Chasing Eliza (Cavendish Mysteries 3)

“Eliza.” Edward sought to reassure her, uncertain what had caused such a sudden change in her.

Eliza looked up at him before abruptly shaking her head and looking away, into the darkness of the far corner of the room.

Her rejection was like a slap in the face. He studied her pale cheek for several moments, using the time to allow his blood to cool. “What is it?” He whispered softly, his blunt fingers drew her chin towards him until she reluctantly met his gaze.

“I don’t even know your name.” Eliza’s voice trembled with the confusing swirl of emotions that thundered through her. She didn’t know what to make of the last few minutes, but they had shaken her to her very core, not only the intimacy of what they had done but her need for his commanding presence around her. She shivered as the warmth haze of passion began to subside, leaving her bereft despite the heat emanating from his body now lying flush against her side.

“My name is Edward.” His gentle smile of understanding did little to offer her any reassurance and instead made her feel worse.

“I can’t.” She shook her head in emphasis, unable to phrase the words to explain her sudden reticence in allowing their intimacy to continue.

“Eliza.” Edward’s voice hardened imperceptibly, although still soft it held a hint of warning that was unmistakeable. The meaning behind it was lost on her, she was still struggling with the tumult of emotions surging through her.

“I won’t be your whore.” She glared defensively up at him despite their intimate position.

“I paid a high price for you.” He wasn’t at all certain he meant that with any sense of monetary value, but his emotions still roiled dangerously close to the surface despite knowing she could really be Jemima and he would be faced with the difficult situation of having been intimate with one of his relations.

“Oh God!” Eliza gasped, embarrassment sweeping through her.

“It’s not what you think.” Edward replied, holding her firm against him to prevent her from leaving the bed altogether, or at least until they had resolved matters between them. “I-.”

“Why did you kiss me then?” Her eyes shot hot sparks of temper at him through the darkness. It was suddenly very important to know what he really wanted with her. Every feminine instinct she possessed told her that he wanted her, and would have undoubtedly made love to her if she had let things continue. His reaction to her withdrawal was not as she expected, especially from someone who had seemingly paid Bernard a high price for her.

“Because I wanted to.” His voice was husky with the remnants of desire that he hadn’t quite managed to extinguish altogether. He blinked and drew a breath, meeting her gaze directly. Should he try and seduce her into compliance again? Or should he drop all of his poor attempts at subterfuge before they backfired on him completely, and just question her here and now?

Eliza studied him closely. He was a masterful seducer who had taken advantage of her inexperience to rattle her, to weaken her resolve in order to question her. Whether he had actually intended to make love to her or not, she wasn’t certain but the knowledge that he had an alternative agenda to wanting to be with her piqued her feminine pride. It hardened her resolve not to allow him further intimacies. Although she had enjoyed the experience and hadn’t felt the least bit threatened by his kisses, allowing any more was tempting fate.

“You paid for my body.” Eliza moaned, feeling a surge of humiliation that brought tears to her eyes. She had been lost in the thick haze of passion he had so easily conjured within her, willing to forget her current predicament to experience everything he offered and all the while he had been getting his money’s worth.

“I paid to be alone with you – there’s a difference.” Edward knew she wanted to leap off the bed and put some distance between them and as casually as possible, drew his leg up until it rested over her thighs, effectively pinning her to the bed.

Her hand instinctively pushed against the firm muscle of his thigh and she paused in surprise. His thigh was rock hard and heavy, she had no way of moving it until he chose to release her. The thought irked her wayward temper and she felt her blood begin to boil at the thought of being under his command.

“Now you have me alone, what do you want?” Despite her wide, shocked eyes, Edward could see she was curious and knew if he had any hope of getting the truth out of her, he had to use that curiosity to his advantage.

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“I want to know what you know about Jemima. Is she your sister, or are you really her?” Edward murmured, effectively encasing her in his protective hold by reaching an arm across her body, ostensibly to pick up a curl from the shimmering mass and curl it around his finger.

Eliza knew he was toying with far more than her hair, but couldn’t seem to break free from the sensual web he had woven oh so easily around her. Had he really only paid for her information? She frowned and considered the passion they had shared. Had it really all been about his need for the truth? The idea that she had been the only one experiencing the jumble of sensations added to her humiliation and hardened her resolve not to tell him anything. Whatever he had paid Bernard had been a high price indeed, she thought harshly and tried hard not to glare at him in feminine fury. Was she foolish to have expected anything else? She considered she was, after all men like Edward were probably used to women practically falling at their feet daily. Given his interest in her sister and the differences in their circumstance, she knew it was highly unlikely that in any other situation he would even look twice at someone like her.

“I’ve told you, I am Eliza – Jemima’s sister.” Eliza whispered, feeling the sting of tears she refused to let fall.

“Eliza.” He whispered, studying the shimmering moisture hovering on her long lashes. He was immediately swept with unfamiliar feelings of such tenderness that all thoughts of passion were immediately swept to one side. He felt like a fumbling oaf for upsetting her and regretted allowing the true depth of his desire for her to show especially given she was still a novice in the art of lovemaking. Had it been the strength of passion between them that had frightened her to tears, or the mention of her sister that had upset her so?

His instincts warned him that he was a fool for doing so, but nevertheless he found himself tipping her chin upwards and placing a gentle kiss on her quivering lips. The heady taste of her sweet lips lay on his tongue like amber nectar, laying siege to his senses until he struggled to think of anything but the need to possess and lay claim to her.

“I can’t do this Edward.” Eliza gasped, clinging helplessly to his broad shoulders as she fought to steady her reeling senses. Unsurprisingly he continued to kiss her for several moments, daring her to accept the web of desire he so skilfully began to weave around her once more as his tongue teased and tantalised hers. She gave herself briefly over to his command, and allowed him to slant his head to deepen the kiss. She allowed the pressure of his body as he leant over her, the hard band of his arms securing her tight against him. They were so close she could feel the heavy thump of his heart against her breast. The breast that was now under being stroked softly by his searching fingers. Panic began to sweep through her as the shock of sensation had the effect of a bucket of water on her scattered wits and snapped her back to reality.

He only had a brief moment to wonder why she was trying to twist out from beneath him as his lips released hers before the sudden whoosh of movement caught his eye.

A heavy weight crashed down on his skull with a resounding thud, rendering him speechless for several moments as pain exploded in his head.

His foul curse rent the air as he immediately rolled onto his back, blinking fiercely to clear the shower of stars behind his eyelids. He shook his head in a valiant attempt to clear his vision only to groan anew when the pain increased tenfold. Raising one eyelid he glared balefully at her, all remnants of desire vanished in an instant as he studied her warily standing beside the bed, holding a bundle of rags in her hand.

“What the bloody hell did you do that for?” He snarled, rubbing the rapidly expanding lump on his temple in consternation. She had been allowing his kiss and had in fact been actively engaging in it, so why had she hit him?

“Eliza, wait!” He groaned as he stood and put a hand against the wall to steady himself when the room immediately whirled around him in a kaleidoscope of moonlight and shadows.