The Bachelor Bargain (Secrets, Scandals, and Spies)

by Michaels, Maddison

  “I am so sorry that you were hurt assisting me.” Livie paused at the doorway. “I shall have the doctor fetched for you when we return home.”

  “Ain’t no need, my lady.” Gregson emphatically waved his head in the negative. “I’m right as rain, I am.”

  “That may be so, but it would ease my mind for him to look you over,” Livie declared, when suddenly she was lifted from behind and assisted onto the carriage seat, if that’s what one could call being hefted onto the thing like a sack of flour by Sebastian’s arms of steel.

  “He said he was fine,” Sebastian’s deep voice drawled as he stepped into the cabin behind her and sat on the seat across from where she was valiantly trying to sit up with some semblance of dignity.

  As Livie righted herself, Gregson shut the carriage door and the vehicle rocked slightly as he obviously returned to sit next to the driver. Seb used the silver handle of her cane to rap on the wood paneling, and almost immediately the vehicle swiftly set off.

  “A handy little thing, your cane.” He gave it back to her and Livie took it with relief.

  “It has knocked many an impertinent man on his head, so don’t tempt me.” To which Sebastian laughed. “Who is driving my carriage back? My father will probably notice one of them missing.”

  “One of my men is following us with it.”

  Silence filled the carriage, while the soft light from the lamp affixed to the panel behind Sebastian furnished the cabin with a rather intimate glow. She couldn’t see his eyes or expression, so she had no idea what the man was thinking, let alone thought about her escapade tonight.

  “Well…” she ventured, drumming her fingers against her lap. “That was a very interesting evening, wasn’t it?”

  She couldn’t be sure, but she thought he may have raised his eyebrow in that expression of amused disbelief of his that she was coming to recognize.

  “Interesting is not the word I would have used to describe it,” Sebastian replied. “Foolhardy, idiotic, perhaps even ridiculous, are the sorts of adjectives I would have said are applicable to your evening’s shenanigans. Particularly after I told you to consult with me first. And sending me a note is not consulting me.”

  He’d preempted her. “Well, what is done is done. And it’s good you know I am my own woman. I do not take orders from anyone.” Livie raised her eyes and held his, determined to convey this truth to him, regardless of the close scrutiny with which he was returning her stare.

  “Tell me what happened,” he demanded, stretching his legs out in the carriage, his trousers brushing lightly against her skirt.

  Livie ignored the thrill shooting up her legs from the contact and quickly told him of her conversation with Mary. “Who do you think would try to shoot me, or Mary for that matter? Actually, they might not even have been trying to shoot me. They may well have thought I was Lady Chilton, who was expected. Could she be the target?”

  “Perhaps,” he said. “But, damn it, you shouldn’t have gone anywhere alone. Whispers have reached me that someone is seeking to have a lady assassinated, and the more you are shot at, the more I do believe you could be the target!” He went to slam his fist against the side of the carriage but stopped himself at the last moment and slowly unfurled his hand.

  “You think I’m truly in danger?”

  “I don’t know,” he exhaled harshly. “My men are trying to find out. But you could be. Which is exactly why I didn’t want you to go to this midnight rendezvous without me. And why the men I tasked to protect you will get their ears boxed for letting you go in the cemetery alone.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me of the danger I am in?” She had never felt so furious in her life. “Did you not think I deserved to know? What, because I’m a woman, and with a disability, too?”

  “It has nothing to do with your gender or your limp,” he rumbled. “As I don’t know you are the target for certain, I didn’t wish to worry you.”

  “So that’s why your men have been tailing me?” It was beginning to make sense now. “To protect me? My, you really do go to a lot of trouble to protect your investments, don’t you? And if you must know, I did want you to attend, that is why I visited you at your boxing arena and then sent you the note after, telling you of the time and place. You were the one to distract me from the issue by kissing me earlier!”

  “Oh really. It is my fault, is it?”

  “Yes, it is!” she answered, her eyes never leaving his own. “Like I said, if you hadn’t distracted me, I would have told you, but instead you kissed me and then we were interrupted, and that was the end of that.”

  “It wasn’t the end of anything.”

  He reached forward and plucked her from her seat, pulling her onto his lap in a tangle of skirt, silk, and bustle.

  She sucked in a breath, but rather than clear her suddenly clouded head, his woodsy scent of soap and sandalwood filled her every sense, and she was lost.

  His eyes caught her own and his hands circled softly around her waist. “As you said, we were interrupted, and I did want to change your impression of my passable kisses.”

  “You did?” Her voice was but a whisper.

  “Yes. And now I will.” With that, he lowered his head and his lips captured her own.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Sebastian knew it was a bad idea as soon as his lips pressed against hers, but he couldn’t stop himself. He’d been craving her with a burning need since he’d tasted her sweet softness earlier. He had to feel her again, to touch her, to devour her.

  His lack of control when it came to this woman was fast becoming a problem, but he’d think about that later, when the very scent of her wasn’t driving him to distraction. As it was, the smooth velvety softness of her lips were simply begging to be feasted upon.

