“Then that was the point.” Devil accentuated his point with a wave of his glass. “All of this is about having fun.”
“It’s about making money.” Jacqueline wasn’t so naive as to believe her husband had created Purgatory out of a noble desire to provide the wicked with a place to indulge their desires.
“The two are not mutually exclusive.” Devil turned, leaning a hip against the bar. His wife sat perched on a stool beside him. Her face was still flushed, and her skin glowed in the warmth of the room. Unbidden, his hand came up and tucked a loose tendril of hair behind her ear, tracing the delicate shell with his thumb.
Jacqueline shivered, her pulse jumping at the touch.
Devil, his eyes on his hand, traced the delicate column of his wife’s throat, slipping his fingers around the nape of her neck and cupping her head. Her skin was soft, and the hair here downy soft. “I’m going to kiss you,” he informed her, his voice husky.
Jacqueline’s eyes went wide, but she nodded, her gaze dropping to her husband’s mouth as anticipation flared to life.
Devil bent his head and captured his wife’s mouth. Her lips parted, and he swept inside, tasting her fully for the first time. She tasted of champagne and something sweeter, the flavor rolling across his tongue.
Jacqueline’s body yielded under the force of Devil’s kiss. Grasping at his coat, her fingers crushed the superfine fabric as she surrendered to him. He led her in a dance of lips and tongues, the two of them drinking from each other as the world fell away.
Devil had had his share of women—expensive, beautiful women that spread themselves out for his pleasure. Each of them had been well versed in the art of lovemaking, artfully bringing him to a crashing climax that left him covered in sweat.
Yet none of them affected him the way his softly yielding wife did.
Her kiss was about passion, and pleasure. The way she slid into his mouth, her desire to explore adding an intoxicating flavor to their kiss.
Devil shifted, an unfamiliar need to get closer had him pulling Jacqueline to the edge of her seat and stepping between her knees. Heavy skirts kept him from feeling her heat, even as he thickened and hardened in his trousers.
Jacqueline gasped. Devil was pressed up hard against her, his body a solid wall of mass and muscles. She could feel him straining, his body working to get closer.
Devil’s mind worked furiously. He could take her to his office and would love to see her spread out before the hearth, or there was the Petal & Thorn. Lady Jade was sure to have a room available.
The thought of taking his wife for the first time in a brothel was the dose of cold water Devil needed to douse his raging desire. Gentling his kiss, Devil savored one last taste of his wife’s lips and lifted his head.
Jacqueline opened her eyes as the room came roaring back in, and stared up into her husband’s heated gaze. She was still bent back in his arms, chest heaving. Each breath brushed her breasts against the front of his dress shirt. Slowly, she unwrapped her fingers and smoothed the wrinkled fabric of his coat.
“Let’s go home,” Devil murmured, his voice rough with desire.
Jacqueline nodded, equal parts anxiety and anticipation tightening her throat.
Devil grabbed his wife’s hand and, turning, ran straight into Finn.
“Just the man I was looking for.”
Finn’s smile suggested he’d witnessed the heated exchange between Devil and his wife.
“Not now,” Devil growled, and made to step past.
Finn blocked Devil’s path, at considerable risk to his person. “Yes, now.”
Devil searched his man’s face.
“We’ve got trouble.”
“Can’t you take care of it?”
Finn blinked. This was a first. “Sorry, boss.”
Devil heaved a sigh, and his wife pressed enticingly close behind him. There was a moment, just one—that he would never admit to anyone else—when he considered ignoring Finn and leaving with his wife.
“Meet me in my office.”
Finn nodded, tipping his head to Jacqueline before slipping around the end of the bar.
Devil prayed for patience. Lots and lots of patience.
“Something has come up?” Jacqueline asked her husband’s back. His shoulders had tensed, and his grip on her fingers tightened.
“Apparently.” Devil turned to his wife, his eyes still hot. “I may be a while.”
