Page 66 of A Wanton Adventure
She sighed. “It’s from my mother. When I was a young girl, she liked to punish me and Clara with the rod.”
Shock flickered across his face. “Those are not small scars, Diana.”
“I know. I should have prepared you, so it wasn’t so surprising, but I was caught up in the moment.”
He stroked her cheek. “You’re beautiful. I don’t care about them but my heart aches at what you endured. I know you are considering helping your mother return to England, but you should leave her in Tuscany. It is too forgiving of you.”
Her brows shot up. “How did you know that?”
He sighed. “Your brother-in-law came to visit me before we left.”
Diana threw a hand over her eyes, horrified Sam did that. “Did he ask you to look out for me?”
Sebastian winked at her. “Certainly not like this.”
“No matter how charming you are, it is still embarrassing.”
He laid back down and pulled her to him, kissing the scars on her back. “Don’t be upset. They were just worried about you.”
“I know.”
He kissed her back again and she stiffened. She didn’t want Sebastian to pity her. She hated the thought. “Don’t feel bad for me, Sebastian. I’m fine. You don’t need to kiss them. I want you to desire me, not treat me as if I’m fragile.”
Sebastian pressed his hard cock against her. “Does this feel like I want to treat you like you are fragile?”
He nipped at her shoulder. “I want to fuck you, and trust me, I have no plans to treat you like you are breakable. Understand?”
She pressed closer to him. “Yes.”
*
Diana nodded whileSignor Mura explained the origins of the ancient Nora civilization. Her face became heated, and Sebastian suspected it was the way he was staring at her. She glanced at him pointedly a few times. He smirked at her as he leaned against a tree. His body should be bordering on exhaustion as Sebastian had been in Diana’s room until the early hours of the morning.
He’d done it. Sebastian gave in to the unrelenting temptation and took Diana to bed. He didn’t regret it. Hell, he wished he would have acted sooner. Still, he reminded himself this interlude would end when they returned to London. Out here, it didn’t matter that Diana was a lady, and he was a rogue and the illegitimate child of a marquess. Even now, he wanted to hustle her back to bed. He wanted to hear her whimpers of bliss and her pleading for more.
His thoughts flashed to the scars on her back. They’d been vicious deep marks that had shocked Sebastian. He’d seen some things in his life, but he was horrified that a lady of thetoncould inflict so much pain on her daughters. There’d been rumors when Diana’s sister had married Sam Kincaide about the dukeand duchess’s cruelty, but Sebastian would have never guessed the extent of it.
He shook his head in disbelief that Diana was considering helping her mother resettle in England. After everything the woman had done, Diana was still willing to be the good daughter. Their eyes met again, and she frowned at him. He realized he was scowling because of his dark thoughts. He gave her a flirtatious smile and she rolled her eyes.
Signor Mura broke their stare by pointing something out to Diana. Her eyes widened in delight. His smirk turned less amorous as he studied her. She was the perfect lady to be on this trip. Sebastian was glad Addie had been unable to go. His good friend, he imagined, was happily using the profits of the Ladies of London column to move things along for the Historical Society for Female Curators. Sebastian suspected the difference between him and Diana would drive people to read the column about their exploits.
“Tomorrow, we board the ship for Tuscany. We are almost halfway on our journey,” Monroe said, joining him.
“How long will we be there?”
“A week or two. It will be good for most of the passengers. It is like a little London there. Plenty of lords and ladies from England visit the area, now that the fighting has started to die down.”
Sebastian nodded. Only a year ago, such a trip would have been impossible. It was strange or maybe surreal how fast the world seemed to move on from devastating events like the revolutions that spread across the continent over the last few years. Men had fought for freedom and rights. All things he believed in. While most hadn’t been successful, it had changed how society viewed and included the common man. Time would tell how much or if for the better.
“She has changed since we left London,” Monroe said, nodding at Diana.
Sebastian glanced at the captain, scowling as he watched his gaze roam down her form. Monroe chuckled. “No need to incinerate me with your stare. I have given up my pursuit of her. It’s clear I never stood a chance.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
The captain slapped him on the back. “The two of you are safe on the ship. We are like our own little community but tread softly in Tuscany. The place is too much like London. Gossip travels fast.”
Their bubble of privacy would end when they arrived at the popular port. He wasn’t looking forward to it. Diana would visit her mother, and she may potentially return with them. He feared that his time with Diana may be cut short.Would any amount of time be enough?he thought.