  She was slightly hesitant as he gently nudged her lips open under his, but he wanted to break down those barriers. He wanted her to open fully to experience pleasure. He touched his tongue to hers and she moaned, pushing herself even closer to him as her tongue intertwined with his.

  Sebastian groaned in response, and his hand circled her waist, pulling her even more tightly against him, her small bustle happily pushing out behind her. One of his hands slowly skimmed up the side of her body until he gradually began to brush his fingers against the underside of her breast through the fabric of her gown.

  “Oh my,” she whispered on a breathless little gasp as her lips pulled back from his.

  Her eyes were dark and stormy, and the pulse at the base of her neck was racing. “Do you like that?”

  She seemed able only to nod. His hand skimmed across her breast and he began to circle her nipple with the pad of his thumb.

  Satisfaction filled him when she moaned and arched her entire breast fully into his hand. Her hands wound up behind his neck as she pulled his head down to her own.

  “Kiss me.” It was a demand and a plea wrapped into one.

  Seb wasted no time in giving the lady what she wanted. He drank in her sweet softness, marveling at how much he wanted her and how giving of herself she was to him. Seb hadn’t known exactly what to expect when he kissed her properly. Perhaps some sort of aloofness, but certainly not this warm and passionate woman who was kissing him with equal abandon.

  He knew they’d have to stop. Knew they’d most likely be arriving at Livie’s house any moment. But he also knew he’d never wanted another woman more than he wanted her.

  But she was a virgin. The thought was enough to stop him cold. And he could tell from her sweet abandonment and eager responses that she wasn’t accustomed to kissing. Her reactions were too genuine, too selfless, for her to be skilled in the art of using kisses to manipulate, as did most other women Seb had had liaisons with in the past.

  He’d never taken a virgin to bed before, which is why he knew he shouldn’t and couldn’t get involved with Livie, but somehow he also
knew he didn’t think he’d be able to stop himself.

  He wanted her to be his.

  Reluctantly, he pulled his mouth away from her and took in a deep breath. He was slightly unnerved to realize he was equally as affected by their kiss as she was. “I think we can say that that kiss was more than just passable, yes?”

  Livie’s eyes were slightly clouded in a haze of passion before she blinked, and a blush spread over her cheeks. “I’m not certain. You may have to demonstrate such a kiss again, so I can be sure.”

  A wry smile of amusement flickered on his face before he could stop it. “You are a saucy little piece of baggage. Definitely not what one would expect when looking at your demure appearance. But I’m glad you enjoyed it so much that you want me to kiss you again.”

  She shrugged. “The only other kiss I have to compare it with was a rather wet and sloppy one when I was eighteen. So, yes, it was certainly much improved on that.”

  “M-Much improved…” Seb spluttered.

  Was the chit teasing him? Sebastian could never remember being teased before. He didn’t know whether he liked it or not.

  The one thing she was accomplishing was distracting him for giving her a piece of his mind about her foolhardy escapade tonight. Time to rectify that. “Don’t think all this talk of kissing is going to deter me from giving you a good piece of my mind about your reckless actions this evening.”

  “Oh, good Lord, you sound just like my brothers. I thought you’d already given me a piece of your mind.” She sighed, long and drawn out. “And there is no need to lecture me on anything. I am very aware there were risks involved in what I did tonight. But, in my defense, how was I to know there were going to be people shooting at Alice’s maid and me? It was you who didn’t tell me I might be in danger. Though perhaps it is Lady Chilton who is the target. I shall have to warn her.”

  “If you do anything so foolhardy again, I will send word to your brothers about what you’re up to,” Seb growled. “Then they can deal with your shenanigans.”

  Livie gasped. “You wouldn’t dare! That is blackmail!”

  “It would appear you feel you’re well experienced in handling blackmail, my lady. So deal with my edict or face the consequences.” Seb was starting to get all frustrated thinking of the peril she’d placed herself in. “I won’t have you put yourself in danger again.”

  She crossed her arms in front of her chest, her spine upright, her chin jutted at just the right angle to give the appearance of supreme haughtiness. “Yes, I’m very aware you have no wish to risk your money if something were to happen to me.”

  Seb knew that the risk to his money had nothing to do with the fear he’d felt upon arriving at the cemetery and hearing the gunshots blasting through the air. Knowing she was in there, and not knowing if she was safe or not, had been harrowing. The situation had brought back long-buried memories of when his mother had been taken and he’d been too late to save her.

  He knew he was on the precipice of letting the anger, rage, and pure hopelessness he’d felt both from this evening and from years long ago, boil to the surface. He also knew allowing it to do so wouldn’t be fair to Livie, nor entirely deserved. “I’m upset because you put yourself at risk, and in my territory. If I’d known earlier, I could have protected you so you were never in danger.”

  Her eyes softened slightly, and she relaxed her rigid posture. “You must understand I did what I did because Alice was like a sister to me, and I’m determined to make whoever ruined her, pay. This is not some sort of lark for me. So, you can threaten to tell my brothers all you like, but that shall not stop me, for I will not rest until I discover the truth of what happened to my friend.”

  “Very well. However, I would have your word that you will tell me of any such situation in the future, and in person rather than in a note.”

  “Then don’t distract me with kisses,” she pertly replied.

