Scandalous Deception

“Ye are going to get us strangled in our sleep,” Janet muttered in the dark.

“Nonsense.” Holding out a hand to keep from banging into the furniture, Brianna searched for the mantle where there would surely be a flint to light the candles. “Edmond might be a coldhearted cad, but Stefan would never forgive him if he murdered me.”

Janet heaved a deep sigh. “I would sleep a mite easier if you dinna sound as if ye were trying to convince yerself and not me.”

EDMOND LEANED AGAINST the doorjamb and silently studied the female curled in the middle of the vast, canopied bed.

His breath caught at the sight of the morning sunlight shimmering in the lush hair spread across the pillows and warming the delicate ivory features. He’d expected the vision he had carried in his head from the previous night to be tarnished in the harsh light of day. No woman could possibly be as exquisite as he had imagined.

But he was mistaken.

Christ, she was even lovelier.

He battled against the primal urge to pluck her tiny body from beneath the covers and carry her to his bed where she belonged. What the devil was the matter with him? Brianna Quinn might be a beauty, but he was not about to forgive her blatant intrusion into his home.

When he had returned home last eve after futile hours of trying to locate Howard Summerville, he had been stunned to discover from Boris that two females had locked themselves in one of the guest chambers and that one of them had threatened to send a note to the London Times naming him as Edmond.

His first thought had been to break down the door and toss Brianna into the nearest gutter. The devilish chit was a distraction he did not need. Unfortunately, while he did not believe her bluff for a moment, he could not be entirely certain that she would not scream bloody murder and waken all of London if he dared to haul her from the house.

Brianna Quinn had been clever enough to outwit him for the moment, but that did not mean she held all the cards.

He had every intention of ensuring she paid, and paid dearly, for daring to cross him.

Straightening from the jamb, Edmond stepped into the room decorated in a delicate French style with amber wall panels and Savonneirie tapestries framed above the carved chimneypiece. The furniture was made of lemonwood and covered with pretty English chintz that his grandmother had considered de rigueur for a London town house.

Closing the door and turning the key he had retrieved from his housekeeper, Edmond approached the bed. Barefoot and wearing nothing more than a dressing robe, he made no sound as he crossed the Persian carpet.

He paused just a moment to savor the delicate lines of her face. The straight line of her nose, the lush curve of her lips, the thick fan of lashes that lay against the pale ivory skin.

A sleeping Aphrodite.

His hand reached out of his own accord to stroke the sleep-flushed cheek, only to pull back as if he were burned. He was here to rid himself of the pestilent woman, not entangle himself even deeper into her fascinating web.

With a sharp motion, he reached to grasp the quilt and jerked it aside to reveal her tiny form covered only by a thin chemise.

Brianna’s eyes flew open as she squeaked in alarm, an alarm that only deepened as her wide gaze caught sight of Edmond hovering over her.

“Edmond.”

He curved his lips in a cold smile. “Well, well, I see that Boris was not mistaken. My home was infested by little mice during the night.”

She reached down to tug at the cover, muttering in frustration when he refused to release his hold.

“For God’s sake, are you trying to give me heart failure?”

“Heart failure is the least of your worries,” he drawled, not bothering to resist temptation as he slid into the silken sheets behind her reclined form and gathered her trembling body to spoon intimately against his. “I did warn you what would happen if you stayed beneath my roof.”

She stiffened in shock as his hands touched her, exploring the slender curves with the confident assurance of a well-seasoned seducer.

“What are you doing?” she gasped.

His head lowered to stroke his lips over the bare skin of her shoulder, brushing aside the narrow ribbon holding up her chemise to taste of her lavender-scented skin.

“Claiming my reward,” he murmured, nipping the curve of her neck before soothing it with his lips.

“Stop this. Edmond…” She caught her breath as his hands found the proud curve of her breasts, strumming his thumbs over the sensitive tips. “Dear lord.”

“Do you like that, ma souris?” he whispered next to her ear, allowing his tongue to trace the delicate shell.

“No, you cannot,” she groaned, her hands lifting to cover his own, although they made no effort to halt the soft caresses.