“I can wait.” Jacqueline slid back onto her stool. Her heartbeat was slow to return to normal, the power of her husband’s kiss lingering long after he lifted his lips.
Devil nodded, reluctant to leave. “Are you sure you’ll be OK out here?” He didn’t want to invite her back into his office, not until he knew what the problem was. “I can have someone take you home if you’d rather.”
Jacqueline shook her head. “I like it here.” Purgatory had an unfettered air, something similar to the feeling she’d had at the masked ball she’d attended last year, only with a decidedly edgier feel.
Devil nodded, signaling to John. “Get my wife anything she wants.”
“Of course, sir.” John smiled at Jacqueline.
Devil took his wife’s hands, drawing her fingers to his mouth. “I will see you shortly, and we can pick up where we left off.”
Jacqueline’s breath hitched at the warm press of lips against the back of her fingers. Devil’s mouth lingered, and his eyes rolled up to watch her face. His gaze was hot with a promise of something more to come.
Jacqueline watched Devil slip around the bar and disappear into his office. A moment later, she caught sight of Moose heading in the same direction. He caught her watching and waved.
“Can I get you another glass of champagne?”
“Hm?” Belatedly, Jacqueline realized John had asked her a question.
“Another glass of champagne?”
“I think the lady could use something a bit stronger.”
Jacqueline’s gaze snapped to the stranger sitting on the stool beside her. Previously blocked by her husband, she hadn’t seen him sitting there. “I beg your pardon. Do I know you, sir?”
“No, but I know you, Lady Edwards.”
Jacqueline flushed, her cheeks growing hot. “I prefer Mrs. Jacqueline Radcliffe. And you are?”
“Eddington. Marcus Eddington.”
CHAPTER TEN
“This had better be important.” Devil strode into his office and closed the door behind him. Finn stood waiting, warming his arse in front of the fire.
“I wouldn’t have interrupted otherwise.” Despite the seriousness of the matter, Finn couldn’t keep the smirk from his face. “You and the new Mrs. seem to be getting to know each other rather well.”
Devil glared.
“Hey boss.” Moose stuck his head in. “You wanted to see me?”
After leaving Jacqueline, Devil had grabbed a steward, sending for Moose and ensuring his wife would be watched over.
“Come in and close the door.”
Moose ambled in, taking a seat on the couch. “I saw Lady J; she seemed to be having a good time.”
Devil searched the big man’s face, but Moose lacked Finn’s signature sarcasm, and there wasn’t anything to suggest he was referring to the kiss Devil had shared with his wife. “I think she likes Purgatory.”
“I think she likes you,” Finn said, rocking forward on the balls of his feet.
Devil ignored him, dropping down into the chair behind his desk. “Where’s the trouble?”
“One of the whorehouses caught fire.”
Devil swore. There wasn’t much he feared—but fire? A blaze could take out the whole of Devil’s Acre before burning itself out. “Which one?”
“The Rose.”
Finn had to look away. The Rose was the first brothel Devil bought; it was also the one his mother had worked and where the man himself had been born.
“How—” Devil stopped and cleared his throat to try again. “How bad?”
“
Bad. Several of the girls are missing, and it looks like only a few of the customers made it out.”
“Do we know how it started?”
Finn shook his head. They may never know.
Devil hadn’t been back in years, not since his mother died. The Rose wasn’t exclusive, but it was clean and the whores free from disease. He’d spent the first eight years of his life there, coming to understand exactly what his mother did early on.
She never apologized for her life, or his. She once told him that she had all the power because she had the thing most men wanted. And she always made them pay.
“Where’s Jade?” Devil’s voice was thick. Jade didn’t just oversee the Petal & Thorn. She managed all the whores in Devil’s Acre, including a few that preferred working the streets.
“She’s there now.”
Devil nodded. Jade would have known the girls, and any regulars they may have had. She would be the best one to assess the damage, and she knew to report back.
“There’s more.” Finn slid his hands into his pockets, watching as Devil’s face darkened. “Our shipment from Barber was hit.”
