Taming the Rake Read online

  “I’m sure it is.”

  He jerked the arm still clasped in his hand so that she was forced to look up at him. Cautiously, she met his gaze. His face was taut. Tiny white lines were etched around his nose and mouth. But it was his eyes that made her breath catch deep in her throat. How could such beautiful blue, fringed with such delicate, long lashes, reflect such callousness?

  He continued. “Just as I was surprised when I came home to find that I’d hired three new servants and my private study was in the midst of an unplanned ‘redecoration.’”

  “Do you like it?” The devil prompted her to ask. “It’s not finished yet, of course—” She stopped when she noticed his expression.

  His face had turned thunderous. His nostrils flared and the bulging vein in his neck pulsed. She drew in her breath, waiting, knowing that he was perilously close to losing control. She bit her lip. Taunting him probably wasn’t such a great idea. But it was fun. It was nothing at all like needling the usual milksops that frequented Almack’s.

  “I thought I’d warned you that I do not play games, Lady Georgina, nor am I interested in finding a wife.”

  Gina shrugged off his hold, surprised when he released her. It gave her just enough confidence. “Even though you clearly need one? Your servants were overworked and your study could use a bit of freshening. I simply did what needed to be done.” She sniffed at the brandy on his breath. “And you drink too much.”

  “Your impudence is astounding.”

  “I was only trying to help,” she said defensively. She breathed deeply and took a gamble. “Do you deny that you needed to hire more servants or that your study could use some sprucing up?” Or that you drink too much? she added silently.

  He studied her. Gina tried not to shuffle under the intense scrutiny. When he did not answer right away, she knew she’d scored her point.

  “It was not your place to make the decision. Do not interfere with my business again.”

  He turned to leave, but Gina couldn’t resist. “Or what?” Her words fell like the slap of a glove in the darkness.

  He stopped and swung around to meet her challenge. A wicked gleam appeared in his eye. His hand reached toward her and Gina forced herself not to flinch. But he didn’t intend to strike her. No, he had something far more nefarious in mind.

  Trapped by anticipation, she wasn’t sure what he meant to do, but she was equally unable to break away. She sucked in her breath at the first touch. The back of his finger slid down her shoulder along the bare skin of her arm. She shivered, the fine wisps of hair standing on end. Every nerve ending fired as awareness surged through her body.

  Sensing her reaction, a slow, cruel smile curved his lips.

  Her pulse quickened, but she stood there, paralyzed by an invisible force that held her captive. Slowly, so slowly she thought she was going to die from holding her breath, the back of his finger traced the heavy curve of her breast. Her skin tingled and a wave of something hot crashed over her. Her nipples hardened under the heavy weight of his gaze and desire fluttered low in her belly. The feathery graze was the most deeply erotic moment of her life.

  And he knew it. He bent toward her and whispered huskily in her ear, “Or I’ll show you just what kind of man I am.”

  He spoke so matter-of-factly that Gina knew it was not a threat, but a promise.

  This time he got the last word. “And Lady Georgina, when I take what I want from you—the only thing I want from you—I won’t need a wedding ring to get it.”

  He left her there standing in the moonlit garden, wanting. It wasn’t fear that made her shiver, but something far more dangerous. The horrible suspicion that he could be right.

  He’d won the battle, but Coventry departed Almack’s feeling as if he’d lost the war. Touching her, teasing her had been a mistake. The softness of her skin, the heavy curve of her breast, her lightning quick response. She’d burst into flames at his merest touch.

  God save him from twenty-year-old virgins. All that repressed energy just waiting to be unleashed. The temptation to be the one to unleash it was crushing.

  He wanted her, and after touching her, his desire was far stronger than before. For now he knew what it was like to watch her quiver under his fingertip. To watch her lips part with surprise and her breath hitch with desire. He’d seen her eyes widen then glaze with arousal. He’d felt the generous curve of her breast and seen the bead of her tiny nipple outlined under the sheer fabric of her gown.

  The experience had affected him much more than he wanted to admit. He adjusted his breeches. He was still painfully rigid. But he instructed his coachman to take him home, not bothering with Simone. He knew that she would not sate his lust. Not tonight. Not ever.

  Right there and then Coventry vowed to find a new mistress. And if she happened to have delectable round breasts, ivory skin as soft and velvety as a peach, silky golden brown hair, deep-sea green eyes, a tiny turned up nose, and a wide, sensuous mouth, so much the better. Oh, and a well-placed freckle wouldn’t hurt.

  Perhaps then he could dismiss the slip of a girl who inspired her.

  It had taken a few minutes for her pulse to slow and her body to relax before she could return to the assembly room. She glanced around the room for Augusta, eventually finding her laughing shyly with Lord Ashley. That would never do. Gina frowned in her direction and Augusta appeared quickly at her side.

  “Are you all right? Did he hurt you?”

  Only my pride, Gina thought. For the last few minutes had revealed a shameful weakness in Gina’s character: She was susceptible to a handsome face—even if that handsome face was completely devoid of honor and integrity. What other reason could explain the intensity of her response? He’d lit the fires of her passion as easily as if he’d struck a match.

  If a handsome face was so important to her, why couldn’t she have picked Lord Ponsonby? But instead Gina said, “I’m fine. He was furious, but not violent.”

  “I was so worried,” Augusta said anxiously. “When I saw his face, he looked so much like my father…” Her voice dropped off. “I was scared.”

  There was so much torment in Augusta’s face Gina had to ask the question. “Was your father a violent man?”

  Augusta nodded. She looked like she wanted to cry. “I was very young when he died, but I can still remember.” She shivered. Looking around to make sure no one was listening, she lowered her voice. “My father would beat James for the smallest infraction. Any excuse that he could find.” Tears appeared in the corners of her eyes. “But the worst part was that I think Father enjoyed it.”

  Revulsion swept over her. And pity. Pity for the young boy that Coventry had been. “And your mother did nothing to stop him?”

  Augusta shook her head. “James was always a disappointment to mother. I think she hoped that the beatings would set him right.”

  Gina fought to control her outrage. She didn’t want to feel sorry for him, but the thought of what Coventry’s childhood must have been like earned her unwavering sympathy. Still, it was difficult to reconcile the hard, angry man with the vulnerable boy.

  “Maybe this is not such a good idea,” Augusta continued. “I never meant for you to be in danger. I just wanted to find someone who could make him happy. If only you could have seen him as a boy. He was so different. He used to carry me around on his back and play with me—even though I was so much younger. I remember him reading me stories at night and pressing a kiss on my forehead when he thought I was asleep.” She sighed wistfully. “But that was when he was a boy. In truth, I hardly know him now.”

  Augusta looked so miserable that Gina was beginning to feel uneasy. A twinge of guilt needled her conscience. Perhaps becoming Augusta’s confidante had not been such a good idea. Gina was learning more about Coventry than she wanted to know. And she didn’t like the hope that Augusta had fixed upon her. Salvation was not part of the wager.

  Apparently Augusta still harbored illusions as to the nature of his character and Gina