“Perhaps you prefer this.” He teased the tender nipples until they hardened to tight little buds, his cock growing thick with need as she moaned in pleasure. “Yes, sing that sweet song for me.”

Kissing a path down the curve of her neck, Edmond breathed deeply of her intoxicating scent, one hand slipping down to press flat against her stomach, urging her backside more firmly against his aching erection.

He had started this to frighten the minx into fleeing his home, to prove to her that he would not be cajoled or threatened or manipulated into taking her in. His purpose in joining her on the bed, however, was swiftly being forgotten beneath the searing flood of hunger that pulsed through his body.

He would be driven mad if he did not have her soon.

Still caressing her breast with one hand, Edmond allowed the other to slip over her stomach and down to the delectable heat between her legs. He hissed in pleasure as he felt the dampness through the thin material of her chemise.

She wanted him. Her body could not lie.

Debating whether to simply lift her leg over his hip and enter her from behind or to lay her on her back so he could watch her face as she received him into her body, Edmond was caught off guard as she suddenly began to struggle against his hold.

“No.” Squirming with determination, she managed to turn to face him, although he refused to allow her to break free. The green eyes smoldered with a combination of anger and terrified desire. “Damn you, Edmond. All I ask for is your protection until Stefan can become my legal guardian. Is that too great a burden to you?”

He growled in frustration. “You have no notion whatsoever.”

“I promise not to be any bother. You will not even know I am here…”

“Mon dieu,” he rasped. “You cannot be that innocent.”

Her brows drew together in annoyance. “What do you mean?”

“This.”

Without a shred of modesty, Edmond grasped her hand and tugged it beneath his dressing robe. Brianna made a sound of shock as he wrapped her fingers around the hard thrust of his erection.

“Dear God,” she breathed, her gaze trapped by the searing heat in his eyes.

“This is what you do to me simply by being near,” he growled. “If you remain here, I will have you.”

“You do not even like me,” she protested, her voice oddly breathless.

His hand remained wrapped around hers, but it was Brianna who began to stroke slowly downward, as if curious in spite of herself at the feel of his throbbing erection. She reached his heavy sack before she moved back to the tip, her thumb brushing the bead of moisture that had gathered. Edmond moaned at the exquisite sensations that exploded through his body. He had nothing more than her fingers on him, but she offered more pleasure than any number of women who had devoted hours to bringing him to climax.

“You are a desirable woman and I am a man who possesses a fine appreciation for such beauty,” he managed to mutter, his voice raw as the pressure began to build with a stunning swiftness. “Christ…yes. That feels so good.” He shifted, then scattered kisses over her startled face. “Squeeze harder.”

She shivered beneath his soft kisses, her breath rasping loudly in the air.

“Edmond, I do not think…”

“Precisely.”

“What?”

“Do not think.”

Smothering her lips in a demanding kiss, Edmond closed his eyes and allowed himself to savor the bliss of her slender fingers tightening around his cock as his hips pumped forward. He had known the moment he had gazed into those magnificent green eyes that it would be like this. A searing, mind-shattering desire that stripped a man of his thin veneer of civilization.

The next time he experienced this, he intended to be buried deep inside her as she screamed her own release.

Edmond plunged his tongue into the wet heat of her mouth as his hands toyed with her straining breasts, tasting her heady sweetness as his muscles clenched with a sharp, sudden pinnacle of delight.

“Brianna.”

With a wrenching groan, he turned onto his stomach to release his seed into the sheets.

CHAPTER FIVE

BRIANNA WAS AN INNOCENT, well-reared maiden who had been taught that any intimacy should be conducted only between a husband and wife, and she knew that she should be shocked and horrified with what had just occurred.

But she could not deny a dark fascination as she watched Edmond’s beautiful features twist with what appeared to be intense pleasure, a pleasure that she’d briefly tasted as his hands and lips had explored her body.

For a wild moment, she had wanted to allow his experienced caresses to continue, to discover precisely where the tingling sensations would carry her. It was only fear, and a stubborn refusal to concede so easily to this aggravating man, that had brought her to her senses.

Now, she could not deny a sense of frustration, as if her body were determined to punish her for denying it the satisfaction Edmond seemed to offer.