Devil absorbed the hit silently. Once a month, he took possession of a shipment of goods brought in through Kent. The brandy went to Purgatory, but the lace and other goods were to be sold to the merchants who, in turn, sold them to the residents of Devil’s Acre. The cost of doing business with the smugglers was considerably cheaper than the cost of doing business with the Crown, if no less risky.
Finn resisted the urge to shiver. Devil’s eyes had gone hard, emerald chips of ice pinning him in place. “Tom and Jimmy went to pick up the packet, but Barber’s man was dead and everything destroyed.”
“They didn’t take anything?”
Finn shook his head. The barrels had been busted open and the brandy left to spill onto the ground. Fire had done the rest.
Thieves Devil could understand; the contraband was worth a considerable sum. An enterprising man could pick up the packet at the cost of one man’s life and earn himself some coin selling it direct to the customers.
But destruction made no sense.
“Has there been word from Barber?”
“No.”
“There will be.” Devil sighed. That wasn’t a visit he was looking forward to. Barber would want to know what happened when his man didn’t return with payment.
Devil sat back, crossing his legs at the ankles and lacing his fingers behind his head. He stared up at the ceiling, grateful once again that he’d rejected the artist’s suggestion to paint it with the image of Aphrodite.
This wasn’t a coincidence. One, maybe two things going wrong was a coincidence. Three was sabotage.
“Any chance the fire was set?”
Finn jerked, and the look on his face told Devil he’d never considered the possibility. “Aye, I suppose, but…”
“First Tom and Jimmy, then the fire at the Rose and now this. Somebody is out to destroy me.” And everything Devil had worked years to build.
“Who?” Finn asked, incredulous.
“It could be anyone.” Devil had made a number of enemies fighting his way up off the streets. Most of them were dead, but there were a few still out there who would love to see him fall.
“Anyone in particular you’ve pissed off lately?”
“Not counting you?”
Finn grinned. “Aye, but that’s business as usual.”
Devil scrubbed at his face. Glancing at the clock on the mantle, he realized the hour had grown late, and his wife was waiting. “Spread the word. I want to know if someone out there is coming after me. In the meantime, how many other brothels do we have in Devil’s Acre?” The Petal & Thorn was Devil’s flagship brothel, catering to a very exclusive clientele. But there were other, more affordable brothels, and Lady Jade managed them all.
“Six, not counting the Rose.”
Not counting the Rose. Should he rebuild? Or lay the past to rest among the building’s ashes? “Double the protection on each.”
“You think whoever this is, he might try going after the others?” Finn glanced at the door leading to Purgatory. Annie was busy working next door at the Petal & Thorn. It might be worth taking the five minutes to go and check on her.
“I don’t want to take any chances,” Devil said, but it was just a precaution. He didn’t think his enemy’s choice was by chance. The man had chosen well, hitting Devil on a personal as well as a professional level when he destroyed the Rose.
“Should we move ‘em?”
“No, I plan on finding this bastard and taking care of him long before that becomes necessary.”
“Eddington, Marcus Eddington.”
Jacqueline offered Marcus her hand. “The Earl of Chester.”
Marcus smiled. “I see you’ve heard of me, my lady.”
Who hadn’t? Lord Eddington was known for high-stakes gaming and a preference for married women.
“As I said, I prefer Mrs. Jacqueline Radcliffe,” Jacqueline said, tentatively slipping her fingers in Lord Eddington’s hand. His grip was surprisingly firm and dry, a no-nonsense handshake that didn’t match his reputation.
“Eschewing your father’s name and your mother’s title? I like that!” Marcus’ smile was mischievous, his eyes bright as he signaled to the barkeep. “Whiskey, for me and the lady.”
Jacqueline watched John pour them each a generous measure of the strong liquor.
“Leave the bottle,” Marcus ordered. Lifting his glass, he toasted his new drinking companion. “To the bride of Devil’s Acre!”
