His arms reached for her, drawing her into his embrace. Mariah melted softly against him and he crushed her mouth in a starved kiss that left her breathless and struggling. Lifting her, he carried her into the alcove. Mariah’s mouth had formed a petulant pout. “A moment ago you were practically begging to be taken. What makes you such a mercurial creature?” He placed her on the bed, awaiting her answer, and began to strip his clothes off.
Mariah had been prepared to give in to her longing for him, knowing his desire would sweep her along, but his bruising kiss had made her feel cheap and easy. “You still haven’t learned how to be gentle. Apparently your lovers are used to being bruised. Jared, I’m not a whore, I’m your wife! If you kissed me tenderly, I wouldn’t be angry!”
Jared was now completely naked and sat next to her. He began to unfasten the back of her dress, keeping his eyes on her face. She looked wary, ready to bolt and he realized that with more coaxing she would respond as he remembered. Her willful nature always made him want to subdue her forcefully and, keeping her words in mind, he pulled her dress from her and began to lightly caress the silken skin. “I can be gentle, love, with a yielding woman. I’m not used to seeing you yield easily.” His mouth teased warm kisses across the swelling curves of her breasts. With a stifled moan she responded, relaxing beneath the adept movements of his hands. Jared smiled triumphantly as he lay beside her. Already, just noting the wanton abandonment on her features, he pulsed with desire to possess her. His body covered hers, intimately touching. She twisted restlessly, spreading her legs of her own volition, already prepared for his entry.
Afterward, as Mariah lay nestled against his chest, Jared pondered her reactions, finding her response changed; it was more a demanding, matured passion in an unashamed release. He rubbed his face against the soft black tresses, knowing that part of his restless energy the past months had been due to missing what they’d just shared. He’d left her a child-woman in San Francisco. Bitterly brooding, he wondered which of her lovers had transformed her into the wild tigress he’d just possessed.
Mariah relaxed, sated by the passionate encounter. Cuddled cozily in the shelter of Jared’s arms, she wondered what he was thinking. Her independence, a result of being left alone for so long, had changed her reactions, making her more aware of his long hard body and the satisfaction she could find in his embrace. For the first time, she’d been able to communicate her needs to him, unashamed of her feelings, and it had a wonderful effect, driving her wild with sensations of floating to fulfillment. Even now, she was embarrassed to find she had a craving for more of the same. She liked this new agreement, as long as Jared kept his promise. She was almost sorry she hadn’t proposed it before now.
“I'm taking you home with me now, Mariah. You can get your belongings tomorrow. I don’t intend to let you out of my sight for longer than necessary,” Jared said possessively and Mariah rose, leaning on an elbow, green eyes fixed on his.
“I can’t, Jared. I’ve got too much to get settled. I have to get rid of the house and pack, and I owe Ben an explanation. It’ll take me at least three days to get everything done. If we waited eighteen months, we can wait a little longer.”
Chiseled mouth narrowed to a thin, angry line, Jared snapped a reply. “I’d forgotten you had a lover to dispose of. We must be careful of Ben’s feelings!”
Mariah was suddenly just as angry. Pulling away from him, she swept the hair from her face as she tossed a retort. “Remember the terms of our agreement, Jared. It excludes keeping Del on the sly as your mistress! Three days will give you a chance to cancel the lease on the Morton Street house.” Mariah rejoiced at his stunned expression.
Following a long, pregnant silence, Jared said, “I didn’t credit you for that much self-control. How’d you find out?” The Mariah he remembered would have given it away in a moment, just by the expression on her face.
“I have my sources, darling. And I’ll know if you refuse to part with her.” She smiled, sensing victory. “If you want to forget about me and keep Del instead…the decision is yours to make, but I’d like your answer now.”
Jared resented being forced into a corner. Del had been a secret he’d intended to keep, his ace in the hole to fall back on if Mariah became unmanageable, but her knowledge made that an impossibility now. With a conciliatory grin, Jared gave in to her request. “It seems we both have some unfinished business,” he admitted.
Mariah smiled happily at the concession. “Thank you for being so cooperative, Jared. Now, if you’ll move aside, I’ll get dressed. I have to get back to the club.” She waited for him to move and instead found him drawing her against his chest.