Dear heavens, what was the matter with her?

She had spent months fending off Thomas’s repulsive touches, even those of her few suitors who attempted more than a chaste kiss. The mere thought of having their hands on her breasts had been enough to make her physically ill.

But with Edmond…it was not revulsion that she felt.

Far from it.

With a low, husky laugh, Edmond rolled to face her, his dark hair charmingly tousled and his face sinfully handsome in the morning light.

“Now, that is a perfect means to beginning a day, ma souris,” he murmured, his hand lifting to lazily play with an auburn curl that lay against her cheek. “Of course, I should have preferred to be snugly tucked between your thighs. Next time, I will be deep inside you when I find my release.”

Lightning streaked through her body at his casual words, the image of Edmond poised above her as he tutored her in the pleasures of passion all too vivid.

“There will be no next time.”

He gave her curl a sharp tug. “Then you intend to leave?”

Something that might have been pain briefly clenched her heart. Ridiculous, of course. The man had no doubt enjoyed the delights of hundreds of women, far more fully than with her. Why would a few meaningless moments alter his desire to be rid of her?

“You’ve…had your pleasure, surely that has earned me a few days?” she retorted, sharply.

Without warning, Brianna discovered herself flat on her back with Edmond’s heavy body pinning her to the mattress. She swallowed a groan as he grasped her hands and tugged them over her head, his mouth skimming down the length of her neck in a path of searing fire.

“So long as you are near, I will want you. And if you do not flee, I will be your lover,” he muttered, exploring the line of her gaping neckline. “Mon dieu. Perhaps it is already too late for flight.”

“Edmond…” The words became choked in her throat as his mouth found the tip of her breast through her chemise. “Oh.”

Brianna closed her eyes as her entire body jerked in response. Was this heaven? She had never dreamed such exquisite sensations existed. It was enough to steal the wits of even the most intelligent woman.

His tongue circled her sensitive nipple, drawing low moans from deep in her throat. At the same time, his leg was pressing between hers to part them wide enough for him to settle his hips between her thighs.

Brianna gasped as her chemise was bunched around her hips and the feel of his hair-roughened legs brushed against her. Then, he settled even deeper and the hard thrust of his arousal pressed at the sensitive flesh between her legs.

Oh, this was…wicked. And wondrous. And so amazingly dangerous.

Edmond sucked in a sharp breath, as if he were as shocked by the violent jolt of pleasure as she.

“Damn you,” he breathed, his eyes a stormy blue that spoke of his tumultuous emotions.

Uncertain why he was angered, Brianna parted her lips to demand an explanation only to have the words halted as a sharp rap on the door made them both freeze in shock.

“Sir,” a muffled voice echoed through the door.

“Go away, Boris,” Edmond snarled, his fierce gaze never wavering from her wide eyes.

“We have an intruder,” the servant retorted.

“Get rid of them,” Edmond commanded, his tone promising severe retribution for the interruption.

“It is Miss Quinn’s stepfather,” Boris insisted. “He has threatened to call for the constable if he is not allowed to see his daughter.”

“Dear lord,” Brianna breathed, stark fear clenching her heart. “How has he found me so swiftly? How has he found me at all?”

Muttering what she assumed were foul Russian curses, Edmond lifted himself from the bed and roughly tied the belt of his robe.

“Get dressed.”

“No. I will not go back to him.” Scrambling off the bed, Brianna pressed herself against the wall, shaking her head in horror. “I will throw myself out the window, I swear it.”

“It is too early for such theatrics, ma souris,” he drawled, all hint of passion replaced with a shimmering fury. “Get dressed and come downstairs.”

“Do you intend to hand me over to him?”

“Either that or I will toss you out the window myself.” His gaze ran a grudging path down her slender body barely hidden by the thin chemise. “You are a complication I do not want and do not need.”

“If you do this, all of London will know that you are not Stefan,” she warned. “You seem to forget that I have a note revealing your true identity written and prepared to be sent to the Times.”

A smile twisted his lips. “Your maid has been locked in her chamber, with no possibility of escape until I decide to release her. And since I doubt you have had the opportunity to actually deliver a note to anyone else from the time you left the ball until you forced your way into my home, I feel fairly confident that my secret is safe.”

