Nicole Jordan (24 page)

Julienne was eating breakfast in the public room with Solange the next morning when Dare came to fetch her. She eyed him warily, wondering if he meant to ignore last night’s angry incident between them, but his enigmatic expression gave no clue as to his mood.

His farewell to Madame Brogard, however, was all charm as he promised to take good care of his charge.

When he escorted Julienne to the inn yard, she found herself glancing over her shoulder, nervously looking for Ivers. She was glad to have Dare beside her, even if he didn’t seem to be speaking to her at the moment. Given his silence, she assumed he had no intention of apologizing for his brutal kiss. She would just as soon forget it herself.

When they settled in his traveling chaise, Julienne sank back against the squabs gratefully. She had slept badly, with Ivers figuring prominently in her nightmares. She would be glad for the distraction of visiting Newmarket’s prime breeding stables.

It was some little while after the coach got underway before she noticed they were moving at a speed that was hardly in keeping with the usual leisurely pace for touring the countryside.

She sat up to peer out the window, realizing that the road resembled the major thoroughfare they’d taken from London.

“You might as well make yourself comfortable,” Dare said in response to her unspoken question. “We have a long drive ahead of us.”

Julienne’s gaze flew to his. She could read grim determination there, but for a moment she was too surprised to speak.

“Is this an abduction?” she asked finally.

He didn’t give her a direct answer. “There are five days left of our week. I don’t intend to share any of them with Ivers.”

“Nor do I.” By willpower alone she fixed a cool smile on her face. “Does Solange know what you’ve planned?”

“I told her last night. In fact she gave me her blessing. I had your bags packed and loaded while you were breakfasting.”

Solange had acted oddly this morning, almost apologetically. Julienne had thought it was because the Frenchwoman hadn’t wanted to spend the day touring stables. “She actually agreed to let you carry me off?”

“I convinced her you were in danger from a madman who was stalking you—which, after your poisoning, she had no trouble believing. She thought you would be safer with me.”

“Where are you taking me?

“I have a house in Berkshire. A very private house.”

“A love nest for your paramours, I presume.”

“Precisely.”

Julienne pressed her lips together. She should be furious at Dare’s high-handedness, but the truth was, she would be glad to leave Newmarket. She couldn’t bear the thought of encountering Ivers again. Thus she made no protest other than to say, “You are taking a great deal for granted.”

She almost flinched at the jewel-hard clarity of Dare’s gaze.

“I want you all to myself. Alone. And I don’t want there to be any mistake about who your lover is.”

His implication burned her. Defensively she crossed her arms over her chest, shielding herself against his mockery. “I don’t intend to discuss Ivers with you.”

“Good. I don’t intend for you to. I don’t even want you thinking about him. During the next few days I mean to make you forget him entirely.”

His tone was dispassionate, Julienne observed, but she knew he was deadly serious.

“And if I refuse to accompany you? Do you mean to hold me prisoner?”

“I don’t think you will refuse. You want the same thing I do.”

She arched an eyebrow. “And what is that?”

“Pleasure.” His faint smile held a predatory edge, even as his voice dropped to a seductive murmur. “Four days and nights of intense, mind-numbing pleasure. Carnal delights so hot, so raw, so wild, it will make you scream.”

Against her will Julienne felt the muscles of her inner thighs contract at his sensual promise. Four days of intimacy with Dare. Something they had never had together, even during their tender summer of being lovers.

It would be torment.

It would be ecstasy.

“The decision is yours,” he said.

So he wouldn’t hold her captive, Julienne reflected. Dare would let her go if she demanded it. He was making the choice hers.

Without answering, she turned her head to stare out the window, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of knowing how much she wanted to accept his proposition.

It was indeed a long drive. They spoke little for the next several hours, even when they stopped to change horses and eat a light luncheon.

Julienne fell asleep afterward. Dare watched her, feeling a strange mix of regret and tension. It bothered him to see her withdraw so totally after the progress they’d recently seemed to be making in their relationship. But he wasn’t about to turn away from his chosen course.

He was determined to force the merest thought of any other man from Julienne’s mind. She wouldn’t, Dare promised himself, want any other lover but him when he was done.

He was driven by a primitive passion as old as time—the need to possess his woman and make her his alone. For a few days Julienne would be
his
.

A powerful satisfaction filled Dare as he listened to her quiet breathing. He could count on one hand the number of times he’d seen Julienne sleep. She looked so incredibly appealing like this…her defenses down, beautiful enough to make his heart ache…her dark lashes fanning against her ivory complexion, her rose-tinted lips slightly parted.

Unable to resist, he reached for her and carefully drew her into his arms. She curled against him with a faint sigh.

A fierce feeling of protectiveness surged over him to mingle with his longing. There was an added benefit in bringing her to his secluded pleasure house in the Berkshire hills, Dare reflected as he held her. He would be taking Julienne away from the danger Caliban posed. He could better protect her there, for no one would know where to look for them. Ivers included.

Last night Dare had sent a message to Lucian, asking that Ivers be investigated, believing it simply too strange a coincidence that his old nemesis should appear in Newmarket at just that particular moment.

He wanted Julienne safe, although down deep he knew his prime reason for arranging this trip was more selfish than merely her protection.

Dare shut his eyes, relishing the softness of her body, her fragrant scent. The thought of having Julienne alone for the better part of a week made his loins clench in anticipation, while the feel of her nearly drove him over the edge.

He could arouse her now, he didn’t doubt. All he needed was to stroke her lush breasts, to raise her skirts and slide his fingers inside her sleek warmth, and she would come alive in his arms….

