Page 41 of The Earl That Got Away (Sirens in Silk #2)

Chapter Thirty

A fterward, Hawk couldn’t stop running his hands over Naila’s gorgeous body. He could hardly believe he was here with her. That she was naked and he could look and touch his fill.

“Mmm.” She stretched under his touch, purring like a cat. “That feels so good.”

“You had better get used to me touching you always.” He ran a hand over her breast. Cupping it, weighting it in his hand. “Beautiful.” He bent forward to kiss the soft brown tip and couldn’t resist a quick taste.

She pulled his face up to hers to kiss him fully on the mouth, her bold tongue lazily exploring his. Outside the rain slammed against the roof.

“I am sorry I didn’t offer for you at Strickland House last year,” he said impulsively. “I should have. I wanted to.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“I suppose I was still angry with you for rejecting me in Philadelphia. I truly thought it best that we parted. I couldn’t survive losing you again.”

“I suppose I deserved that.” She feathered a finger lightly over his chest, exploring the landscape of his body.

“You did not. I am profoundly sorry for the way I treated you that day.”

“I am the one who owes you an apology for Philadelphia. And an explanation.”

He caught her hand and brought her fingers to his lips. “It’s unnecessary. I have forgiven you. You were young and afraid. I understand that now.”

“It was more than that. My father was ill. His heart was weak. Auntie Majida said my running away with you might be too much for his heart. I truly believed my desertion could kill my father.”

“Your father was ill? Why didn’t you tell me?” It would have explained so much about Naila’s shocking desertion.

“Auntie Majida swore me to secrecy. My father didn’t want anyone to know.”

“Was it true? Was he ill?”

She nodded. “It was. He survived for several years afterward but his heart grew even weaker over time. That’s what eventually killed him.” A tear slipped down the side of her face.

He kissed her softly. “I’m sorry, my love. I’m sorry you lost him.”

“I did love my father very much.” She held his face in her hands. “But not enough to desert you.”

He turned his face to kiss her palm. “I don’t understand.”

“I came back for you,” she said and he heard the emotion in her voice. “But I was too late. You were gone.”

He stared at her. “What do you mean?”

“In Philadelphia, three days after our last terrible meeting, I realized I couldn’t live without you. I rushed to find you to tell you.” She looked stricken. “But then your uncle told me you’d sailed for England. I’d lost my chance.”

He was stunned. These revelations upended everything he thought he knew about their breakup. “If only I’d known.”

“I don’t blame you for hating me.”

“I could never hate you. I detested myself for not being able to get over you, but I never hated you. How could I when I love you more than anything?”

She gave him a watery smile. “Still?”

“More than ever.”

“We haven’t lost our chance?”

He nibbled her shoulder. “I cannot live without you. I fear you are stuck with me.”

“I could get used to having you around all of the time.”

He was growing hard for her again but this was no time to get carried away. “We should go into the house before they miss us.”

“Before your Miss Turner misses you,” she said tartly. “Is that what you mean?”

“I barely remember her name.” He couldn’t resist passing a hand over her mound, toying with the dark patch of curls there. “As I said, it’s always been you.”

That seemed to satisfy her because she pulled him to her for another long, lingering kiss. “You are right. We should go,” she said when their lips parted.

He sat up but not before pausing to admire her one more time. “You are without a male relative in England. I guess I should speak to Strickland.”

“Wait.” She stood up and reached for her combinations. “We need to think about how to go about this.”

“What do you mean?” He enjoyed watching her bend over as she put her undergarments on.

“Everyone thinks you are courting Catherine Anne Turner.”

“So?” He rose and reached for his trousers. “I’m not.”

“She seems to think you are.”

“I never asked Catherine Anne’s father for permission to court her.”

Naila hooked herself into her corset. He preferred her naked but she still looked like a dream. He made quick work of shrugging into his clothes, topping his shirt and waistcoat with a blazer.

“I cannot be perceived as stealing the lords right out from under my clients.”

He tied his neckcloth. “Catherine Anne is a client?”

“It is an informal arrangement, but her father has been generous with his thanks.”

He paused. “Just how much money have you made as a result of this endeavor?”

“Enough for you to be reassured that I don’t have to marry you for money or position.”

He flushed. “I never thought you did. Not really. That wasn’t my proudest moment.”

“Let’s forget the past and only look forward.”

He pulled her up against his body. “I definitely look forward to the future with you.” He kissed her hard and fast.

