Page 52 of The Forbidden Lord
“Damn it, Emma,” he growled as he reached for her, “what nonsense is this?”
“It’s not nonsense!” She batted his hands away, then shoved free of him and leapt off the table, hurrying to the opposite end of the room. She turned her back to him. “I won’t … Ican’tdo this shameful thing! It’s wrong!”
As tears of mortification and anger welled in her eyes, she fumbled with her clothing, trying to straighten it, trying not to think of the things she’d let him do. And all because she’d been foolish enough to think he actually cared for her! She would have fully given herself to him if she’d thought he was in love with her.
But no, not Jordan. Not him, with his hard heart. It had been lust and nothing more. For goodness sake, it hadn’t even been forher, but for Lady Emma! And only because he thought the woman from Scotland was as experienced as those … those fancy women he spent all his time with. The bastard!
“Emma, there’s no shame in making love,” he bit out as he came up behind her.
He laid his hands on her shoulders, but she shrugged them off. “No shame for you,” she whispered. “But no matter what you think of me, I do have a reputation to uphold. And if I throw my virtue away?—”
“Throw your virtue away,” he said sarcastically. “It’s a little late for that, isn’t it?”
Horror gripped her as she swung around to face him. “You don’t mean that what we just did … that I …” She knew something of how a woman lost her virginity, but not in great detail. He’d put his fingers inside her. Was that the same as … did that mean he … “Did you take my … my virginity?” she asked, appalled by the possibility.
“What the devil! Don’t you know?”
“Of course I don’t know!” she cried in sheer frustration. “I’ve never been with a man like … like that! How would I know?”
His jaw went taut, and he looked decidedly ill. “I thought … from the way you acted in the garden, the way you kissed me … hell, from the way you acted just now, the things you allowed me to do, I thought?—”
“I did those because I believed you cared about me!” she burst out, then instantly regretted the confession. “I was curious, and you were so … so?—“
“Persuasive.” His voice was now under his wretched control. “Yes, I have a talent for persuasion. And I wanted you, Emma. I still want you. But that’s all there is to it. If you think that this little encounter shall result in marriage?—”
“Oh, for goodness sake,” she snapped, remembering their first time in the carriage. “I’ve never seen a man so convinced that women are trying to trap him into marriage!” Rage made her reckless. “I’mnot the one who dragged you in here!I’mnot the one who wanted ‘one kiss’! In case you hadn’t noticed, I’ve had my share of suitors since I came to London. I don’t need to trick some hapless man into marriage, Jordan!”
For a moment, he looked stunned. Then his eyes narrowed, and his tone grew icy. “You’ve said that before, Emily.”
She started to retort, then froze. Shehadused those exact words—the first time they’d met, in the carriage. And he’d just called her Emily, not Emma.
Her heart sank. Dear heavens, he knew. He knew because he’d made her so angry she’d forgotten her role. A thousand curses upon him! She couldn’t even take it back or invent some explanation for her words. Playing a role was beyond her at the moment, when her emotions were raw and he was standing there, his hands clenched in fury.
Panic-stricken, she darted toward the door.
“Emily, no!” he growled as he lunged toward her.
But he was too late to prevent her. Praying that the guard was still there, she pounded furiously on the door and shouted, “We’re ready to leave! You can let us out now!”
“Yes, milady,” a muffled voice answered.
Relief coursed through her at the welcome sound of a key being inserted in a lock. Then Jordan pinned her against the door so hard she could feel his arousal against her backside. “Devil take you, Emily, we have to talk,” he hissed under his breath.
She shook her head violently. “Let go of me! I don’t want to talk to you anymore.” The door shuddered beneath her fingers. “Release me or I swear I’ll scream.”
He hesitated, his breath hot and hard against her cheek. She felt the guard trying to open the door, but Jordan still had her braced against it.
“Milady, is there something blocking the door?” the guard called out through the door. “I can’t seem to move it.”
She twisted her head to glare at Jordan, daring him to attempt keeping her in there. For a long moment, he glared back, and she feared he might actually do it.
Then with a curse he stepped away, allowing her to step away from the door, too.
It swung open at once. The guard looked suspiciously from Jordan to her. “Is everything all right, milady?”
She forced her voice to be calm. “Everything’s fine, thank you.” She walked out, grateful that there was no one else in this part of the museum at the moment.
“Wait!” Jordan said behind her.
