“I have said I will if that is what you desire.”
He could see that his answer didn’t satisfy her. “Say it,” she demanded. “Say, ‘I will give you the pearl tomorrow morning after you have lain with me tonight.’ Give me your word of honor.”
Ah, so the immoral little cat hoped to tangle him in his own honor, did she? Well, he had no qualms about making promises to thieves in the night. “You have my word of honor, my dear. I will give you the pearl in the morning after you have lain with me tonight.”
He knew the words were a lie even as he spoke them. But he also knew that the money and gifts he would give her in the morning would more than make up for it.
He took a step closer and saw her eyes widen. Her gaze seemed to be in constant motion, as if she was too nervous to let it alight on any one part of his exposed person. He found it charming regardless of whether it was true or a performance for his benefit.
“But you will do more than lie with me, my dear,” he whispered, noting with satisfaction the shiver along her shoulders.
She licked her lips again, and Alasdair went from firm interest to hard desire as he followed the path of her tongue along the plump folds of her lips, now wet and glistening in the moonlight.
“I will make you cry tonight, little thief. I will make you moan and beg and cry out with pleasure.”
With each word her eyes grew larger and more alarmed.
“Now, are you still willing to make this bargain?”
Julianna was terrified. Because some part of her, some clearly perverse and heretofore unknown part of her, desperately wanted this beautiful naked man to make her cry and beg.
But it wasn’t about what she wanted, was it? It was about what she needed. And she needed that pearl. She had no other options. It was too late to look for funds elsewhere. And if she didn’t pay the solicitor within the week, the children would all be out on the street. She had worked so desperately to shield them from the harsh realities of their life, to provide a safe home and a happy future for them. All would be lost if she lacked the courage to accept this bargain.
Truly, it would ruin her if she failed to produce the rent. Ruin her chance at independence, her chance to prove she was capable of taking care of herself and others. The failure would hang over her head, branding her incompetent and unworthy. And that would be the ultimate failure on her part. She would lose the children and so much more.
She nibbled on her fingertip as she debated with herself. Her virginity certainly hadn’t ever helped her up until now. After all, it wasn’t as if she was saving herself for someone. True, she was untouched, but that had been by choice. She had never wanted to give herself to any man before, either in bed or in matrimony. She very much doubted that would change after a night in bed with Mr. Sharp, who most certainly did not have matrimony on his mind.
If she were honest with herself, she’d admit her attraction to him was part of the reason she’d decided on this mad scheme. Surely this weakness she harbored for him would pass if she surrendered to it for one night? Then she could move forward, take care of business, and forget Mr. Sharp entirely. It was a business proposition, nothing more. She had seen countless men and women, her father included, walk away from affairs such as this without a backward glance. She knew Mr. Sharp had done so in the past. She saw no reason why she couldn’t do the same.
But could she trust his word? That was the real question. Could she trust that he would live up to his side of the bargain? And could she live with herself after it was over, after she had sold her body for the price of a pearl? Well, an incredibly rare, beautiful, valuable pearl, but still.
She could feel his eyes on her, measuring her, tempting her, seducing her. She bit her lip in panicked indecision and watched his eyes narrow just a bit more as the rise and fall of his chest lost a step in the cadence of his breathing.
With amazement she realized he really did want her. This might be a diversion for him, a meaningless encounter, but he really did want her. Why? He didn’t recognize her. For all he knew she was nothing but an immoral thief. And yet he wanted her. Did he even know what she looked like? It was dark enough in the room that she could make out only the basic outline of his features. If she hadn’t seen him countless times before, she wouldn’t know the blue of his eyes, the gleaming blond of his hair. So what did he see that intrigued him?
It is what he thinks me to be. He thought her a thief, a trickster, a criminal. It was why he’d proposed the bargain. He thought she was experienced, he’d said as much. He thought she was a woman of the streets.
She almost laughed aloud. She knew her way around a lock, it was true, but she hadn’t learned that on the streets. Oh, no. She’d learned that in the drawing rooms and country houses of the glittering society in which he moved so effortlessly.
He had no idea who she was, none at all. And that was a good thing. She worked very hard to blend into the background, disguising the real Julianna behind a bland facade. That way no one would take an interest in her. It was a habit she’d learned as a child, so as not to interfere with her father’s thieving or romancing. She’d grown to like the anonymity of it. Now her disguise gave her the freedom to do as she chose while society promenaded past her, uncaring about who she was or what she did. Clearly Mr. Sharp had walked past as uncaring as everyone else.
But tonight he cared. Tonight she would drop all disguises, and for the first time in her life she would be herself and take what she wanted, as well as get what she needed.
“I accept. ” She whispered the words as she closed her eyes tightly, her stomach flipping, though not unpleasantly, at the risk she was taking.
Two
“Ah, delightful,” he murmured in a satisfied tone. “It took you so long to think about it that I was beginning to worry a little. Surely that was more than a moment.”
Julianna jumped as she felt his hand close gently around her upper arm. Her eyes flew open and met his amused gaze. “In the scheme of things, I believe it was but a moment,” she said breathlessly, trying to act normal, as if she did this sort of thing all the time.
“I would rather not waste even a moment in thought tonight,” he said in a dark tone that made Julianna’s mouth dry up. Then his words sank in.
She let a nervous giggle escape. “You don’t want me to think? You want me to behave like a mindless idiot?”
Mr. Sharp frowned. “Perhaps I did not phrase that correctly.”
“I certainly hope not,” she teased. She was proud of her bravado. She even sounded a little like a loose woman.
“What I meant was I want to spend every moment fucking, not wasting time discussing it.” He was sounding a little like that annoyed schoolmaster again, and Julianna would have grinned had she not been shocked senseless by his casual use of such a crude word. Good Lord, that is what they were going to do, was it not? The word was deliciously low and crass, and rather frightening. Her pulse was racing and a chill raced down her back. Was she really going to do this?
She allowed him to pull her close and press her hard against him. He smelled wonderful. Like…man, she supposed. It was odd not to smell linen water, or tobacco, or the myriad other scents that attached themselves to a man’s clothes, masking the wonderful smell she was deeply inhaling. She smelled spice, and heat. Did heat have a smell?