“We just finished an appetizer, sweet; the first installment of our bargain. Del is a very passionate mistress. You’ll have to convince me over and over again you’re worth giving her up.” The tight band of his arms allowed her no choice. And, after a moment’s pause, she accepted the challenge. Long, slender arms curled around his neck as Mariah allowed herself to be swept once more toward pleasurable indulgence.
Dropping her at the entrance to the Angel, Jared issued a last warning. Holding her chin tightly he ordered, "three days, Mariah, not a moment longer, or I'll drag you home by your hair.” Her eyes rebelliously widened and she was tempted to strike his hand away but caution restrained the impulse. She watched as the carriage drove off, frowning at his forceful coercion.
Inside the club, the last of the patrons were wearily leaving. She smiled, brushing aside their attempts to persuade her to join them and sought Ben in the office, finding him counting the night’s receipts, she sighed heavily before she began to tell him of her decision. "Ben, I won’t be working at the club any longer. Jared and I have agreed on a reconciliation.” His face reflected shock as he slowly stopped counting money. “I think you’ll find a replacement in Del, though, she’ll be needing a job, once Jared talks to her.”
Ben bounded up and came around the desk, roughly grabbing hold of her arm. “Are you crazy? Have you forgotten what he did to you, how he left you? Damn it, I knew this would happen! I don’t care about the job, it’s you I want. Why do you think I arranged for Jared to leave San Francisco, thinking you’d decided to stay with me?” His eyes blazed with anger. Loosening his grip on her arm, he went to the door and locked it, carefully placing the key in his pocket. “You’ve made a tool out of me, teasing and flaunting yourself, only to decide you want more of that bastard. Well, I won’t let you go! I’ve earned the right to have you—you and that brat of yours would have perished without me!” he stalked closer as he raged on, his maddened eyes focused on hers.
Stunned by his accusations, frightened by his actions, Mariah backed away until the desk stopped her flight. “Ben, you’re crazy! How dare you come between Jared and me? To think that I trusted you! To think that I believed Jared had deserted me!”
Ben’s features were twisted by a fanatic possession as his hands reached to untie his stock and unbutton his vest. He pulled her into his arms, strengthened by an obsessive desire for her. Desperately, Mariah clawed at his face, noting the fury her action brought to his eyes and, too late, saw his hand blur toward her, sending her sprawling to the floor. She lay sobbing, unable to believe her helpless position and aware that there was no one in the club to help her, even if she screamed. She struggled to her feet, as he took his shirt off. As he reached to unfasten his pants, panic made her search for some kind of weapon. There seemed to be nothing, but as she backed against the desk, her hand fumbled across a letter opener, its sharp edge slicing her fingers. Grasping it, she brought it forward, holding the instrument high over her shoulder. “Ben, I swear, if you touch me, I’ll use it!”
McCabe measured the distance, confident he could overpower the frail girl. “You wouldn’t be able to, Mariah.” He inched forward and his hand shot up to grab her wrist. He twisted his grip as he saw her other hand reinforce her hold and, unbelievably, the dagger descended toward him. It wavered as he put his other hand out to
grab her throat, squeezing until, as she fought for breath, her grip loosened and the letter opener clattered to the floor. His hand still clutched her throat and she struggled, both hands pulling in a desperate attempt to free herself. He refused to let go and she began to crumple into a faint, finally collapsing on the floor.
Seeing her helplessness, he meant to take advantage of it. He quickly carried her from the office through the connecting door to his bedroom. Using an old shirt torn into strips, he bound her wrists to each bedpost. Slowly, almost leisurely, he finished undressing and when he was naked, used a knife to slit her dress up the front. When her soft white flesh was fully exposed to his greedy stare, he began to caress her skin. She slowly regained consciousness, moving her head restlessly from side to side. Finally her eyes fluttered open, horror widening them at the sight of his intent!