  “Agreed. Now tell me again exactly what happened tonight. I feel we are missing something.”

  For the next few minutes Livie explained all that had transpired in her conversation with the maid. “So, you see,” she continued, “we need to find Mary and get Alice’s journal from her. The journal may be the key to obtaining proof of this man’s perfidy and using it to prosecute him. Do you know anything of Lord Daverell, as it does sound like he may be the scoundrel I am after?”

  “He’s ambitious, pretentious, and hides it all behind a smooth veneer of wealth, and when I say veneer, I do mean veneer. The man’s on the verge of bankruptcy, though he’s hidden it well.”

  “Is he?” There was keen speculation in her eyes.

  “I will have my men dig further, as he’s a regular patron at Club Tartus, so I daresay his closet will indeed be full of further skeletons.” Just then the carriage was reined to a halt as they had obviously reached the back of Olivia’s residence. “I’ll have my men find the maid, too.”

  “Thank you, Sebastian,” Livie said. “Oh, I nearly forgot. You said I was to meet your sister tomorrow before I take her to my godmother’s for an introduction on Monday.”

  “Yes. I’ll have my carriage brought around here to the back lane in the morning at nine to collect you. I’ll then meet you at Charlotte’s residence and introduce you to her. And until we work out if this threat is against you or Lady Chilton, I don’t want you going anywhere alone, unless my men are accompanying you. Is that acceptable to you?”

  Seb wasn’t used to asking people for their permission to do anything. But for some reason he didn’t want to be ordering and demanding Olivia about. She treasured the little independence she had, and he didn’t want to take that away from her.

  “Yes, that sounds fine.” A slow smile spread across her face and he felt his own smile growing in reply. “But you won’t be in the carriage, collecting me?”

  “No. I have business in the morning to attend to near Cheapside, so it will be easier to just meet you there.”

  She nodded. “Very well.”

  An odd, awkward silence then gripped the carriage as they waited for the door to be opened. When it swung wide, for a moment neither of them moved, their eyes locking with each other’s.

  “My lady?” Gregson’s voice interrupted the silence.

  And without further word, in a flurry of skirts and petticoats, Lady Olivia left the carriage, her cane in hand, as she made her way through the back gate to her town house. His eyes hungrily followed before the door to the carriage was closed and cut short his view.

  On the ride back to his own town house, the yawning emptiness of his life was suddenly acutely stretched out before him. His residence with over twenty bedrooms, crystal chandeliers, the best furniture money could buy, and countless servants to run it all, had once been his sanctuary and a place he’d been able to happily retreat to after a day of running his empire.

  But now the prospect of walking down the empty marble halls, and even emptier rooms, was depressing, making him realize just how alone he truly was. Especially since whenever he’d been in Livie’s company he’d felt alive and invigorated as he hadn’t in a long time. She was fast becoming a fixture in his thoughts and had been since he’d received her first letter about her business proposal all those weeks ago.

  Lady Olivia was a woman who was doing as none had been able to do before—she was getting under his skin. He had to do something to stop it. He just had no idea what, and a part of him feared it was already too late.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Livie finished scraping some butter on her toast, finally able to have a bite to eat for breakfast after having just finished accounting in detail to Etta what occurred the night before. Perhaps not in full detail; she hadn’t mentioned kissing Sebastian again.

  A kiss Livie had not been able to stop thinking about all night long.

  Even now, she felt like sighing as she remembered how it had felt to h
ave his lips devouring her own, their tongues intertwining in such an intimate dance. And as wanton as the thought was, she was already thinking of kissing him again.

  “Are you quite all right, Livie?” Etta asked, picking up her cup of tea and peering at her over the rim. “You’re looking a bit flushed. Perhaps you’re in shock from the night’s events.”

  “I’m perfectly fine.” And she would be as long as she could get her wayward thoughts of Sebastian and his kiss out of her head. “In any event, I’m hoping Sebastian’s men will be able to find Mary and retrieve Alice’s journal.”

  “Do you think Lord Daverell is the man responsible?”

  “I’m not certain,” Livie conceded. “He is the only lord recorded on Lady Chilton’s list. Did you find out anything about him last night?”

  “I couldn’t have missed it if I tried.” Etta frowned. “He announced his engagement last night at the ball. He is to marry Lady Claire Crawford, the Duke of Bremmley’s daughter.”

  “The Duke of Bremmley?” An interesting development, as the duke was a treasured friend and advisor to the prime minister. “It does seem like Lord Daverell has political ambitions.”

  “Yes, it would seem so.”

  Livie’s head was spinning. “An engagement to a duke’s daughter would have taken months to organize. If Daverell was the man who seduced Alice, he did so knowing perfectly well he had no intention of marrying her, as he would have already commenced negotiations with the Duke of Bremmley for his engagement to the man’s daughter.”

  “He would have,” Etta agreed, her eyes appearing troubled. “Poor Alice. Truly men can be absolute pigs at times. We must make him pay for ruining her and then callously discarding her like a used rag.”

  “I doubt the Duke of Bremmley knows of Daverell’s financial issues.” The man would never have agreed to the engagement if he had.