Hunting the Hero (The Wild Randalls 4)

e dug into his pocket and held out the jewelry box. Calista shook her head. “I’m not suited to the position of governess for an earl’s daughters. Tutoring a young woman to be a whore is quite different. How old are they?”

“The eldest is not yet five.”

“There, you see, what they need is a new mother, not me.”

Constantine opened the box so she could see the rose-cut garnet rivière. “But I did not ask you to marry me, you will not be my mistress, so my only other option is to ask you to come and live with me and my daughters. I’d like to know where you are spending your nights.”

Calista shifted closer to the necklace and shut the lid. After a moment, she began to laugh. “You, sir, are beyond amusing. You must think of your girls.”

“I am.” He scrubbed his hand over his jaw and scowled. “When I am here, I’m thinking of them. And when I am there, I am wondering what mischief you’re up to here. I don’t like Squires or any other man sniffing round your skirts. But if you won’t be mine exclusively, then consider this. My daughters don’t need another mother. They need a friend. Someone who can make them laugh as they once did. You have far more intelligence than anyone I’ve interviewed for the position in the past. I choose you for them.”

Constantine sucked in a sharp breath, determined to convince her his offer was worth considering. “If you remain here, I will waste my fortune to keep you to myself. The governess position is yours if you want it with no strings attached.”

“Strings?”

“You would not be expected to share my bed.”

“You’ve tired of me?” Her expression lost all animation.

“I never said I’ve tired of you.” He held her hand to his chest. “I doubt I’ll ever get enough, but I’ve come to believe you deserve better surroundings.”

Her lips twisted and then she laughed. “How sweet. You mean to be a champion of old, a hero to take me safe into your realm and protect me from the harsh world. I am so very sorry for how your wife died and the suffering you and your daughters have gone through, but I could not inflict myself on them. I’m the least appropriate person to teach three young girls how to be ladies one day.”

“You might surprise yourself with the depths of your knowledge, my dear.” He shrugged out of his coat and tossed it aside. “You forget that we have spent as much time out of bed as in. You were born for more than this life.”

“What I was born for is not relevant.”

Constantine continued undressing. “That’s what I like about you, Calista or whoever you really are. You never hesitate to challenge me. Another hint about your past left unanswered. Another glimpse of the woman you were supposed to be. You have had my complete attention from the moment our eyes met. Now I intend to convince you to run away with me.”

He pulled his shirt over his head and stood naked before her. Her eyes drifted south over his skin, and the dark of her eyes widened. She licked her lips. Every emotion was there for him to see. His suggestion that she deserved more from life had terrified her, but she’d tried to hide it behind her laughter.

He scooped her up in his arms and tossed her on the bed with less care than usual. Her heavy gown had tangled between her legs, and she struggled to orient herself on the bed. Before she was ready, he pounced and caught her wrists. He lifted them over her head gently, and she bucked in mock protest.

“This is hardly fair,” she complained.

He pinned her with the weight of his body. “The more you fight me, the more pleasure I’ll lavish on you.” He pressed his lips to the hint of cleavage the gown revealed. “Lie back and enjoy.”

The carriage dress had buttons on the front and he slowly opened each, bestowing a kiss to each piece of new flesh revealed. Calista squirmed and he pressed his growing erection against her sex. Her thick gown created an impenetrable but necessary barrier between them.

Her nails sank into his back to hold him more closely against her. “We’ll never see eye to eye except in this,” she hissed. “I won’t be your mistress and I can’t be your governess, so if this is the last time you will visit me then we will do everything at least twice.”

Constantine met her gaze. “Do your worst. I’m brave enough to take whatever you dish out.”

CHAPTER 9

THERE WERE SOME advantages to being a dishonest woman in a responsible brothel. When her monthly courses came, Meredith was not wanted in the drawing room, so she’d learned early on to be indisposed for as long as possible. She curled up on her attic bed, huddled under the meager warmth of her blankets, wishing for the pains racking her body to ease and perversely hoping they would continue. The longer she stayed apart from the brothel’s clients, the more time she had to think over her future.

Grayling had gone. After one last glorious night beneath his warm hands, he’d returned to his home a sexually satisfied man, and maybe he’d even forgiven himself for his innocent part in his wife’s death. Women, no matter their station, risked much in childbirth. As Grayling had left, he’d asked her to reconsider becoming his children’s governess and insisted she keep the necklace.

Meredith held the pretty stones up to the light, admiring the elegant design and foolishly wishing she could wear them every day. They looked very fetching beside the ring she’d won from Linnie for seducing Grayling. But only a lady wore such gems by daylight. Grayling’s gift would be worn at night but he would not see them.

She’d reconsidered his offer. More than once. But Calista the whore did not belong in a grand house with innocent children. There was no way to move directly from a brothel to an earl’s home without being noticed. He had to think of his reputation and that of his daughters. If the truth came out, there could be consequences.

Still, with ample time on her hands, his suggestion bore thinking about. Meredith was considering if she shouldn’t change her name again and move on to a new life, a new career, somewhere where no one knew what she’d done. She was tired of smiling at leering men. She wanted no part in Lord Squire’s plans to make her his mistress either. It was all Grayling’s fault. He’d made her crave intimate relations with only him. Yet if she became his governess, he claimed she’d never need to make love to him again.

Was that a sign of his honor or an insult to her desirability? Meredith dropped the gems back into their box and hid them away.

When Gray had not come to the House again to claim her, she’d consoled herself that his absence was for the best. Yet if not for the convenient payment of her fee and the arrival of her courses, she would likely have returned to work, in bed with another man she didn’t care a whit for. She’d heard more than once that Lord Squires was growing rather impatient to see her. She had no problem keeping him waiting. She didn’t want his sweaty face looming over her.