She waited for him to tell her he loved her, but to her surprise—and chagrin—laughter lit his face. “My dear Caro, you appear woefully confused. If you want a short affair, surely it’s best if I don’t take our liaison seriously.”
She made a low sound of irritation. “You twist my words.”
“Then let’s stop talking altogether. You want a lover. I’m eminently qualified. Stop all this havering, sweetheart, and come to bed.”
The shaming truth was that Caroline was powerfully tempted. Beyond tempted. She teetered on the brink of a decision that had once been unthinkable. But how could she resist him? It was difficult enough when she was alone to remember how wrong he was for her. When he stood before her, tall, lean, virile, willing, her longing outstripped good sense.
She waited for the familiar suffocated feeling to return, to remind her why surrendering to this one man meant death to all her dreams. To her surprise, the feeling stayed away. While her heart was racing, her breathing remained unrestricted. At this moment, the problem was that all her dreams focused on Silas Nash.
“You make it sound so simple.”
“Isn’t it? I want you. I hope…I believe you want me. We owe nobody else our loyalty.”
She had a nasty inkling that they both knew she fought a losing battle. “I couldn’t bear you to dismiss me as yet another girl Lord Stone has made silly.”
The warmth in his eyes had her heart turning pirouettes. “Do I make you silly?”
“You know you do,” she said with stark honesty. Heaven help her. She rapidly reached a point where retreating wasn’t an option.
His smile was sweet and reminded her of his care for a lonely widow new to London. “Well, that’s a relief. You’ve sent me silly for months.”
Oh, dear, her resolution now clung only by its fingertips. “I have a question.”
“Ask me anything.”
“Does Mr. Harslett really seek his mother’s approval for his mistresses?”
The abrupt change of topic disoriented him, then left him shamefaced. He shook his head. “No.”
“I’ve had trouble even looking at him since you told me that.”
“I’m sorry.”
“And Harry Hall washes?”
“As far as I’m aware. It’s not like I’ve questioned the fellow’s valet.” He shuffled his feet and she tried not to find his embarrassment charming. Tried and failed. He frowned at her. “Hell, Caroline, I said you drove me mad. There’s proof of it. I’ve acted like a louse, maligning good men whose only fault is that you expressed an interest in them. I should be flogged.”
“Perhaps that’s a little extreme.” She’d been flattered to learn of the st
olen letter. Hearing that he’d lied about his friends to keep her from their clutches shouldn’t leave her equally flattered. But it did.
Something in her tone must have encouraged him because he glanced up with a pleading light in his eyes. “My only excuse is that I love you to distraction.”
Oh, he was a temptation. And despite all her flutterings and evasions, she had a strong suspicion she was about to succumb at last. “That’s no excuse.”
“Perhaps not. But I promise to make it up to you in that bed. After yesterday, aren’t you curious about what it would be like between us?”
So curious she’d stayed awake all night, restless and hungry for more of his touch, even while she’d steeled herself to go to West. “You make it hard to say no.”
“I hope so.”
She tried not to smile. “If you kissed me, your victory would be assured.”
She thought he’d seize her then, but she’d underestimated him. To her astonishment, he raised his hand as if to ward off an attack. “I know you too well, Caro. You’ll never forgive yourself or me if you don’t consent with heart and mind united.”
“My body wants you. Isn’t that enough?” she asked softly, shifting away from the wall until she stood in front of him.
He closed his eyes. “By God, woman, you set yourself to torment me. Is that yes?”