Page 139 of A Gentleman's Wager

“Go to hell.” Bella shrugged him off. It was too confusing to have him touch her, especially as part of a masquerade of affection. Bad enough that his scent already ran through the musty air, herbal with a musky base note, tickling her senses and awakening memories of moments only the most deluded of fools would dismiss as anything but blissful. “Why can you not leave me alone? You’ve got all you wanted. You’ve won. He’s yours.”

Vaughan’s dark ringlets quivered as he shook his head. “What you’ve handed me is a shattered heart. He is no more mine now that you’ve cast him off than he was when he was tupping you. The heart still desires, even when the head has given up.”

“He will forget me readily enough once you have swived him a few times.”

“If I believed that to be true, Bella, then I would not be here.”

“It would please me greatly if you were not.” She turned and strode towards the door. If he insisted on lingering, then she would have to leave. “Give me the key.” He had taken it from the lock.

Vaughan held it before him, between forefinger and thumb, but made no move to deliver it.

“I’m in no mood for your games.” She stamped back to him and snatched it from his hand, but Vaughan closed his fingers around her upper arm thwarting her escape. “Let go.”

“No.”

She tugged harder, but his grip was steely. It prompted her to strike with her foot instead.

“Stop it.”

Bella kicked again, this time hitting his shin, before doubling up by lashing at his face with her nails. Blood beaded along the length of the scratch.

“Hellion!”

Vaughan tossed her against the wall, where he pinned her wrists, and forced their bodies into contact from hip to shin. His head bowed to hers, hot breath blasting her skin. “Is it really so goddamned hard for you to listen for a moment? All I want is for you to tell me why you’ve ended it.”

Instead, she cursed him, and snapped her teeth.

Vaughan let her yell, then ground his mouth against hers, swallowing her anger.

Bella fought against his grip, but he was strong. She didn’t want his kisses; they left her ragged. Too on edge. Too desperate. But nor could she deny herself them. She panted. She craved. Her heart beat too wildly. It jumped into her throat and hammered there. She wanted…

Vaughan slid his lips down to her pulse point and sucked. It drained away her fury, leaving her shaking instead. “Why?” he demanded, hand fastening around the front of her throat. His violet gaze burned into her.

Too exposed, Bella frantically tried to turn away from him, but he held her fast. “Tell me.”

“He wanted us to go to London, for me to agree to sharing him with you.”

“Would that have been so horrid?”

“He wanted me to ask it of you. You’d have laughed in my face.”

He blinked, but she could not read what he was thinking.

“All along you’ve made it abundantly clear that you weren’t willing to share him. And that I was nothing to you but a nuisance.”

“You are a glorious pain in the arse.”

“That is hardly an endearment.”

He brushed a loose curl back from her face. “Endearments aren’t what you want from me. Attention, yes—”

“I don’t wish anything from you at all.”

He squeezed with his fingers, so that Bella clawed at them. “We both know that’s not true. If I pull up your skirts right now, there’s no question about how wet I’ll find you.” He hitched up her hem with his free hand. Then spread her open with two fingers. “And here we have the proof of it. Admit it, Bella, there are some things you want from me.”

She turned her face to the side.

“So obstinate. But then, I like that.” He wrenched her head back around to face him and crashed his mouth down on hers. Bella whimpered as he nipped her lips, then snarling, bit back. Vaughan worked her into a frenzy with his fingers. She wrenched open his breeches, freeing his cock that reared between them like a deal waiting to be struck.