Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Daniel paced the room as he tried to come up with a plan of attack. That was if a plan of attack was even needed! For all he knew, this was all nothing more than a coincidence, and those two men… no, they were following her. I know that they were.
“And you are sure you have never seen them before?” he asked Lady Alison for what must have been the tenth time since they arrived back at the estate.
“As I said already, no.”
“And you have no idea why they might be following you?”
“Why would I?”
“Or why they might have been outside your home,” he pressed as he continued to pace. He was becoming irate. The heat from the fire was making his head spin. And he hated feeling so utterly useless.
“I suspect they were planning on robbing it. At least that was how it sounded.”
“But why your home?” He turned on Lady Alison, and his face dropped.
She was sitting on the couch in front of the fire. Pickle was asleep on her lap, and she stroked its back gently as if she did not have a care in the world. Here he was, slowly unravelling, and she looked as if she was winding down after a long day and preparing for bed.
“How can you be so calm?” he snapped.
She blinked. “Am I?”
“You certainly look it.”
“Huh…” She shrugged. “I suppose I do not see the point in worrying. Whoever they are, they are not going to do anything while I am with you. And perhaps seeing me today, with you by my side, was enough to scare them away for good.”
“Maybe…”
Daniel wanted to believe such things, but it felt too good to be true.
He had not believed Lady Alison when she came to him the previous evening. Left alone as she was, coming to terms with being forgotten, the storm raging, her home empty, the logical conclusion for her accusations was her imagination running wild.
Now, he had no choice but to admit that she had been telling the truth all along. As to what all of this might mean… he wished that he knew.
“You will remain here this evening,” he said as he started to pace again. “And I do not want to hear your arguments,” he then added quickly.
“I was not planning on it.”
“I was hopeful that your parents would return by the day’s end,” he continued. “Likely, tomorrow will see them arrive. At which point, Lord Pemberton might have an insight to who these men are.”
“You think they have something to do with Lord Pemberton?”
“Possibly…” He bit into his lip. “They thought your home to be empty, found that it was not, and were very likely following you today to confirm the fact. Hopefully, seeing you was enough to deter them.”
“I am sure it will be.”
Daniel spun back on Lady Alison and was caught completely off guard by how submissively she was behaving. Until now, every word spoken by her lips seemed designed to instigate and annoy, and he had thought that he was going to have to fight her to stay another night.
But there she sat, perfectly placid, even pleased looking.
Yes… there was a smile behind her eyes, a sense of triumph as if this was all part of some plan. Daniel grimaced when he saw it, knowing already the reason.
And he very nearly said nothing… but that was never his way.
“What?” he demanded of her.
“What do you mean?”
“That look. By rights, you should be the one pacing back and forth as if your tail is on fire. Rather, you wear a smirk, and I hesitate to ask the reason.”
“Oh, do I…” Her small smile grew. “Perhaps I am just relieved, is all. I cannot help but remember just last evening when you all but called me insane for even suggesting that there were men outside my home. The implication being that I was a scared little girl looking for attention.”
“I never said that.”
“But you meant it,” she shot back. “So, now, I wonder….” She flashed her eyes. “When is the apology coming?”
“Apology? What apology?”
“From you,” she said simply. “An apology for calling me a liar…” She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Any time now, would be nice.”
“You cannot be serious.”
“I am deadly serious.”
“You are…” Daniel groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “You have just been told that two men are stalking you and all you can think about is beating me.”
“It is not about beating you.”
“Of course it is,” he snapped. “That is what it always is. Your never-ending crusade to be proven right. A child has more humility than you.”
The smirk left her lips, and she narrowed her eyes. “And a mule is less stubborn than you are. Is it really so hard to say sorry?”
“Is it really so hard to admit that now is not the time for such games?”
She kept her eyes narrowed on him, and Daniel did the same to her.
I should have known that today was too good to be true. A flash in the pan, is what it was, and not at all what I should expect from one as obstinate as Lady Alison.
Dammit, he had enjoyed himself today too. More than he thought was possible. For once, he and Lady Alison were able to stop bickering and fighting, forgetting their tendency toward the adversarial and simply relishing one another’s company.
It had been so unlike Daniel to do so. He could not remember the last time he had such fun. When he hadn’t had to concern himself with appearances or duty, when he had been able to relax and be free for a damn change. And all because of Lady Alison.
