Again and Again

from Paris to this marriage bed. “Well, since I obviously didn’t find myself a virgin and we are married,” he murmured, not unfamiliar with impulse in his life, “we might as well take advantage of our unlimited opportunity for fucking.”

“If only such a gallant invitation had put me in the mood,” she noted with exaggerated sweetness.

His smile was insolent. “Would you care to make a wager on how long it would take to get you in the mood?”

“We already have one unfulfilled wager.” Her gaze was challenging.

“Ah… the one on fidelity,” he remarked, as though he’d not been evading the issue all night. “Why don’t I get the cards and then we can get on to more interesting wagers.” And he left the bed without so much as a warning glance for her.

For a flashing moment she debated whether she could run. And if so, where? Rising on her elbows, she surveyed the room, looking for options.

He turned just before exiting the room, his mouth twitching into a grin. “Did I mention I have guards inside and out?”

He was gone before the pillow she flung at him reached its target and all she could do was curse her stupidity. No wonder there had been a dozen footmen at dinner. The spectacle had nothing to do with Gore’s organizational skills. And the familiar grooms who had greeted them when they’d arrived. They, too, weren’t simply there to ease Simon’s stay. Instead, he’d taken the precaution of bringing a phalanx of guards from London for his own express purpose.

To keep her captive.

To make sure she didn’t run.

To play duenna during their sojourn at Kettleston Hall.

Which undisclosed period of time was no doubt carefully planned as well.

Damn his iniquitous soul.

Chapter 26

She was dressed in a man’s navy-blue silk robe and seated on a chair when he returned with the deck of cards.

“You’re fast,” he murmured, taking in her attire. “Although I should have had Gore send up something closer to your size.”

“Is this yours?” Loathing filled her voice.

“Sorry.” He grinned. “Maybe you should take it off.”

“And maybe I’m not a stupid ingenue. Just cut the cards.”

He sat across from her, shameless in his nudity, his bronzed skin dramatically appropriate against the viscount’s fashionable green, striped, silk-covered chair with gilded sphinx heads for arms. “Do you feel lucky?” he inquired, the tenor of his voice unabashedly cheeky.

“Perhaps if I weren’t prisoner, I might,” she petulantly replied, annoyed at his nonchalance. “What are we playing?”

He gestured at the deck of cards on the table between them, his wide muscled shoulders looking wider as he leaned forward. “Your choice, La Duchesse.”

“Piquet.”

“Your favorite.”

She detected a hint of sarcasm and relished it. So he remembered her winning that night at Shipton. And Kettleston Hall proved as providential; she took the first hand by thirteen points. Perhaps everything in this marriage wasn’t completely biased, after all, she reflected, pleasantly.

But then Simon won the second hand.

Although, just barely.

“Let me shuffle before we cut for deal,” she said, looking for whatever advantage she might considering the dead heat. Rolling up the sleeves of her robe, she gently flexed her wrists and shuffled.

They cut for dealer.

Hers was high, her advantage again.

Five minutes later, she was twenty points ahead and permitting herself to indulge in the smallest degree of elation.

Simon was about to lay down his last cards.

He glanced at her as he placed them on the table. “Quartorze, ”he said, softly, spreading out four kings.

Sweeping the cards from the table in a rage, she jumped to her feet and stormed out of the room. It was a childish reaction of course; she fully realized it. But fifty-six points! Four kings! How bloody rare was that? she fumed. Must he always win? Would she always lose? Had he cheated? she suddenly wondered. And if it would have made an iota of difference, she would have stalked back into the bedroom and accused him.

But even had she won their wager, what were the chances he would have complied?

Certainly his past conduct gave her little cause to hope.

She stood in the doorway of the sitting room. Furious, inexpressibly frustrated… and-she decided, taking in the delicious array of sweets on the table-maybe just the tiniest bit hungry.

Dessert-actually, several desserts… and a great deal of champagne. That was what she needed. And then Simon could be as infuriating as he pleased. At least she wouldn’t care.

Although, she thought, still highly exasperated, perhaps a modicum of revenge would be even sweeter.

Why not call for some of the guards to serve her? she decided, moving toward the apartment door, feeling a small gloating satisfaction for the first time since Simon’s irritating and irrational stand on paternity.

“Don’t bother.”

His voice was amused and she turned from the door, her hand slipping from the latch.

“I’m not going anywhere.” Her expression was one of cloudless innocence.

They won’t come in.“

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” she replied, virtuously.

He lounged on the threshold of the sitting room, bronzed, honed, male splendor in repose, one shoulder resting against the door frame. “I’m interested in exclusivity; the guards have been warned.”

“I resent your insinuation.” She smoothed the skirt of her robe.

“Let’s just say I’m a cautious man,” he murmured, taking note of her nervous gesture. “Or were you calling them in to discuss the furniture arrangement?”

“If you must know,” she said, churlishly, wondering if she was to be constantly checkmated, “I was going to bring them in to irritate you.”

“No need to go so far. I’m already irritated by the fact that you fucked that man at Ian’s.”

Caroline scowled at him. “This obsession of yours is ridiculous. Why don’t we simply bring Will over and he can tell you that we only kissed once?”

“I expect he’ll say whatever you want him to say.” Simon’s tone was dismissive.

“Will is a man of honor.” Each word snapped with indignation.

“Good. Fine. I believe you.” He moved to the table and lifted a champagne bottle from the monteith bowl. “Do you want some of this?” He’d know soon enough if she was pregnant, and if she wasn’t, he’d see that she was carefully guarded until she was. He didn’t plan on sharing his wife.

She refused to answer. Did he think everything was resolved now that he had thwarted her again? That she wanted to share his champagne?… Or anything of his for that matter-damn him! But regardless of her annoyance, she found it difficult to ignore the perfection of his lean, muscled body as he moved about the room or more unnerving yet, to avoid looking at his magnificent penis-aroused as usual. Which fact was doubly annoying, considering both his dissolute past and the wager he’d just won.

“Are we sulking?” He shot her a glance before dropping into a chair. And then apparently indifferent to her