Page 40 of Desire and Discipline
That stubborn chin went up again, dark eyes flashing with her own temper.
“A note to inform you that, as you are fully recovered and my services are no longer needed, I have gone on to seek other employment.” She bit out the words succinctly but also as though they gave her no joy.
The idea of her leaving lit a flame within him.
“One night without my cane and you think I am fully recovered?” He had not actually needed the cane for weeks, and they both knew it, but she’d accepted the deception before, so she could hardly call him on it now. Her eyes narrowed, lips pursing.
Yes, he was prodding at her temper and her pride. Deliberately so.
Fighting was good. He could win a fight.
“Besides,” he continued, “it is hardly safe or seemly to leave in the middle of the night.”
“I was going to wait ‘til morning,” she claimed, but her eyes darted to the side. Lie.
He’d learned her facial cues very well over the time they’d spent together. While Diana was a very good liar, especially when she had what he privately thought of as her ‘nurse face’ on, he was an expert at reading body language in general. With the close attention he’d paid to her as they’d gotten to know each other, he doubted there was much she could hide about her emotions at this juncture.
“And say goodbye to the family?”
“Yes. I was planning to leave after breakfast.” Her gaze met his again.
Oliver bet she had not entirely decided when she was leaving, only that she was going to. Well. That was easy enough. He just had to convince her to stay.
Diana
How horribly awkward. She truly had not expected him to follow after her. The entire way back to Camden House, she fretted in the carriage over what her next move was to be. Leaving in the middle of the night was not ideal, but it would have been easier than facing him in the morning.
After she’d…
And he’d…
Then he’d burst through her door like Mars on the warpath, ordering everyone about like the god he thought he was. Part of her had been relieved. Another part flattered that he’d come after her. Very small parts. Most of her had been horrified and shocked.
She could only imagine what the servants were saying.
Damn him. This was going to make getting another position difficult. Perhaps she should leave the capital. There was always need out in the country, especially with elderly relations who had retired to their manors or villages for a quieter life in their later years. It would not be as exciting as living in London, but right now, she felt like she’d had quite enough excitement.
If she could outrun the gossip, eventually, it would die down, and she could return. Another scandal would take its place. Thetonhad long memories, but she was hardly a person of interest, other than if she was paired with a marquess. If she disappeared to the country, tongues might wag for a short bit, but with no further meat to chew on, they would soon move on to other, more delicious fare.
“So. After breakfast, then.” He took another step toward her.
Something in his expression had changed. Diana’s heart started to pound. He was looking at her the same way he had before he’d dropped to his knees in front of her.
Somehow, that was far more intimidating than when he was actively trying to push her around. This—the way he looked at her, the way it made her feel when he looked at her like that—this was new. This was something she did not know how to counter.
She did not even know if she wanted to counter it.
“Yes, after breakfast,” she said calmly, making as if to turn away, so she could escape the heat in his gaze.
But she’d made a mistake.
She’d forgotten how close she was to the bed.
It was only a couple feet in front of her, blocking any easy path, and the moment she saw it—the moment she was reminded of where they were while her body was still humming from his tongue—her mind and movement were arrested.
Then he was behind her, his arms around her, his body pressing against hers.
His hands slid from her stomach up to just under her breasts, not quite touching them, and her breath stuttered in shock. The thick bulge against her backside made her hyperaware of the rest of her body, especially the pulsing in her core, the emptiness that was suddenly aching to be filled.
