“Splendid man,” she managed, and then one more thrust and she was shattering around him, her body quivering while he groaned into the soft place between her shoulder and neck, one of the places he’d been dreaming of these past few days.
It was over all too soon for Richard’s liking.
She curled against him, as if she wished she could enter his skin, and although her unbound hair was tickling his nose, he didn’t move. Not an inch. He loved her, and she loved him, and all he needed now was to capture Sutton, bring the Captain to justice, and take possession of his home from Evelyn.
Not a great deal to ask.
Sutton crept toward the bed, and it wasn’t until he’d reached it and stood, staring down on the shape under the covers that he realized he’d been tricked. It was too late then of course. He felt the barrel of a pistol pressing painfully into his kidneys.
“Who are you?” a voice rasped, but even so he could tell it was a woman. Was this the little lady he’d come for? He didn’t think so. He couldn’t imagi
ne her with a gun at his back.
“I’m a friend of Miss Smythe,” he said with a rough laugh. “Didn’t she tell you I’d be visiting her tonight?”
The gun pressed harder, but he remained still, and then it was withdrawn. He heard her step back but wasn’t inclined to try to overpower her, not until he knew what he was dealing with.
“Turn around,” she hissed.
Slowly, carefully, he turned to face her and wondered if his surprise was evident on his face. It was the beautiful lady of the house, her bright hair like flame around her shoulders, a shawl over her nightdress, her feet bare on the bedroom floor. He spent a moment in silent admiration before raising his gaze to hers and found her eyes as cold and heartless as he knew his own to be.
It seemed they were well matched.
“You’re no friend of Miss Smythe. You’re the one they’ve been talking about, the one who’s come to kidnap her. Or kill her.”
It wasn’t a question.
Sutton gave a little bow, expecting any moment to hear her call out for help or to feel a bullet plowing through his flesh and bone. But neither happened.
“I don’t like Miss Smythe,” she said at last. “She is interfering with my own plans. I’m not going to stop you taking her. But you might want to try the room at the end there.” She nodded over her shoulder toward the farther part of the house. “And you might want to wait until my brother-in-law has finished with her.” And then she smiled at him.
He felt his body harden instantly and made a move toward her, but the pistol came up, perfectly steady, aimed with deadly accuracy.
“I’m not interested,” she said. “I’ve always found intercourse overvalued. Make use of Miss Smythe instead, I’m sure she won’t mind.”
Sutton gave a guffaw. “I think I could make you interested, but another time.” He moved sideways, toward the door, and she followed his movement, the pistol trained on him. He knew he’d be back one day. She’d said she wasn’t interested in him, but she was thinking of pleasure, and he guessed she might be more interested in pain. Like him.
With a regretful smile he closed the door.
The corridor was lit by a candle behind glass, flickering slightly in the movement of air. Sutton made his way silently toward the room at the end, aware of sounds coming from inside, familiar sounds.
Good. It was just as she’d said. The woman was in there with Eversham. Well, that was useful; he could deal with them both at the same time.
“I’m sorry I made you break your promise,” Tina whispered, her cheek pressed to his. He pulled her closer. He wasn’t quite sure how he’d achieved it, and he accepted that when it came to his own ladylove he was no expert, but he was enjoying the sensation of having her compliant in his arms once more.
“Tina, I wanted to break my promise. You were just too delicious, and I couldn’t play the martyr any longer.”
She giggled. “And now we’ve broken it again.”
“Have we?” he said with pretended horror.
She smiled against his skin. “I love you. Can I say that? You told me you loved me, and I was horrible to you. With reason,” she added, lifting her face to look at him sternly. “But I do love you, and I want to tell you so every day and every night.”
“Only if I can make love to you every day and every night.” He stroked her cheek, tucking her hair behind her ear. “This business with the Captain is nearly over anyway, but even if it weren’t . . . I want to marry you. Anthony would think I’m insane refusing to be happy until his killer is caught, he’d laugh at me. I just . . . I had to . . . for his sake . . .”
She gently kissed his lips. “I know you had to, Richard, and I love you all the more for the man you are.”
He was thinking of making love to her again, only this time slowly, bringing her to her climax again and again, but suddenly she stiffened and her eyes opened wide in shock. She was looking at something just beyond his head, and sensing another person in the room, but too late to react, he tried to leap from the bed.