doubt him.
“I have made no secret of my distrust,” she said calmly, holding his gaze.
His jaw hardened. “Do you still think me guilty of murder?”
Did she? Once, the answer would have been easy—a resounding yes.
Now, she did not know for certain. And there remained the matter of his reputation. Of whether or not she could truly trust him. There was so much she needed to learn about him.
“You have not given me reason to fear you,” she hedged.
“How gratifying,” he snapped, stalking around the edge of the table.
He was angry. She told herself she would not retreat, even as he crowded her with his large, powerful body.
Callie tipped up her chin, all too aware of his greater height. “What do you want from me, my lord?”
“Honesty.”
“I want the same of you.” She searched his shuttered gaze, seeking answers. “Why are you keeping me from that chamber? And why did you hide yourself within it this afternoon and then lie to me?”
He caught her chin in a grip that was tender but firm. “Tell me something, princess. How is it that you can give yourself to me so thoroughly, that you can lie beneath me crying out with your pleasure, and all the while believe me a depraved murderer?”
His thumb traced a path of pure fire over her bottom lip as he awaited her answer.
His touch was clouding her mind. Sending unwanted pulses of warmth between her thighs. Making her come to life for him. Drat him and the way he made her feel. Curse him and the weakness he inflicted upon her.
She swallowed. “Why are you keeping secrets from me?”
“Why are you watching me?” he returned. “Hmm? Am I a prisoner in my own bloody household?”
“I was your prisoner once,” she reminded him bitterly. “It is the reason we are now trapped in this hopeless marriage.”
“Hopeless, is it?” His voice went cold. “Need I bring forth the true reason for our marriage, princess? Your little vendetta and all the lies you were intent upon spreading about me are what landed you in this hopeless marriage. Nothing else. I would have happily married Miss Vandenberg had she not cried off.”
Callie was certain he would have terrified the quiet, shy heiress. She and Miss Vandenberg had only met once, but Callie did not think her impression had been mistaken. Miss Vandenberg was meek as a mouse. The very notion of Sin kissing her and making love to her as he had done to Callie was…
Untenable.
Infuriating.
“I would wager my dowry compares quite nicely to hers, and I would also wager that you would have terrified the poor woman. Confessions of a Sinful Earl did her a favor.”
“Oh?” His hand moved, tracing her throat, grasping her gently, his thumb pressing to the hollow where she knew her pulse was pounding. “Is that how you justify your misdeeds, madam? Perhaps I was in love with Miss Vandenberg. Did you ever think of that?”
His query and his anger, coupled with his hand on her neck, gave her pause.
Of course she had not contemplated that. She had supposed he was marrying Miss Vandenberg for her fortune because he was desperately in need of one. It shamed her to realize she had been so focused upon her own need for vengeance that she had not stopped to think of who she might be hurting in the process. Or of the possibility that Sin was innocent.
“What is the matter, wife?” he asked silkily, his fingers tightening incrementally. “Nothing to say for yourself? Tell me how it feels to be such a temple of perfection. I truly want to know.”
“Were you in love with her?” she asked, hating herself for asking the question.
Hating the possibility his answer would be yes even more.
He lowered his head, until his lips were nearly grazing hers. His breath was hot. His mouth was a temptation she knew from experience she could not resist.
“It is a bit late to ask that question,” he growled, his lip curling into a sneer. “Do you not think, princess?”
He was attempting to intimidate her, she realized, and it was likely because he was trying to deflect her attention from the secret chamber. “That is not an answer, my lord. Were you in love with Miss Vandenberg?”
His thumb rubbed slowly over her throat in a predatory caress that should not make her breathless and yet somehow did. “No.”
What was wrong with her that she liked being his prey?
The urge to touch him back could no longer be contained. She found