pulled him flush to her body. Wet desire pooled between her legs, and she arched her aching, hard nipples against him. He made her a wanton. This couldn’t happen. She’d be giving him too much power.
She shoved at his chest, breaking their kiss. “Someone will see us.” She wiped at her mouth and stepped away from him only to see him grin at her.
Of course.
Of course he wasn’t worried someone would see them. He no doubt had planned on precisely that. After all, he was determined to convince all of London they were in love. He showed unfailing dedication to the task, particularly for someone she’d once assumed was slothful.
However, that was not what worried her most. Indeed, she was starting to worry that if he did convince all of London he desired her, he would also make her believe the lie.
Chapter Six
Sullivan hadn’t gone to Tilly’s bed the night before. He’d wanted her too much and, since he’d obviously frightened her with this passionate kiss, he didn’t want to make it worse. God, she’d felt good in his arms. Her unskilled but urgent response to the kiss had been so damned erotic. He’d wanted to pull her skirts up and bury himself inside her right then. But she’d shoved against him and he’d seen nothing but fear in her face before she’d run away from him.
Shortly before he’d left the house today he’d received a notice from David that according to the file on Roderick’s death both Lord and Lady Deerfield had been in attendance on that fateful day. But Lord Deerfield had agreed with Thomas and assured the police that Roderick’s death had been a self-inflicted accident. All of which meant that Lady X and Lady Deerfield were one and the same or at the very least they knew each other.
The odds were strong that this Lady X had legitimate information regarding Roderick’s death. So now he followed Tilly, at a distance, not wanting to alert his wife to his presence. She was shopping with two of her friends on Bond Street and so far had not purchased so much as a ribbon. In fact, they had stepped into only one shop the entire time he’d followed them. He should have trusted Tilly, but he had a sneaking suspicion she was doing precisely what he’d instructed her not to. She’d been none too pleased at his demands.
If that was the case, he wanted to see her in action. See, for himself, how dangerous this activity of hers was.
She’d told him Agnes was also a member and had designed weapons that they used. He wasn’t surprised. Agnes was smart and creative. Still, he wouldn’t have pegged her as someone who was fanciful with her safety. And, frankly, he was surprised her husband allowed such a thing.
Tilly stood at least a head taller than both women flanking her, her ice-blue bonnet a beacon for him as he followed. He stayed at a safe distance behind them, ducking into stores when the need arose, but mostly he watched. His hat and cloak did enough to keep him from being recognized by her or her friends.
Several stores later and he was nearly ready to leave her to her shopping. Perhaps this was nothing more than time spent with her friends and he was being distrustful for no reason. Perhaps she’d sought them out to complain about her husband, the way he knew wives did. His gut tightened.
One moment Tilly was standing at the windows of a storefront and the next she had effectively removed a pocket watch and bracelet from a thief’s pockets. Justine, of her friends accompanying her, had faced the thief with her fan as if she were brandishing a sword. Then it was over as quickly as it had begun, and Sullivan would wager no one on the street was the wiser. Everything happened so quickly, he might have missed it had he not been watching so carefully.
His heart pounded loudly in his ears and his palms were sweating. Watching her in action was arousing, that he couldn’t deny. But she was putting herself at considerable risk with such behavior.
The ladies quickly returned the stolen goods to the victims. Judging from their hand motions, they were explaining the pieces in question had simply dropped from behind. But Sullivan had seen enough. She’d disobeyed him. Perhaps it hadn’t been as dangerous as he’d initially imagined, but that proved only that today was simple. Any other day, any other thief, and