Her Missing Marquess (Wicked Husbands #5) - Scarlett Scott Page 0,18

not bothering to wait for assistance or a step. He moved forward just in time to catch her against his chest, steadying her when she would have otherwise taken a vicious spill.

For the second time in as many days, he was saving her from breaking her beautiful neck. Her recklessness needled him.

“What the devil do you think you are about?” he demanded, clutching her to him, his heart thundering in his chest.

Lily of the valley hit him, mingling with the fresh scents of summer: grass, warm soil, wheat. The sun cast a warm golden glow over the landscape. The vibrant beauty of the verdant surroundings paled in comparison to the woman in his arms.

Her hat was adorably askew, her eyes flashing with unrestrained fire. “I was seeing what happened to the carriage and why we have halted.”

He did not release her. Now that he had her where he wanted her, how could he bear to let her go so easily? Behind her, Gibbons was already on his way back to Needham Hall by foot, leaving the two of them alone.

“There is a broken axle on the front wheel,” he told her. “We will have to wait here while the driver returns and fetches another carriage.”

“Wait here?” Her disapproval of such a prospect was evident, in both her tone and her expression.

“Yes.” Still, he could not seem to move away from her, to disengage. She felt so damned good in his arms. “The carriage cannot proceed as it is. Unless you would prefer to walk to the village, which I estimate to be a good two hour’s walk, or proceed back to Needham Hall on foot, we have no choice other than to await Gibbons’ return.”

She pushed at his chest. “You plotted this.”

Sadly, he was not nearly as nefarious as she apparently believed, for he had done nothing of the kind. The broken axle was fortuitous, however, as it would prolong the amount of time before she was once more reunited with her lover.

The thought had him taking a step back and putting some distance between them once more. “I did not tamper with the carriage, darling. Despite what you would like to think of me, I am not a conscienceless monster.”

“Just a disloyal one, then.” She stared at him, unsmiling.

The afternoon had been warm, and the evening was not nearly as stifling. However, the air was still humid, alight with the promise of summer. She was flushed, her cheeks blossoming a delicate pink, and he could not help but to wonder if she was overheated because of the temperature or because of her nearness to him.

Lord knew the combination of her stocking-clad legs and her lush body against his had his cock twitching to life. Until he remembered her accusation.

Yet again.

“How many times must I tell you I did not bed Lady Billingsley before you believe me?” he demanded.

“I will never believe you,” she said bitterly, giving voice to one of his greatest fears. “I saw you kissing her, Needham. She was in your bed. You were not wearing a stitch of clothing. Her hand was upon your—”

“Enough,” he interrupted, holding up a staying hand. “Damn it, I know what you saw. What I am telling you—what I have always told you—is that what you saw and what is the truth are two separate bloody things. I was asleep in my bed. So deep in my cups I was seeing double. I woke to a woman in my bed, and I thought it was you.”

The color in her cheeks heightened. “Am I so indistinguishable from other females that you cannot tell the difference?”

It was the same argument of three years ago. The same as hours before, too.

He removed his hat, all but crushing it in his hand. “Of course you are not. You are incomparable, Nell. You always have been, and you always will be. There is no other like you. Do you not think I tried to forget about you? Three years with nary a word from you, three years of keeping my distance, giving you time to heal as you had asked, even as word reached me of your endless parties and your string of lovers, and still I could not forget you. I could not replace you, and so I did not even try. Because there is only one you.”

He stopped himself before he said more, aware his voice was trembling and he had already revealed far too much. He had promised himself he would not be