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Her pulse thrummed into his palm excitedly, betraying the look of contempt she was giving him. Dominic smirked, tilting his head as he studied her.

“Such a mouth on you now,” he remarked, his deep voice low and raspy.

“I have grown in the solitude you pushed me into,husband,”she answered icily.

Her honey-brown suddenly blazed into pure gold as a sensually wicked smile spread across her painted red lips.

“I suppose I should thank you for that.”

Dominic let out a single deep chuckle.

“You haven’t shown an ounce of gratitude yet,” he replied. “Why start now?”

Again her golden eyes flashed with some exuberant feeling, but she said nothing.

Tension crackled between them like sparks of lightning as silence filled the carriage. Then, overcome with the thought of showing her exactly was in control, Dominic’s hand slipped from her throat to her chin. He slid his thumb to her plump, red lips, and slowly marred the carefully painted cosmetic.

He thought the silent insult would make him feel better, but instead it only heightened his arousal and flooded his brain with thoughts of leaping forward and further ruining the lipstick with his mouth.

“What’s the matter, Dominic?” Amelia whispered, her eyes ablaze with challenge as she stayed perfectly still.

“Didn’t like the color?”

A damning mixture of arousal, anger, and again, that unusual jealousy simmered across his skin. His manhood was hardened to the point of pain beneath the fabric of his trousers and he had a good mind to show her exactly what was wrong with him. Instead, he released her jaw with a slight push, and slid himself all the way back on the carriage seat.

“What do you do at those parties, Amelia?” He asked, staring at her with icy contempt.

Amelia’s spine straightened. She drew her gaze away from him to her nails, inspecting them; doing nothing to tidy her ruined lips.

“I don’t see how that is any of your business, Dominic,” she answered offhandedly. “You made it clear by leaving that you had no interest in taking care of my needs yourself.”

Dominic felt as if he’d suddenly been rammed into a brick wall by that response. How could he argue that? Even though he felt a strange and unwelcome sense of jealousy flare, he switched topics.

“You don’t want to talk about the parties? Fine. But you will tell me how you convinced my faithful servants to keep this from me.”

Amelia crossed her arms and shrugged, still not looking at him.

“Perhaps they like me better.”

“I doubt that.”

Amelia let out a haughty laugh.

“You’ve been gone, Dominic. Much has changed. It is their mistress they serve now. Not their master.”

Dominic grit his teeth and balled his fists as the carriage finally pulled up Ellsworth drive. Not once in his life had he been made a fool. And now here he was. Bested by his own wife.

The helpless little kitten he’d rescued had transformed into a vixen in his absence, and he’d led her right into his henhouse.

CHAPTERSEVEN

“You thought I would not find out?” Dominic asked.

Before him Mr. Morbate, Mrs. Morbate, Ada, and Eve stood silent, heads bowed, hands behind their back. The tension in the house had been thick since he’d arrived the night before with Amelia. Their eyes had grown as wide as saucers as they saw him stride back through the doors of Ellsworth manor; their faces growing several shades of white as he walked silently past all of them.

Trouble. Theyknewthey were in trouble.

“How did she get to you?” Dominic asked, looking at each of their faces as he walked down the line.