Only now… back to how things should be, I suppose.
“I will not apologize,” he said and looked away. “If anything, you should be thanking me.”
“What!” She was up from the couch, placing down her dog, before striding to meet him. “And why on earth should I –”
“Because I took you in!” he snapped, spinning back to find her before him. He started, nearly took a step away but forced himself to stand tall because he refused to back down. “Even when I thought you were lying.”
“Which I was not.”
“Which I did not know until now.”
“Which is why I want an apology.”
“Which is why you will not get one.” He glared at her, begging that she stand down.
He needed her too. He needed her to relent, to walk away, to not put him in a position that both knew to be dangerous.
“What is done is done,” he spoke carefully, holding her in his glare.
“Let us be glad that you are safe and leave it at that.”
“Easy for you to say,” she shot back. Her hands were on her hips, and she was still glaring right at him. “Seeing as you won.”
“This is not about who has won.”
“Then apologize.”
“Never,” he snarled.
Perhaps he should have apologized? Poured water on the flames and given her the victory she so desperately sought. It would have done much to cool tempers and stifle the tension building between them. It would have been the smart move.
But Daniel was past making smart decisions. If I made smart decisions, I wouldn’t have kissed her last night. Is that why she is at me? Does she want another…
His chest tightened and his pulse quickened as he considered.
Quickly, his eyes flicked to her plump lips.
The taste of her returned to his tongue as if it was just seconds ago when they last kissed.
He could feel the temptation building inside him.
He could feel the desire creeping slowly until it consumed him.
Daniel had not meant to kiss Lady Alison last evening.
Frustratingly, he had not been able to help it.
He couldn’t stop thinking about her. Even before the kiss.
How she badgered him. How she tested his limits.
He was so used to always getting his way, never being told no, feared by many because of his status as an Earl.
To be denied and fought against by someone like Lady Alison was a tonic he did not know he needed until it touched his lips.
She was stubborn. She was tempestuous. She was in need of authority and discipline. She craved it like oxygen. And each time she poked him… it was as if she was begging for him to give it to her.
“Perhaps I should return home,” she said as she stepped into him. “Take my chances.”
“Do you really expect that to work?”
“Did you not announce yourself as my protector?” she shot back. “Willing to do anything you must to keep me safe.”
“Even I have my limits.”
“Fine.” She widened her eyes at him a final time. “Then I will be going.” She went to step around him.
He blocked her and a hand went to her waist. “I can force you to stay.”
“You can’t force me to do anything.”
“Is that a challenge?”
“A matter of fact.”
They stared one another down. The heat between them built. His eyes flicked to her lips again. She licked them as if to tempt him. His hand on her waist tightened and he felt her gasp. The silence built… the tension gathered… and Daniel knew that he had one of two options.
To let her go, and to hell with the danger.
Or the second option…
Unable to stop himself, self-control fleeing as desire took hold, he pulled her into him and kissed Lady Alison’s mouth. And, as he expected, she did not try to stop him.
They kissed in a blaze of fury. His other hand took her waist and squeezed.
Their bodies meshed. Their lips parted and their tongues danced.
Lady Alison grabbed his shirt and held on for dear life.
He devoured her as if his life depended on it.
And for a few moments, Daniel allowed himself to forget…
Then he snapped back into reality.
His eyes widened and he lurched back, pushing her away. There was a snarl to his lips and his heart hammered so aggressively in his chest that it hurt.
“That tongue of yours…” He wiped his lips. “It is going to get you into trouble one of these days.”
“It already has.” She was looking away, the shame of the moment no doubt finding her.
“You are staying here tonight. And that is not up for debate,” he added quickly, raising both eyebrows at her in warning.
She was not looking at him, and he knew then that he won this little spat. But at what cost? I will find out soon enough.
“Good,” he said. “Now that we have that sorted…” He turned and strode for the doorway, desperate to be free from the room and as far from Lady Alison as was possible. “If you need anything, call for Godfrey. He will help any way he can.”
“Not you?” she asked after him.
He reached the doorway but did not turn to look at her. “I think I have done enough for one evening.” With that, he strode from the room and down the hall.
Daniel cursed himself as soon as he was free of Lady Alison. He had known the dangers of arguing with her. He had known what he would do. And where he hated how weak he was, how darn predictable… that he could still taste her on his lips went some way toward softening the guilt.