Page 31 of Death of a Courtesan
‘Perhaps the killer acted out of jealousy.’
‘Very possibly.’ Riley sighed. ‘All of her customers were devoted to her, considered her their own personal property and might well have resented the attention she gave to others. Grant certainly felt that way, and possessiveness tends to blight a man’s judgement.’
‘Do you think you will solve this crime, Riley?’ Amelia asked, jumping when a log crackled in the grate and sent a shower of sparks flying up the chimney. ‘You seem to have a lot of suspects but no way of proving either their involvement or their innocence.’
‘I shall do my very best. Just because circumstances had reduced Adelaide to selling herself for reasons I have yet to clarify, that will not prevent me from trying to avenge her murder just as assiduously as I would if she had come from a respectable background.’
‘No, I can see that you would…’
Amelia’s words spluttered to a halt and she abruptly doubled over, holding her stomach, her hair hiding her face. Concerned, Riley crouched in front of her and took her hand.
‘What is it? Are you unwell? Shall I ring for…’
‘I’m so sorry,’ she managed to splutter, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. ‘It’s just the thought of Danforth’s fat backside…’
She convulsed with fresh laughter that Riley joined in with. ‘Don’t ever frighten me like that again,’ he said, standing and pulling her to her feet. Her body collided with his and his arms automatically circled her slender waist to prevent her from toppling over. Her laughter stopped abruptly as she looked up at him with a combination of curiosity and sensual disobedience. Instinct trumped common sense. Her eyes were still moist with tears, the product of her laughter, and widened when she realised that no space separated them. Her breasts pressed against his chest, igniting a spark in his bloodstream. Her lips parted and the tip of her tongue darted out to moisten them, sweeping aside the residue of Riley’s self-control. He had been fighting this attraction for too damned long and there was only so much temptation a man could resist.
With a smothered oath he dropped his head and crushed her mouth beneath his, firmly, finally savouring the treat of her sweet lips—in reality rather than in his dreams. Only a minuscule hesitation on her part preceded a response as passionate as his own as her arms circled his neck and her hands buried themselves in his hair. He pulled her harder against him and deepened the kiss, fiercely possessive, a man with a point to prove. What that point could possibly be was lost in the haze of his passion. He’d been a fool to imagine that mere friendship could exist between himself and the lovely woman whose image was never far from the forefront of his mind. What seemed so intransigently right, so natural, couldn’t possibly be wrong.
Carnal sensations ripped through Riley’s bloodstream as his hands roamed the contours of her back, prevented from exploring lower by the impediment of her bustle. With his head still reeling he reluctantly broke the kiss and released his hold on her, wondering how to explain the unexplainable.
‘That’s what you get for laughing at my superior,’ he said, attempting to lighten the mood.
He held her hand as she slowly lowered herself back into her seat, her legs clearly incapable of supporting her. Her eyes were hazy, her lips swollen, and it was obvious to Riley that she had been as reluctant to bring their passionate embrace to an end as he was. Even so, her next words almost floored him.
‘Are you asking me to be your mistress, Riley? If so, I accept the position.’
