Page 87 of Three Weeks with a Princess
“Yes, of course. But first let’s get you safely home.”
Ignoring her resistance, he lifted her to her feet. She wobbled and grabbed his shoulders, letting out a little gasp. He kept a firm grip on her hips, intensely aware of how she trembled under his fingertips. Clearly, she’d never experienced this sort of passion before and, primitive brute that he was, he couldn’t help feeling inordinately pleased by that knowledge.
“We’re not going anywhere until you tell me what happens next,” she said, sounding breathless.
“Next, I’m taking you home.” He leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose. For some reason, that made her scowl.
“We don’t need to discuss anything tonight, pet,” he added. “I’ll call on you tomorrow morning and then we can begin making plans.”
When she yanked her stays up over her breasts, Jack had to swallow a sigh of regret.
“Unless those plans involve you becoming my protector,” she said, impatiently trying to rearrange her mangled shift, “there’s no reason to have a discussion about this . . . this incident.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Incident?”
“What else would you call it?” Her entire demeanor had become downright chilly.
Jack got to his feet, his temper rising with him, although he did his best to wrestle it under control. It had been a difficult evening for her and she was likely suffering from some sort of female reaction. But her response was decidedly not what he’d been expecting. Lia loved him and he’d made damn sure before he removed a stitch of her clothing that she’d wanted this as much as he did.
“I understand that tonight has been rather fraught,” he said carefully, “and perhaps your thinking is currently rather muddled. But you have entirely misunderstood if you think my actions were in any way offering a carte-blanche. Precisely the opposite.”
She flicked her skirts back in place. “Marriage, you mean? It’s entirely unnecessary, Jack. You did not despoil me, so you are under no obligation.” Her manner was almost cutting.
“Lia, you are hardly an obligation, as I’ve pointed out to you possibly a thousand times in the last several weeks. And I most certainly did despoil you. I distinctly recall the feel of my hands on your body.Insideyour body,” he said with emphasis.
Her fiery blush was evident even in the dimly lit room. Still, from her expression, he saw she was not going to give up without a fight.
And he knew why. She’d gotten it into her head that the only way he could save Stonefell was by finding a rich wife. While he wouldn’t insult her intelligence by pretending that things might not be tricky, and that he wouldn’t be forced to make decisions he’d rather avoid, he had no intention of allowing Lia to sacrifice herself on the altar of his family’s estate.
Nor, come to think of it, was he willing to sacrifice himself in a marriage of convenience—not when he could have the woman he wanted instead.
She regarded him with a determined air. “I’m the daughter and granddaughter of courtesans. I know exactly what’s involved in losing my virginity, and my maidenhead remains firmly intact. No thanks to you,” she added in a snippy tone.
“Wait; you’re angry with me because Ididn’thave my way with you?”
Her eyebrows went up in a sardonic arch. “Have your way with me? What a quaint expression, especially given the fact that we’re at a Cyprians’ ball.”
“This conversation is incredibly inappropriate,” he said rather inanely.
She let out an exasperated sigh. “Jack, I grew up on a country estate, where I spent quite a lot of time dealing with the tenant farmers and your estate manager. I know exactly how the breeding process works.”
“Bully for you, but I fail to see what difference that makes.”
For a moment, she looked as if she wanted to smack him, but then she snapped her fingers. “I completely forgot to tell you. Mr. Lindsey wrote to me a few days ago about a new breed of hogs he’s been reading about in theYorkshire Agricultural Report. Did he mention that in his most recent letter?”
“And we arenottalking about hogs either,” he said as he retrieved her mask from the floor.
“We can’t talk about sex, we can’t talk about Stonefell, and now we can’t even talk about hogs.” She waved her arms in an extravagant circle. “What the devil are we to talk about?”
He handed her the mask. “Right now, the only thing we’re talking about is getting you safely home. Then, as I said, I will call on you tomorrow and we will discuss plans for our marriage.”
“Jack, please get it through your thick skull that we are not getting married.”
“Nonsense, and we are not discussing this any further tonight,” he said firmly. “You are clearly in much too volatile a state of mind.”
His state of mind wasn’t the best either. If this fight continued, God only knew what would happen. He’d probably end up hauling her back to that chair, flipping her skirts up to her waist, and burying his cock deep in her beautiful body. That would bring an abrupt and definitive conclusion to their ridiculous discussion.
She glared at him for a few seconds longer, then slapped on her mask and began tying the ribbons, all while muttering some salty oaths. Jack made a mental note to speak to Lindsey and also his head groom once they returned to Stonefell; she clearly was spending too much time around the stables and barns.
