Page 103 of The Truth About Lord Stoneville
“Wait!”
He turned to stare at her, one eyebrow lifted.
“You are such a curst arrogant—”
“Yes. What happened with Hyatt?”
Muttering an oath, she threw her head back against the pillow and dragged the sheet over her naked body.
As she related a tale of remarkable deception, he could scarcely contain his anger. But when she got to the part about Hyatt threatening a breach of promise suit, his blood roared in his ears. Rising from the bed, he said, “I’ll kill him with my bare hands.”
“No, you will not!” she cried as she pulled him back down. “This is why I didn’t want to tell you. If you get involved, it will only make it worse. I amnotgoing to let Nathan steal my half of New Bedford Ships, and I’mnotgoing to let you blunder in there in a rage at him, giving him an excuse to do so!”
“So how doyoupropose to handle this?” he clipped out.
“Mr. Pinter is going to hire an attorney, and I propose to let them handle it.”
Oliver scowled. “As your husband, I should have a say in it.”
“You’re not my husband yet,” she countered. “And you will notbemy husband until this matter is resolved. I don’t want to see you or your family dragged into it.”
“That’s our choice, is it not?”
“It’s my choice,” she said, stubborn as ever. “You’ve all been very kind to me—I don’t wish to embroil you in a potential scandal. You have quite enough attached to your names as it is.”
Casting her a searching glance, he said, “Very well.” He had no intention of staying out of it. But clearly she would do everything in her power to keep him from confronting Hyatt, and she could be quite persistent when she had the bit between her teeth. So he’d have to change strategies—get her sufficiently relaxed so he could slip out and take care of the bastard on his own.
He bent to kiss her, but she pushed against him, eyeing him with suspicion. “Do you promise to leave it to me and the lawyers?”
With a noncommittal grunt, he began to suck at her breast.
“Oliver—” she began in a warning tone.
“I promise not to throttle him until you give me permission to do so.” That he could promise. No more.
As he tugged at her nipple with his teeth, he rubbed his swiftly hardening cock against her soft flesh, and her eyes heated instantly. At the moment, he was grateful for his hard-won prowess with women. It might buy him the time he needed for doing what he must, without having to lie to her and tromp on her delicate sense of morality.
“And do you . . . promise not to interfere in any other way?” she asked, though her body was responding quite eagerly to his attentions.
“All these promises you wish to exact from me,” he drawled as he reached down to fondle her, reveling when she gasped. “I will be much more amenable to making them, angel, if you . . . soften me up.”
A reluctant smile touched her lips. “Will you, now?”
“Oh, yes.” Pulling her knees up, he entered her swift and sure, his hard thrust angled perfectly to rouse her. He was rewarded when she arched her back with a moan, then squirmed beneath him.
Oliver used every sensual technique he knew to satisfyher, and when they both lay spent, he pretended to fall asleep. Before long she dozed. Slipping from the bed, he watched her carefully for any signs of waking as he drew on his clothes. Fortunately, she’d probably had little rest the night before, so by the time he was dressed, she was soundly out.
Fighting a breach of promise case in the courts might take years, not to mention involve Maria and her family in all sorts of nastiness. It was time he proved to her that he could take care of her. That he could be the man she wanted him to be, the man who could be worthy of her love.
He knew how to handle men like Hyatt. Not for nothing had he been raised the grandson of Hetty Plumtree.
Unfortunately, there was only one way to be sure the man stayed out of her life for good. Patting his coat pocket to make sure it still contained the velvet jewel box, he headed off to find Nathan Hyatt.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Maria was dreaming about her bedchamber in Halstead Hall when something awakened her. She lay there in a half doze, a smile curving her lips. Oliver loved her. He truly loved her. It had been there in every kiss, every caress, every sweet word he’d whispered as they’d made love. Twice. With great enthusiasm, not to mention creative technique.
Heat rose in her cheeks. Apparently there were quite a number of things she didn’t know yet about lovemaking. But she was very willing to learn. Oh yes. Now that Oliver had put his past behind him and they were to be married, she was blissfully content.