Jacqueline blinked, sipping slowly as Lord Eddington tossed back his drink. The bride of Devil’s Acre. It had a certain ring to it, and she had to admit, she kind of liked it.
“What brings you here, Lord Eddington?”
“Please, if you’re going to give up all ties to the illustrious haut ton, allow me to do the same.” Marcus poured himself another drink, eyeing the rim carefully so as not to spill. This wasn’t his first drink of the evening. It wasn’t even his first bottle. “If we’re going to be friends, then you must call me Marcus.”
“Are we going to be friends?” Jacqueline asked, shaking her head as Marcus offered to refill her glass.
“I surely hope so.” Marcus examined the bottom of his glass, swirling the amber liquor gently before tossing it back. “I don’t know about you, but I could certainly use a friend right now.”
Jacqueline stared down the bar at Marcus. Belatedly, she realized his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Definitely not,” Marcus snorted. “I find my own problems to be rather dull topics of conversation. I’d rather talk about you. How did you come to be the devil’s bride?”
“If you know who I am, then you know exactly how that happened.” Jacqueline took another sip, the whiskey burning a not unpleasant trail of fire down her throat. The heat settled into the pit of her stomach, spreading out to her limbs slowly. Another sip, and her fingertips started to tingle.
“Yes, I suppose I do.”
The two considered each other, neither one willing to discuss the events that had brought them to Purgatory.
“Then shall we agree that our friendship going forward should be based on future endeavors?” Jacqueline felt the liquor start to loosen her joints, mixing with the charged air of the club to make an intoxicating concoction that was more potent than the parts.
“Such as?” Marcus liked Jacqueline Radcliffe. Yes, he did. It was just too bad she was married to Devil. If there was one man Marcus was unwilling to cuckold, it was the devil himself.
“We are in Purgatory,” Jacqueline said, lifting her hands to take in their surroundings. “It seems a shame not to sin.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Where’s my wife?”
John wiped down the bar, nodding his head toward the gaming tables. “She’s been at it for a while.”
Devil turned in time to watch his wife collect her latest winnings,
the movement lifting her out of her seat and offering him an enticing glimpse of her backside. He recalled their earlier kiss, and his promise to pick up where they left off.
It was time to make good on his word.
The hair on the back of Jacqueline’s neck prickled. Glancing over her shoulder, she caught sight of her husband. Devil stalked across the room, his long legs eating up the distance as he came for her.
And he was coming for her.
The heat in those green eyes told her as much, never leaving her face. A shiver of excitement raced up Jacqueline’s spine. Banked anticipation flared to life, and her breath hitched.
“Place your bets,” the dealer called.
Jacqueline barely heard him.
“Lady J?”
Jacqueline tore her gaze away from her husband. The dealer was waiting, one brow raised in polite inquiry. The rest of the table waited as well, Marcus sprawled in the chair beside her, a glass of brandy at his elbow.
“I’m sorry, gentlemen. You’ll have to continue without me,” Jacqueline said, scooping up her winnings and standing. She could feel her husband getting closer, the power of him rolling across the room in a wave that threatened to crash down on her and sweep her under.
“Leaving so soon?” Marcus asked. Mrs. Jacqueline Radcliffe had turned out to be a delightful surprise. A bit of a light drinker, perhaps, but next to Marcus most people were. “I thought we had some sinning to do.”
“Another time.”
“What’s your rush?” Marcus’ smile suggested he’d seen Jacqueline’s husband and knew the reason for her hasty departure.
“Are you ready?” Devil stepped up to the table. A nod from him, and the steward he’d assigned to watch his wife moved away discreetly.
“Well, if it isn’t the devil himself,” Marcus drawled. He liked Devil, respected the man and all he’d accomplished. The marriage to the former Lady Edwards was a bit of a surprise. Marcus would have bet money the man wasn’t the marrying kind.
“Eddington.”
“You two know each other?” Jacqueline’s eyes darted back and forth between Marcus and her husband. She detected a bit of tension, and Devil’s stance bordered on aggressive.
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