at his chest? Christ, this woman was undoing him. Did she know? Was that her plan?
He’d give her everything she wanted if she’d put her mouth on him.
She didn’t. Instead, she wrapped the linen around his knuckles, carefully, as though she were preparing him for battle. As though he were a knight, and she the maiden fair, bestowing her favor.
When she was finished, she tied a perfect knot and carefully tucked the end inside the wraps before running her thumb over his knuckles and whispering, so soft he barely heard it, “There.”
But he did hear it. The gentle gift of that little word.
The satisfaction in it.
After an evening of violence, he’d never felt the sting of pleasure more keenly—and he feared he lacked the capacity to endure it.
She took a deep breath and said, “Now, about my business.”
He leaned his head back against the cushion of the coach, letting the cold ice pack do its work. “My business.”
She watched him for a long moment, the clatter of the cobblestones the only sound. “Your betrayal.” She couldn’t know how the words stung. “What will you do with Sedley Shipping?”
Keep you safe. “Whatever I like.”
Silence. Then, “Why?”
The word nearly finished the job of the ring tonight. It was small and perplexed and devastating. And in it, he heard the truth. He’d hurt her.
And it had been his only choice.
When he didn’t reply, she narrowed her gaze on him and said, “You’re a bastard.”
“Yes,” he replied, trying to ignore the disdain in her words.
“What do you want from me?”
“Nothing.” It was true. I want you happy. I want you safe.
“Look at me.”
He obeyed the command without hesitation. Christ, she was stunning, sitting tall and determined, shoulders pressed back like a queen.
“You’re ruining everything.”
Guilt flared. “I know.”
“You told me . . .” She looked out the window, into the darkness of the streets beyond. “You told me you believed in me.” She looked back at him. “I believed you.”
He’d face the O’Malley brothers a thousand times over this.
I do believe in you.
“Is it—” She stopped, then started again. “Is it because you don’t think I can do it?”
“No.” Christ. No.
She looked as though she had something to say—as though she had a thousand somethings to say. And he wanted to pull her across the carriage and onto his lap and tell her all the ways he thought she was remarkable.
But that was impossible if he was to keep her apart from him.
“Why?” She hesitated. “Why would you want us out of business? Is it just to punish Augie? He was ready to tell you about his partner—who I imagine is much more of an employer than a partner.”
“His partner is no longer relevant,” he said, too quickly. He didn’t want Hattie anywhere near Ewan. Not now that he knew how far the duke would go to punish him. To hurt her. “Maybe we want to go straight. Start a business aboveboard.”
She scowled. “Don’t lie to me. It’s beneath you.”
It wasn’t. But he didn’t want her to see that.
“You’re doing this to punish me. No one purchases every ship they use.”
“We do.” They didn’t.
“That’s bollocks,” she retorted. “You can’t afford to own boats, or the Crown will discover you’re moving contraband every two weeks.”
His brows went up at the astute assessment.
She smirked. “Surprised by my intelligence?”
“No.” Not surprised. Tempted.
He wanted to take her to bed and have her school him on shipping. Lading bills and tide tables and whatever else she wanted to talk to him about.
Which was utter madness.
Before he could take the mad action, she looked him dead in the eye and slung a wicked blow. “I trusted you. I believed you. I thought you were better than this.” She paused. “I thought we were . . .”
Don’t finish that sentence.
He wasn’t sure he could survive it. He could barely breathe for that we, for the way it tied them together. For the way he wanted it to. For a single, wild moment, he almost gave in. Almost turned it all over to her. Gave her the business and the Docklands and his aid. But then he remembered Ewan, mad in the darkness, vowing to punish him via Hattie.
You’ll give her up. Or I’ll take her.
The memory ran like ice through him.
It wasn’t possible. There could be no deal. She couldn’t have her business and her safety. And he couldn’t have her. Not as long as Ewan drew breath.
The carriage stopped. He reached for the door, out onto the street before the thing