“And to answer your question about my finances,” she said proudly, “I have earned enough to support myself indefinitely.”

Hawk knew she was marrying him for him. He didn’t require proof. “You’re going to make me hard again.”

She playfully evaded his grasp when he tried to pinch her plump bottom. “And it would be ruinous if I angered the heiresses and their fathers by marrying a man that the daughter of a very wealthy and powerful American magnate has set her sights on.”

Dread tickled his gut. “What are you saying?”

“And you must admit that you did encourage her.”

“Naila,” he demanded. “ What are you saying?”

“We need to take it slow. Our relationship must be a secret for now.”

“You think to keep me a secret? Like you did in Philadelphia? I will not stand for that,” he said roughly. This could not be happening. Not again. “You are either proud to stand beside me or you are not. It is that simple.”

She reached for his hand. “It’s not that—”

Her words were interrupted by banging on the boathouse door. “Is anyone in there?” Charles’s voice sounded outside.

“Did you lock the door?” Naila asked Hawk.

“Of course. I didn’t want to be interrupted.” He started for the door. “You’d better hide yourself.”

He pulled the door open to find Charles, accompanied by a Broughton footman.

“Hawk,” Charles said with surprise. “What are you doing in the boathouse?”

“I came to return an errant oar I found on the lawn,” Hawk said easily. “And then I got caught in the rain.”

Charles looked past him. “We are looking for Miss Darwish. She promised to come indoors before it rained but no one has seen her. Her cousin is worried about her.”

“Miss Darwish?” He shook his head. “No, I haven’t seen her. If she isn’t in the house maybe she took refuge from the rain elsewhere.” He stepped outside and firmly pulled the boathouse door closed behind him. “Come on then, I’ll help you look.”

Two days later, Naila still couldn’t get images of making love with Hawk out of her mind. Which was fine with her. She enjoyed reliving the boathouse scenes over and over again.

“How is ‘Operation Get Hawk to Propose Again’ going?” Raya asked when she entered the sitting room where Naila was finalizing plans for her next salon.

Naila smiled. “I have reason to believe that everything will work out.”

Raya studied her face. “Did something happen?”

“You could say so, yes. But I’d like to be quiet about it, just for now.”

“Come on,” Raya cajoled, “you can tell me.”

“You’ll just run to the duke and tell him everything.”

“Well, not everything.”

They were interrupted by the appearance of Strickland and Guy Vaughan. “Guy has stopped by to have tea with us.”

There were greetings all around while Raya rang for the butler to have a tray brought up. A few minutes later, Phoebe arrived to visit with Naila and was invited to join the group for tea.

Guy turned to Naila. “I heard you put on quite a show at Broughton’s Richmond house.”

Raya turned to her. “You did?” She and the duke had not attended the party.

Naila flushed. “We had a boat race.”

“You raced a boat?” Raya asked, incredulous.

“In pairs,” Guy explained.

“Miss Darwish raced with Heresford,” Phoebe said. “She was magnificent.”

“Oh,” Raya said, losing interest so quickly that Naila almost laughed out loud.

She hadn’t seen Hawk in two days. She assumed he was respecting her desire to be discreet.

She and Hawk were finding it harder and harder to be restrained around each other.

She told herself it was a good thing that he hadn’t immediately come around.

If he had, she might have blushed just looking at him and remembering what they’d done.

“I hear congratulations are in order,” Guy said to Naila.

“For what?” Naila asked. Surely Hawk hadn’t said anything to Guy.

“You have another successful match on your hands.”

“I do? Who?”

“It’s something of a scandal. The earl eloped with Miss Catherine Anne Turner.”

Naila’s stomach dropped. The room spun. She must have heard wrong. She had to have.

“What?” Raya exclaimed.

The duke frowned. “I had not heard anything of the sort. When did this occur?”

“Just after Broughton’s boat race party,” Guy said. “Apparently after the race, the earl was so taken with Miss Turner’s performance on the water that they were caught in flagrante shortly after the storm that sent everyone indoors.”

“Impossible!” Raya said.

“I assure you that it is true. They were found in one of the unused drawing rooms. Discretion dictates that I not elaborate further.”

“Yes, that is quite enough,” the duke warned. “Given that there are ladies present.”

Naila couldn’t breathe. There had to be some mistake. Hawk would never go directly from bedding her to playing around with Catherine Anne. And eloping with her.