The conflict between herself and her animal paralyzed her. And so, she did the only thing she could think of.
She pushed past him and ran like a coward.
Chapter Seven
Reed had every intention of staying in London and letting Eleanor and his grandmother take care of the crazy Americans. His sister was the one who insisted on being their champions, despite his objections, so she could deal with them. He didn’t have to see them if he didn’t want to.
Yes, he was decided on staying in town.
That is, until Elise Henney showed her claws after dinner.
He was never one to play games with women. Many of those he dallied with or took on as his mistress tried to manipulate him emotionally. Except few of them realized that when you had no emotions, you couldn’t be manipulated. Anaïs was the most recent one to make that mistake, and she probably wouldn’t be the last.
Elise wasn’t playing games with him, but somehow, that made him want to know more. She was so passionate in her defense—and her fury at him—that anyone would have believed her. But he still wasn’t convinced she was telling the truth. He had to know what was going on.
And he had to have another whiff of her delicious scent. His wolf had howled possessively when it smelled her last night—like strawberries and lemons mixed together reminding him of summer days of his childhood. It was enchanting and he couldn’t get enough.
His damn obsession with her made him act impulsively. Before he knew it, he was heading to Huntington Park instead of spending the week in London attending to business.
Dancing was not part of his plan, but he took advantage of it. Holding her close had brought up emotions in him he didn’t want to name—desire, yes, but something else too. And so, during dinner, he did his best to avoid looking at her, but he failed miserably as he kept being drawn to her beautiful face and the expanse of creamy skin exposed by her dress. Sure, he had seen many more daring outfits on other women, but even in the plain gown, her beauty shone even more and incited his lust.
He tried to forget her, but his damn animal kept him up. The wolf was restless knowing she was nearby and under the same roof. He thought some brandy would help, but when he saw the shadow crossing the foyer, he just knew it was her. Seeing her run had made his Lycan instincts flare up, and he chased after her.
In the moonlight, she seemed even more beautiful, and her scent overpowered him. Bewitched him, really, and he could no longer fight it and he had to taste her.
And she turned out to be everything he could ever want. All his erotic dreams rolled into one package.
This was pure madness.
But at the same time, not. She was perfect in his arms. Although her kisses seemed tentative, her hands and body were bold. She was following her instinct, the desire to be one with him.
Her True Mate.
Now, that was the part that was madness.
Because although he wanted her in his bed, he still didn’t trust her. The fact that she was once again prowling around the house in the middle of the night showed that she was hiding something.
No, he was not going to fall into this trap again. Elise Henney was a woman, and he would not allow himself to be in that situation again.
And so, he avoided her for the next day and a half. He worked in his office or went about on a tour of the estate, giving excuses to his grandmother and Eleanor that there were many things that needed his attention. Not that he could avoid her.
Just now, he thought he heard her laughing and giggling, and when he looked out the window, he saw Elise and Julianna with William. They were running around in the garden—probably playing tag— and Elise looked carefree, her cheeks were flushed with exertion, and she was more beautiful than ever.
His every thought was consumed with Elise. Wanting her, and at the same time, wanting nothing to do with her.
“Your Grace.” Edwards walked into his office as he was meeting with Whittleby. “Apologies for the interruption, but your guests have arrived.”
“Guests?” Reed asked. “I have guests?”
“Viscount Daly, Your Grace,” Edwards said. “He says you are expecting him and his children. They’re already unpacking their coach. Shall I prepare some rooms for them?”
“Unpacking?” He and the viscount had been trying to meet in order to talk business about a new shipping venture to the Caribbean. They were supposed to have a formal meeting yesterday at Hunter House, and he knew it was rude to cancel last minute. So, instead of outright canceling the meeting, he had sent Daly a note offering to host the meeting at Huntington Park instead at his convenience. Still, he didn’t mean for Daly to stay or to bring his children.
“Your Grace?” Edwards asked.
He let out a drawn-out sigh. It wasn’t like he could toss them out now. “Show them in and get some guest rooms prepared for the viscount and his children.” Eleanor and Grandmama were probably not going to like this seeing as the reason they came here was to keep Bridget, Elise, and Julianna away from the ton’s prying eyes. However, Daly wasn’t exactly one of the elite members of society, though he was well-respected enough. Because of his large holdings in the Caribbean, the viscount had spent considerable time there and only returned recently with his children. He had heard that the viscountess had died when the children were younger, contracting some terrible tropical disease.
After giving last-minute instructions to Whittleby and dismissing him, Reed prepared himself for his unexpected guests.
“Your Grace,” Edwards began as he re-entered the office. “His lordship, Viscount Daly, the Honorable Simon Richardson and the Honorable Beatrice Richardson.”
Edwards ushered in the three newcomers. Hugh Richardson, Viscount Daly, came in first. They had only met