Her own ready temper flared. “You are a…a coldhearted bastard. How you could possibly be related to Stefan defies imagination.”

With pathetic ease, he grasped her chin and tilted her face upward. His lips covered hers in a raw, demanding kiss.

“Get dressed and come downstairs,” he commanded against her lips. “Boris will wait for you. If you try to run, I will order him to tie and gag you and haul you downstairs.”

Without waiting for her reply, he crossed the room and yanked open the door. He spoke briefly with the looming giant waiting in the hall before turning to send one last warning glance as he shut the door in her face.

EDMOND WAS LIVID AS HE returned to his bedchambers and forced himself to prepare for his unwelcome guest.

He barely noticed as his valet shaved him in well-trained silence and styled his hair in the manner his brother preferred, although he did rouse himself enough to choose a fitted jacket in a Cambridge blue that was matched with a blue and silver waistcoat. He also took personal charge of the linen cravat that he tied in an intricate mathematical knot.

Still, his thoughts remained consumed with Miss Brianna Quinn. Damnation. The woman threatened to ruin everything. First with her blatant threats to expose his identity, and now by dragging her troubles into his home.

In a mood that boded ill for Thomas Wade, Edmond made his way down to the front anteroom where the intruder had been left to cool his heels. He paused in the doorway to study the large man with the thick, florid features and heavy jowls of his ancestors. Despite being properly attired in a dark jacket and white waistcoat, Wade still looked more a butcher than a gentleman as he uncomfortably perched on the edge of a delicate Louis XIV chair.

Another wave of murderous fury raced through Edmond at the mere thought of the man’s hands on Brianna, his fat, disgusting body heaving above her. Damn, he’d see Thomas Wade at the bottom of the Thames first.

At last realizing he was no longer alone, Wade surged to his feet, his small eyes glittering with a hard anger.

“About time you decided to make an appearance, Huntley,” he growled, his accent still hinting of his humble origins. “You are fortunate I am a patient man, otherwise you would have had the constables on your doorstep.”

Stepping across the threshold, Edmond allowed his gaze to flick over the man in silent condemnation.

“You are a fool if you believe that any constable would darken the doorstep of a Duke.”

Wade curled his hands into tight fists at Edmond’s cool, taunting words.

“So you believe you are above the law?”

“Yes, actually I do.” Edmond casually strolled closer to Wade, inwardly judging the considerable bulk of his opponent. Perhaps in his youth Thomas Wade might have been capable of holding his own against Edmond, but now he was soft and flabby from years of self-indulgence. He was no more than a bully who hoped to intimidate others with his sheer size. “But that is not the point. If anyone is breaking the law it is you, Wade. By what right do you force your way into my home?”

“The right of any father to retrieve his only daughter.”

Edmond narrowed his gaze. “And what makes you so certain that she is here?”

“I have my means.”

Moving so swiftly that the older man had no opportunity to react, Edmond had Thomas slammed against the wall, his forearm pressed to the thick throat.

“I asked you a question,” he said, his soft, lethal voice making Wade pale in fear.

“What the hell do you think you are doing, Huntley?”

Edmond pressed his arm harder against the man’s throat. “I asked you a question.”

Wade made a choked sound as he struggled to breathe. “One of my servants heard her sneaking from the house last night and followed her here.”

“You are having her watched?”

The beady eyes held a wary glint, as if attempting to calculate just how much the Duke of Huntley might know of his nefarious plans for Brianna.

“What father would not desire to protect his daughter? London is a dangerous place for an innocent maiden,” he grunted.

“But she is not your daughter, is she?” Edmond pointed out. “She is only your stepdaughter.”

“She is in my care.”

“And in mine. As I recall, our guardianship is jointly held.”

Wade dropped his mouth in shock. Edmond did not entirely blame him. Stefan had been inexcusably negligent in ensuring that Brianna was secure and happy in her home. If his older brother had done his duty, she would not currently be creating chaos in his carefully laid plans.

“You have never taken an interest in the chit,” Wade gasped.

