woman, you
put on that gown or I will strip you naked and redress you
myself.”

That was a lovely thought. Stripping her naked, at
least. Though he wondered if he’d be able to stay focused long
enough to dress her again.

Her lip quivered as she contemplated what he’d said.
But she obviously believed he was bluffing.

“Please leave.”

Blast, now he was just going to have to prove to her
that he wasn’t jesting. He crossed the room in a few long steps,
then reached down and began to open the buttons on her gown. She
let out a squeal of protest and squirmed as she tried to escape,
but he held her in a gentle grip as he opened more and more of her
tiny buttons.

Already he could see what a mistake this plan had
been. He’d hoped she would undress herself once she saw he would
follow through on his threat. Instead, she continued to try to
wiggle away as more and more of her soft skin was revealed by his
deft fingers. The smell of her hair wafted up lilac and he suddenly
felt dizzy. She was so warm and he already knew what it would feel
like to enter that warmth and claim it.

His fingertips brushed against her collarbone as he
slipped his hands beneath the gray fabric. Her skin was as silky as
it had been in all his dreams. He swelled with a desire he could no
longer ignore.

But somewhere in the last few moments, she’d stopped
struggling. He wasn’t sure when, but she no longer tried to escape.
He dared to look down into her face and found her staring back up
at him with wide blue eyes, dilated with a desire as potent as his
own.

“Simon,” she whispered as her hand curled up around
the back of his neck and her fingers brushed through his hair.
Slowly she drew his head down until their lips met.

He released the fistful of dress he held and brought
his arms around her waist. The kiss they shared was gentle this
time, but filled with tempered need that would rage out of control
if he allowed it.

As if she sensed that too, she pulled away a
fraction. Her body swayed toward him, but she righted herself.

“Simon?”

“Hmmm?”

What were words? All he wanted was sensation, but if
she were going to run, this was the time. Any longer and he didn’t
think he could bear the loss of her touch.

She blushed to a deep rose color that brought out
the brightness of her eyes even more. “What did you say to me the
night we made love in Westdale?”

He shook his head, unable to
complete such a complex act as recall. At the moment, he was more
focused on what words he could say
now
that would make her come back
into his embrace.

“Don’t remember,” he muttered as dragged his gaze up
and down her luscious body. Just a hint of cleavage peeked out from
the opening he’d created in her dress and he wanted nothing more
than to slide his hands down into that little valley and make her
gasp with delight.

Her sigh was full of frustration that sounded nearly
as potent as his own. It was in every taut line of her face. But
somehow, she spoke.

“Yes you do. And I need you to tell me what it
was.”

He scowled as he flashed back to the night in
question. Most of his memories were of that hot joining, not of any
words that had been said. “Remind me.”

Her breath hitched. “I asked you if there was
something you wanted and you said words in another language. What
was it?”

“Oh.” Now it came clear. He’d said it on a whim,
knowing she wouldn’t understand his words. But they’d made love
nonetheless so his intention had obviously been clear. “You asked
me what I wanted and I said, ‘All of you’.”