Dare muttered a low oath. It was all he could do to steel his body against his raging desires and not take her right here while she slept. But he would force himself to wait. He wasn’t going to behave like the brute he’d been last night.

And if Julienne refused his offer of mad, passionate, carnal pleasure?

In that case he would simply have to convince her to change her mind.

It was midafternoon when the coach drew to a halt. Julienne came awake with a start. She felt so warm and cherished—

Flushing, she pushed away from Dare and sat up.

Beyond the window, she could see an immense chateau of honey-colored stone, glowing like a jewel in its secluded setting of a beechwood forest.

To her surprise, Dare made no move to leave the carriage.

“Is this where you hold your Hellfire gatherings?” she asked.

“Some of them.”

“A den of debauchery, no doubt.”

“Are you willing to brave the experience?” His bright gaze held hers, searing her with heat. “Do we stay, or do I return you to London?”

Julienne looked away. Ivers might be planning to return to London, she reflected. But here she would be safe. Here she would be alone with Dare, experiencing his passion, free from gossips and rumormongers and jealous suitors and deadly traitors.

When she hesitated, he took her hand and drew it to his groin, pressing her palm against the bulge in his pantaloons. “Feel my cock and then tell me you don’t want to stay.”

Julienne felt a rush of fire spear through her. It really was no choice at all.

Accepting to his challenge, she met his gaze evenly. “I do intend to stay, Lord Wolverton. I want what you promised. Pleasure so raw and wild it makes me scream.”

Chapter

Twelve

He gave her a smile of breathtaking charm and helped her to descend from the carriage.

“How many of these pleasure houses do you own?” Julienne asked as they mounted the front steps.

“Several.” The lazy gleam in his eyes held a hint of wickedness. “I have my reputation as a rake to maintain, after all.”

They were met at the entrance by a butler and several footmen who scurried to see to their bags.

“Which rooms will you be using, my lord?” the butler inquired.

“I shall allow the lady to choose.”

She noted Dare hadn’t mentioned her name, and he answered her silent question without prompting.

“The staff here is highly discreet,” he murmured as he escorted her from the entrance hall, “but there is no need to advertise your identity.”

“They seem to have expected us.”

“I sent a messenger last night with my orders.”

Julienne raised an eyebrow, even as she bit back a wry smile. Dare had certainly been sure of himself—and of her. But she wouldn’t allow it to intimidate her. She intended to use this time together to implement her own plan of ensnaring his heart.

He gave her a tour of the mansion. The furnishings were elegant and tasteful if rather decadent, with erotic statues and paintings of nude orgies adorning the corridors and main rooms.

There were nearly two dozen bedchambers whose purpose seemed blatantly obvious: sheer debauchery. One suite on the first floor was made up to resemble a Turkish harem, while another chamber seemed designed more for pain than pleasure.

Julienne was actually a bit shocked by the accoutrements she saw there—leather whips and steel shackles and ominous contraptions that looked like medieval torture devices.

“Some guests prefer more unique forms of entertainment,” Dare explained.

“And you?”

“I’ve never found pain to be arousing, although bondage can be interesting.” A sensual glint warmed his eyes as he looked at her. “For years I fantasized about having you spread-eagle on a bed, at my mercy. Even now the notion is vastly appealing, and not just for the purpose of revenge.”

Feeling herself flushing, Julienne turned away.

“Truthfully,” Dare added in a provocative whisper as she proceeded him to the next room, “I thought I might have to tie you up to keep you from escaping.”

“I have no intention of escaping.”

In yet another chamber she was surprised to find mirrors hung from every inch of wall and even on the ceiling.

“I think we will make use of this room tonight,” Dare said.

“Why this one?”

“So you can see from every viewpoint who your lover is. Here you won’t confuse me with any other man.”

The barb stung, but Julienne refrained from comment, not wishing to revisit that argument again.

For her own use, she chose a bedchamber done in lovely peach and ivory and gold shades on the second floor, primarily because its erotic embellishments were the least noticeable.

“I will send a maid to you so you can refresh yourself,” Dare said. “Shall we meet in the lower drawing room in, say, an hour?”

“That will suit me perfectly.”

“Until then,
chérie
.”

He gave her a polite bow and lingeringly kissed the tips of her fingers. Julienne felt her breath catch at the warm feel of his tongue on the sensitive pads, but she promised herself she would get even with Dare later.

She was glad for the time to bathe and change her gown. A quiet, self-effacing maid assisted her, and soon Julienne was making her way to the drawing room. She hadn’t bothered to arrange her hair in anything but a simple chignon, for she doubted any coiffure would be safe for long in Dare’s company.

In that respect, however, he surprised her. The evening began rather tamely, with sherry and desultory conversation in the drawing room. Dinner was of the usual excellent quality, served by almost invisible servants.

Dare spent much of the evening telling her about the history of the estate, which had been a minor site of conflict during Cromwell’s bloody reign. Julienne listened politely, but all the while a sense of feverish anticipation was welling inside her. If Dare was deliberately prolonging the moment, his tactics were proving effective. By the time he finally pushed back his chair, her nerves were screaming.

“If you are finished,” he said, “we can retire upstairs.”

When she agreed, he rose and moved around the table to draw out her chair. “Go ahead and make yourself ready,” he murmured, planting a light kiss on her bare nape. “I will wait for you in the mirror room. Oh, and Jewel?” he added when she turned to obey. “Don’t undress just yet. I want that enjoyment for myself.”