Dear God, this was unbelievable! If only she’d listened to Jared tonight and stayed with him! Ben’s eyes were wild, lacking the respectful admiration they’d always held. His fingers sought her breasts, massaging them and as his mouth dropped to engulf an exposed nipple, his free hand slipped between her legs, pushing them apart to roughly fondle her. Sick with revulsion, she closed her eyes, fully aware she was helpless to stop his violation.
Suddenly Ben paused, raised his head to listen to the sound of shouts from the first floor, and he moved to the bureau, pulled a small derringer from the top drawer. The sound of heavy footsteps approached the bedroom door from the direction of the office. Mariah recognized Jared’s voice calling her name. She struggled madly at the bonds that held her, trying to scream beyond the gag but only managing a frustrated whimper. She could only wait helplessly and watch as the door was kicked open. Ben fired as she lost consciousness; her last forlorn thought was that Jared had died because of her.
Chapter 30
Mariah was only vaguely aware of movement around her, shadows that moved about and then receded. Her eyelids fluttered open to find a strange man seated near the bed in which she lay. Attempting to sit, she fell weakly back and the man quickly rose to touch her arm.
“Don’t try too much yet. Lady Carleigh. You had an exhausting experience but you’ll be fine. I’m Dr. Simmons, Lord Maubrey’s personal physician.” Noticing the puzzled green eyes sweep the room, he explained, “You’re in your husband’s bedroom.”
Mariah’s features contracted with remembered pain at the mention of her husband. “Jared…Jared is dead.” The terror of seeing Jared shot returned to haunt her and she began to sob.
“Please, Lady Mariah, your husband is fine! In fact, he’s been waiting outside to see you. I’ll have him come in and he can explain just what happened.”
Mariah stared after the retreating figure, unable to believe Jared was alive. She’d seen the smoke from the gun and heard its loud, sharp report.
Mariah closed her eyes weakly, unable to accept the doctor’s statement. When she opened them again, Jared stood there and the worried lines eased from his face when he saw she recognized him. “You had me worried for a while, love. The doctor had to keep you sedated.”
Mariah flew into his arms, strengthened by her joy at seeing him alive and well. Jared held her tightly for a moment, then gently laid her back and drew the covers up. There was just enough room to sit near her and since she clung to his hand, unwilling to let go of it, he had no choice but to sit on the bed.
“Jared, what happened after I fainted? I was sure you’d be killed! I was never so scared in all my life.” His hand softly stroked her face and his face hardened as he saw the marks on her throat, the dark blue bruises left by McCabe’s mad attack. He still shuddered at the thought of her fate if he hadn’t returned. “I was halfway home, when I decided to come back and get you, whether you kicked up a fuss or not. The more I thought about you telling McCabe you’d be leaving, the more worried I got. I knew him a lot longer than you. He was never one to give up something he wanted without being difficult. When I called out and no one answered, I remembered Ben’s office was upstairs. I saw the money lying there and I knew something was wrong. Ben was always tight as a Scotsman!”
Mariah listened with rapt attention, her eyes never leaving his face. Carefully studying his every feature, she suddenly realized how painful his death would have been. She truly loved him despite everything that had happened to tear them apart.
“Luckily, his gun misfired. I wrestled with him. In the fight, it fired again, and he was killed by the blast. I was a fool to let you out of my sight. It won’t happen again, Mariah.”
Suddenly Mariah blushed, a deep rose suffusing her cheeks. “Jared, how did I get here? My dress was ruined!”
Just like a woman! Danger all around and she was worried about who might have seen her naked! Laughing, he hugged her close. “Even in the confusion, I modestly covered you with your cape, sweetheart. No one saw your unclad beauty but me!” The blush faded away at the reassurance. “Dr. Simmons kept you sedated for two days. It gave me time to explain exactly what took place to the authorities.”
He tenderly brushed a stray curl from her forehead and she reached up to capture his hand between her fingers, clinging to it with amazing strength. “I don’t think you’re aware of how much Ben loved you. The police searched his office and came up with a will, naming you as his sole heir. He was worth considerably more than he let on.”
Sadness deepened the tired lines beneath Mariah’s eyes. “Loved me!” she exclaimed. “I suppose you could call it that. I don’t know just how he did it, but he told me during those awful minutes that he had made you believe I wanted you to leave me in San Francisco.”