“An unfortunate oversight that I intend to correct immediately,” Edmond drawled, disgusted. “It was naive of me to think you could possibly be a man entrusted with the welfare of a young lady.”

The wariness deepened. “Are you impugning my honor?”

“What honor, you sick, pathetic maggot?” It was an effort not to snap the idiot’s fat neck. “I should do the world a favor and kill you now.”

“Dammit, Huntley, what did the wench tell you?” Wade blubbered, genuine fear bringing a layer of sweat to his brow. “Whatever it was, it was a lie.”

“Then you do not intend to take her to Norfolk in two days?”

“I…I think it best that we leave town for a short while. Brianna has not entirely recovered from the death of her mother, and the country air will do her good.” He forced a hoarse laugh that grated against Edmond’s temper. “Of course, like any young girl, she is angry to be taken from her friends and beaus. It is only natural she would do whatever necessary to stay in town.”

“So this trip is entirely for Brianna’s benefit?”

“Of course.”

“You bastard.” Abruptly shifting his hold, Edmond grasped the man’s lapels and gave him a violent shake. “You are taking her from London so you can force your disgusting attentions upon her.”

“No…”

“Do not even attempt to lie to me,” he growled. “I know the truth, and all of London will soon learn of it if you do not walk from this house and forget that you even know the name of Miss Brianna Quinn.”

Something that might have been desperation twisted the heavy features as Wade realized that Brianna might truly have slipped from his grasp.

“By gads, she is my daughter,” he rasped. “You cannot simply take her from me.”

“I already have.”

“I will petition for her return,” Wade blustered, his voice shrill. “Her mother left her in my care.”

Edmond frowned at the hectic glitter in the man’s eyes and the spittle forming at the edges of his mouth. Mon dieu, Thomas Wade was clearly at the edge of sanity.

At least when it came to matters of his stepdaughter.

“Her mother was a weak-willed fool who cared for nothing beyond the gaming tables. She would have sold Brianna to Beelzebub for a few quid.” He needed to make very certain that Thomas Wade understood the price of creating a scandal. Until he had the time necessary to covertly rid the world of the nasty creature, it was vital to keep his mouth shut. “And I would caution you against bringing the smallest breath of attention to Brianna’s change in residence. Not unless you wish me to inform the entire ton of what you intended for your stepdaughter.”

Wade’s harsh breath echoed through the ante room. “It would be her word against mine.”

Edmond smiled with the ingrained arrogance of a true aristocrat. “No, it would be the Duke of Huntley’s word against a mere son of a butcher. Who do you think they would believe?”

The beefy face turned from purple to crimson as the smooth insult sliced through his pride.

“I am not without influence. Money does have a few benefits.”

“Then let me raise the stakes.” Edmond smiled with icy intent. “If you make one attempt to try and take Brianna from my care, I will castrate you.”

Wade gave a shudder of alarm, then his gaze shifted over Edmond’s shoulder and a stark hunger filled his eyes. Edmond did not need to turn to know that Brianna had entered the room.

Suddenly, he wished that he had not insisted that the chit come down.

“Brianna…” Wade attempted to step forward only to be shoved roughly back against the wall. “Damn. My dear, tell this madman to release me.”

There was a brief hesitation before Brianna moved to stand beside Edmond, appearing far too tempting in her poppy India muslin gown decorated with small sprigs of gold. Matching ribbons were threaded through the auburn curls she had pulled to a high knot atop her head. Even without ornamentation, she appeared as young and fresh as a spring breeze.

“This madman happens to be my guardian and the Duke of Huntley,” she retorted, her expression frigid.

Wade futilely struggled against Edmond’s hold, desperate to reach Brianna.

“Please, you must listen to me, my dear. This has all been some terrible misunderstanding,” he cajoled. “If you would just return home, we could settle this in private.”

Edmond sensed Brianna’s shudder of horror as she wrapped her arms around her waist. “This is my home now.”

“Brianna, do not be a fool.” The older man shot Edmond a venomous glare. “This man is practically a stranger to you. Certainly he has made no effort to claim his right as a guardian before today. He will no doubt marry you off to the first bounder he can convince to ask for your hand, just to be rid of you.”