Page 27 of Hot and Bothered in July
He trapped her against the door. “What would you have me do?” he growled. “Walk up and claim you in front of everyone? This betrothal is notreal.”
“Then why are you so angry about Michael?” she challenged, likely using his given name in an intimate manner without the honorific as an intentional jab. “If you do not care?—”
“I never said I did not care,” he amended. “But I do not have that right to you.”
She lifted her chin. “It sounds as though you prefer it that way. Am I really just a means to an end for you?”
Reed clenched a fist and pressed it into the wood of the frame. “This was a mutual arrangement from the beginning. Do not act as though I have lied to you. From the day I called on your father, it was agreed that this was a temporary arrangement to salvage your reputation and yes, gain me additional revenue in return.”
Her focus was clear and steady. “If you think nothing has changed between us since then, you are not just trying to fool me, but yourself as well.”
Reed stilled. “You are right. Everything has changed,” he murmured. Moving closer to her, where nothing separated them but the clothes covering them, he added, “I want you writhing under me. I want to hear you crying my name when I pleasure you.”
He heard the catch in her breathing, saw her eyes darken with desire. “Then what are you waiting for?”
Chapter Eleven
Sariah knewshe was playing with fire, the kind that left lasting scars. And yet, she could not seem to keep her opinions to herself. She wanted to test him, to see how far he was willing to take this charade—and when he would finally admit that what they shared was more than temporary. If he offered himself to her in truth, she wouldn’t hesitate to accept his suit. She was confident that her parents, while possibly reticent at first, would soon warm to the match. It was obvious that her father respected his efforts by rising above his circumstances. While hard work might not be favored by much of society, preferring others to make their fortune, but it was something to be celebrated. Thankfully, more and more people were starting to realize that.
“Are you eager to be ruined, Sariah?”
Her gaze swept over his handsome face—her struggling Adonis. “Only by you.”
She saw a spark flare in his green gaze and then he lowered his head and captured her mouth with his. She moaned at the contact, eager for this reunion. Since the illicit tryst in the gazebo, she had thought of little else but the way he’d made herfeel. Her core began to throb now. “Touch me,” she commanded, drawing up her own skirts. “Make me yours, Reed.”
There was a guttural sound deep in his throat as he complied, his hand sliding beneath the layers and finding the spot where she ached the most. As he teased her, she rode his hand until she was soon splintering apart, a warm, languid sensation spreading throughout her limbs.
But it wasn’t enough.
“I want more,” she panted.
He gritted his teeth. “I will not tup you against the wall like some dockside whore.”
“Fine.” She swallowed down her disappointment. “If you do not feel the same, then walk away now.”
She could read the indecision on his face, could almost feel the conflict going on inside of him as he considered the ramifications of his actions, whatever he decided. When she read the moment he made his choice, she tried to pretend as though his rejection didn’t cut her to the quick.
“Very well,” he rasped. He reached for the door, but instead of ripping it open—he turned the lock. His emerald eyes flared as he looked down at her. “But I meant what I said. I will not take you now. Not here.”
Sariah’s stomach did an anticipatory flip. “Where?” she breathed. “When?”
“Tomorrow night. After the tournament.”
With that, he slid the lock back, opened the door, and left the room.
Sariah practically melted against the frame after his retreat. She didn’t know why he was making her wait, unless it was to heighten the experience. She wasn’t certain she could want him anymore than she already did, her body still burning for him even after he’d brought her to a climax.
She wondered if he intended to make sure she didn’t want to change her mind. She was certain that was not going to be the case, unless something drastic happened. She no longer had any doubt that fate had interceded at the Pond. It wasn’t a coincidence that he had been the one to rescue her, or that she had sought him out among the many that had been present that day. From the beginning he’d stood out with his quiet, seductive charm. She had been mortified by the circumstances that surrounded their initial meeting. It certainly hadn’t gone according to plan, the teasing flirtation that she’d envisioned had left her feeling inadequate and ashamed. She thought for sure she would never set eyes on him again, and at the time, she had prayed it were so.
Now, she couldn’t imagine being with anyone else. In the short time they had known each other, she had gained enough information about him to realize that not only did he have a true sense of honor, but he was also a gentleman. Both were traits that he had worked tirelessly at to earn, and although someone like Lord Michael had fought bravely for his country, his efforts paled in comparison to the struggles that Reed had overcome, simply because they had far different upbringings. When you were offered every advantage since the day you were born, it was not difficult to continue to rise, whereas Reed had been forced to push back against every expectation of a man of his class to gain the respect that came so easily to others.
Sariah walked over to a nearby mirror and checked her reflection to make sure she was presentable. Although her cheeks still had high color, she felt confident that no one would know of her illicit exploits in the library with Reed. And if they did suspect anything untoward, she didn’t really care. Just as Reed carried his arrogance, she was comfortable in the fact that he cared just as much for her and that tomorrow they would seal the deal that had been struck in the beginning.
With a smile on her face, she rejoined the assemblage.
Reed not only had trouble making it through dinner without running Lord Michael through with his butter knife, but he’d had to suffer the oppressive way the man continued to hover about Sariah the next morning when they all gathered on the back lawn to engage in a friendly competition. At least, as far as the archery games were concerned. However, if Reed didn’t know better, he would claim the man was attempting to woo her right beneath his nose.
He told himself that it didn’t matter what Lord Michael said to Sariah, because Reed was the one that she wanted. She had confessed that of her own volition. Because he wanted to show her how much her trust in him meant, he’d discovered a perfect spot for their evening rendezvous. There was an abandoned caretaker’s cottage on the property in the midst of an open meadow of wildflowers with a small stream trickling nearby. It was quaint and secluded, the ideal place for a lengthy seduction. He’d been quite pleased when he’d happened across it the day before during the hunt. Rising with the dawn and sneaking back out early that morning, he’d found it to still be inhabitable, as if the occupants had recently departed. There were still a few sparse furnishings left behind. There was no bed, but the cozy, makeshift conservatory with its plush window seat would provide everything he wanted.