“Oh, my darling,” Jared cried, “then you didn’t send me away. That message was his doing…
Mariah suddenly remembered her daughter, left in Natalie’s care. “Jared, what about Jenny! I’d completely forgotten about her.”
“Don’t worry, that was the first thing I did after I settled with the police. Jenny is happily ensconced in her own nursery, three doors down from you, and Natalie is with her.” A roguish smile crossed his face. “The doctor warned me to visit for only a short time. You’d better rest or you’ll get me in trouble!” He bent his head to press a soft kiss on her mouth, but Mariah’s arms clung to him and she insisted he stay.
“I don’t care what the doctor says, Jared. Now that I know you’re safe, I’ll get well. Stay a while longer please.” She said it so prettily, with such a soft plea to her voice that Jared had no will to resist. He continued to hold her hand in his while he talked about their future, finally, when he had no reply to a question, he glanced at her face and saw she’d fallen asleep, a gentle, relaxed smile on her lips. He touched her forehead tenderly in a kiss and left her to rest.
Chapter 31
Following the short period of her recovery, Mariah, Lady Carleigh, found herself swept into a whirl of social activities that left her almost dizzy. There had been Jared’s family to meet, his father, his younger brother, Drew, and various great aunts and uncles. Tony came to call, as courteous as ever, assuring her she was an appealing addition to the Bryant family. Laughing, he winked at Jared as he told her, “It’s time this house sparkled with beauty. The Bryants have been dismal bachelors, lost too long in loneliness. And…” he added, tongue-in-cheek, “I seriously hope you plan to stay, Jared needs someone to keep him in line.”
Comfortably enthroned as the center of attraction, Mariah had delighted in the kind attentions of those people she met, particularly Tony’s younger sister, Beth. They had immediately taken to each other and she spent many pleasurable afternoons in her new friend’s company. Beth had taken her in hand, seeing that she was introduced to society and included in the cream of London’s social gatherings. It helped to pass the time when Jared was occupied in training sessions with his Lancer regiment.
Only one person Mariah had met had given her a moment’s worry. At an afternoon party, given by Stuart soon after her recovery to introduce her to family friends and acquaintances, Jared had b
rought his brother, Drew, to meet her. Only slightly taller than she, he had bowed politely over her hand, complimenting Jared warmly on his good taste in women. “I only hope I find someone as lovely for my bride.” He bore no resemblance to Jared, except for his hair.
Mariah had studied the distantly polite expression and decided that two more distinctly, different personalities could not be found than Drew and Jared Bryant. With a flash of feminine intuition, she was uneasily aware that beneath his calm, dandified exterior, he seemed broodingly bored with the company. Observing him closely the entire afternoon, she realized that when he felt he wasn’t being watched, his dark eyes revealed an open hostility toward his father and Jared. It had frightened her enough to mention it to Jared the following day.
Now, playing in the garden with her daughter, she remembered how he had scorned her concern. “You’re imagining things, Mariah! He’s never been anything but polite and courteous.” He’d frowned at the warning and his expression clearly rebuked her suggestion. Since that time she had shoved the idea to the back of her mind, unwilling to spoil her contentment with a groundless argument.
“What a pretty picture you make, sister!” Drew’s voice interrupted her musing and glancing up she found him standing before her, unconsciously posing. This was another thing she found distasteful. Jared had always worn his clothes with a quiet elegance that enhanced his lean virility while Drew always appeared to strut like a peacock, checking his appearance vainly in every mirror he passed.
“How surprising to find you home, Drew. I wasn’t aware that you had a vacation coming up.”
“Actually, I didn’t, Mariah. I’ve come home to tell Father I’m leaving Oxford. It’s become such a bore. With such a beautiful sister-in-law in residence, I’d rather spend my time in London.” He looked down distastefully as Jenny tugged at the perfect crease of his trousers.
Mariah reached for her daughter, raising her up and handing the child to her nanny. When the two had departed for the nursery, Mariah stood up to enter the house. “If that is truly your reason, your father might be rather put out with me. My presence is hardly a cause for ending your studies.” Drew’s hand shot out to stay her leaving.
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