Page 19 of The Gilded Lady
Her brow furrowed as she seemed to consider his words, but then she shook her head and walked away from him, her thoughts turned inward. “I’ll take the chance that this is an empty threat. Haven’t you ever heard the idiom ‘let sleeping dogs lie’?”
Of course he’d heard it, he simply didn’t think it was particularly applicable to this situation. He’d rather be prepared than wait for this unknown snake to strike. “You take that chance and you’re prey. Let me know who he is and I can find him.”
She gave a soft, humorless laugh. “You’ll find him? Find him and what then?” she asked, turning back to face him.
“I’ll find him and put an end to this.” He came to a stop in front of her, aching to touch her but keeping his hands firmly in his pockets so that he wouldn’t.
“I don’t need you to fight my battles for me, Mr. Pierce.” She tilted her head up to meet his gaze and he noticed the tiny little sprinkle of freckles across the bridge of her nose. They were hidden under the layer of powder she wore. He’d never been close enough to notice them, but seeing them now immediately made him wonder if she had freckles anywhere else.
“Hey, you asked me for help. I’m trying to help you, but I need you to cooperate.”
“You’re right. I hired you to help find the person who sent the letter, and to make sure that I’m safe in my home. That’s all.”
“So you’re fine with the fact that he could show up here any day and catch you by surprise?” He knew it was a low blow, but he needed her to understand how dangerous her situation was.
“Fine? Am I fine with it? No, it’s a fear that I live with every day, but so far it hasn’t happened. I won’t have you going all the way to South Carolina to find him, when it’s entirely possible that he has no idea where I am.” Her voice finally rose on that sentence, breaking the reins she’d held on her control. Even in her anger, she was beautiful. Fiery and strong. Breathtaking.
He realized that they were standing nearly toe to toe, so he took a step back, trying to control his emotions. “I know that you do.”
Still angry, she pulled herself up to her full height which wouldn’t have reached his shoulders had her hair not been pulled up on her head. “Why do you care so much? This isn’t what I hired you for.”
“I don’t want you hurt. I don’t like the idea of him out there…waiting to hurt you again.”
The rest of his anger drained away when her eyes widened in shock. She only just now seemed to realize that he was askingher these questions because he cared about her. “Why?” He watched her soft lips form the word, but he barely heard the sound.
“Isn’t it obvious?” He swallowed, suddenly prepared to be more honest with her than he had ever been before. “I care about you, Glory. I want to know you’re safe.” He didn’t want to care about her, but he did. Christine’s image flashed in his mind, a reminder of what had happened the last time he’d let his guard down. This was different, he wouldn’t let it go so far as it had with Christine. He could care for Glory without falling in love with her, but that didn’t explain why his heart was pounding against his ribs.
She sucked in a breath and his gaze met hers. Her hazel eyes were darker now, swirling with emotion and heat. To his surprise, her pupils were dilated, nearly obliterating any sign of green.
“And I think you care about me,” he whispered, knowing that he shouldn’t be so honest with her. Her rose scent tickled his nostrils, making his stomach churn with equal parts need and premonition.
She gasped. The sound of her breath scraped pleasantly over him, causing him to imagine her making that sound because he was inside her. One night wouldn’t change things. He could have her and still keep his distance. The thought of having her beneath him made his gut clench pleasurably.
“And I think you want to kiss me as much as I want to kiss you,” he whispered. Her soft lips parted and her eyes widened. Her pink tongue darted out to stroke her bottom lip, making it moist for him. The need to taste her was a magnet, drawing him in, making his lips tingle in anticipation. He bent his head down, moving closer inch by inch, giving her time to move away, but she stayed, her breath coming faster, fanning across his lips.Sensing her hesitance, he paused an inch away, allowing her time to pull back or to tell him to stop.
She didn’t. She let out a ragged breath and fisted the skirt of her dress, but she didn’t back away. His palms itched to touch her, but he sensed that it would be a step too far. The heated air between them was thick with tension. “Say yes to me,” he whispered, hoping that she would but prepared for her to push him away. He sensed that she’d have to take the lead in whatever happened between, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t nudge her along.
For a moment, the only sound in the room was their breathing mixed with the ticking of the clock on the mantle. “Yes.” The soft whisper burrowed inside him, grabbing something deep within him and pulling him to her.
His lips touched hers. The longing of countless days and night coalesced into that perfect moment when her soft lips parted beneath his. She moved slow but certain in her movements as she set their pace. Testing her, he brushed his tongue against her bottom lip. She surprised him by returning the feather-light touch, stroking his tongue with her own. He groaned and gently pushed forward, delving into her wet heat. She moaned deep in her throat and her hands came up to smooth over his chest, settling over the beat of his heart. Her fingers clenched in his shirt.
Blood roared in his ears, urging him to take more, but he didn’t want to push too far too fast. Instead, he pulled back, breaking the kiss to stare down into her eyes. His chest squeezed tight as if he’d just run a mile. Fear and excitement mingled together in her eyes, and he again hated the bastard who had put the fear there. Before he could say a word, the fear won out. She firmly pushed him away and whispered, “I’m sorry. I can’t,” and then she ran to her bedroom and slammed the door.
Zane leaned against the wall, his heart threatening to pound its way out of his chest. If one kiss had done this to him, how would it feel after he’d spent himself inside her? A tingling sensation moved down his spine, tightening his groin as all the blood in his body redirected to that general area.
He cursed himself for pushing her so far. He should’ve stopped before he kissed her or broken the kiss much sooner. She’d opened so sweetly for him, and now he knew exactly how she tasted. He wanted more. He was walking a dangerous line with her. One night with her shouldn’t be enough to make him lose his heart, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t concerned that he wasn’t halfway lost as it was. Because almost as great as the need to have her, was the need to hold her and let her know that she was safe, to drive the fear from her eyes.
Closing his eyes, he forced himself to relive the night when Christine had turned her back on him. He needed the reminder that love wasn’t worth the risk.
Chapter Nine
The next morning Glory sat at her dressing table, her lips still tingling from the last night’s kiss. She ran a fingertip over her bottom lip, remembering the soft heat of his mouth and how his tongue had felt against hers. A dart of electricity sparked down to her belly, settling there with a slow burn. A blush stained her cheeks in the mirror and she couldn’t stop the ridiculous smile that curved her lips.
Zane Pierce was a much better kisser than she’d assumed he would be. His size suggested brute strength and a lack of finesse, but he’d been surprisingly gentle and attentive. Over the years she’d had men steal kisses from her before. It was like a strange badge of honor with some of them, and she knew about that ridiculous wager in that betting book across town. Since that had come up a year or so ago, the men had progressed from stolen kisses to flirting conversation meant to somehow sweep her off her feet. None of them ever swept her off her feet.
Not one in the entire twelve years she’d been here. But last night Zane had made her knees go weak. Had she not beenpressed against the wall, she was certain that she would’ve fallen. The thing was, he’d made her weak in the knees before he’d even kissed her. It had started when he’d given her that heavy-lidded look of his that meant he was thinking naughty things. The final blow had come, however, when he’d asked for her permission.
None of the men had ever asked permission. Not one. Despite the fact that she wasn’t selling herself every night, they walked into the house as if she owed them whatever they demanded. More than once Able had been forced to show a man out because he wasn’t happy she wouldn’t take him upstairs. Zane had looked as if he expected her to turn him down. She knew that she probably shouldn’t have, but when he’d allowed her to take the lead, she’d been unable to refuse them what they both wanted. How much harm could one little kiss cause anyway?
