Finally, he turned and started toward the door.
“Where…where are you going?”
“To have a drink. Go to sleep, Ella.” He left the room and slammed the door shut.
Alone, Ella sank onto the bed, her knees too weak to hold her. He’d left her, and with his absence she felt the same fear once more.
Sunlight streamed into the room, giving the area a cheery glow that mocked her inner turmoil. The rays were warm on Ella’s skin, but the heat barely penetrated her chilled body. Exhaustion made her numb. She hated waiting, always had. But here she was, waiting for Leo. Would he come back for her? Or had he left? Surely, he hadn’t come all the way here only to reprimand her and then leave.
She sank onto the bed and fidgeted with the worn lace on the cuff of her sleeve. Underneath the fear, pure joy had rushed through her the moment she realized Leo stood in her room last night. She couldn’t deny the fact that she wanted him with her. Everything would be so much easier with his assistance. But it wasn’t only his assistance she desired…. No, it was his arms, strong and warm wrapped around her…his lips pressed to hers…his fingers skimming up her naked thighs.
A sudden knock on the door made her jump to her feet. “Come in,” she got out.
The door opened, and Leo strolled purposefully inside. No dark smudges marred the skin under his eyes. His shirt was pressed, his trousers clean and straight. “The door should be locked.”
She didn’t dare admit she’d left it unlocked in hopes that he’d come back. He hadn’t, although he looked well rested, indeed. Where had he slept last night? Her eyes narrowed, and her stomach twisted. Had he found sleep in another woman’s arms? Blast, once again she couldn’t read his emotions, and she didn’t have her necklace to offer comfort.
“Let’s go,” he snapped.
She tossed her jealous thoughts from her mind. “Where are we going?”
“You are going back to the estate.” He lifted her small bag from the floor.
She pulled her gloves over her hands, forcing herself to appear calm although her fingers shook. “Where are you going?”
He started toward the door, and she had no alternative but to follow. “I’m going to find Convey’s brother.”
“Without me?” she gasped.
He turned to face her. “Yes, without you.” There was a hardness in his eyes that should have kept her silent. Instead, she stepped closer to the man and put her hands on her hips.
“I uncovered the truth about Convey having a twin. I should be involved. It’s my uncle we’re discussing.”
“It’s my life,” he snapped. She silently praised herself when she didn’t flinch. With a sigh, he raked his hand through his hair. “It’s too dangerous.”
“It’s more dangerous sending me back to the estate,” she insisted, following him out into the hall. “As you know, I’ve been attacked there twice already.”
He parted his lips to argue when she interrupted. “There’s something I haven’t told you.”
He frowned. “Shocking.”
“The fire at the orphanage when I was a child…”
His brows drew together. “Yes?”
She wanted to tell him, but how could she? How could she explain that because of her, children had died? She looked away, focusing on a water stain that trailed down the plastered wall.
“It was on purpose?” he said softly.
She nodded, tears stinging her eyes.
“He was…after me.”
“Can you describe him?”
She shook her head. Other than those eerie glowing eyes, she couldn’t remember a thing. “We are connected, Leo, whether you wish to trust me or not. This involves the both of us.”
Leo rubbed his hand over his face, and she saw the weariness in his eyes. “Fine, but not a word.”
Ella bit her lower lip to keep from smiling. She jumped to the side as he tossed her bag back into the room. Without a glance her way, he started down the steps, and Ella scampered after him. She spotted the innkeeper wiping down a table in the far corner of the room. Seeing them, his face flushed, and he focused on his task. Ella tossed the man a glare as they moved into the courtyard. Blasted man had led her directly into Leo’s arms. Bloody couldn’t trust anyone anymore.
Then suddenly, they were at the carriage, and Leo’s hand was at her elbow. She swallowed hard, trying not to think about the way her body tingled at his touch. Damn men, Ella thought, they were constantly manipulating her. But she’d showed them. Aye, she had. She’d been the one to figure out where Convey’s brother lived.
“You can cease your smirking now,” Leo said as if he’d read her mind.
The curtains were drawn, and she could barely make out his features as he settled across from her, yet somehow he’d known where her thoughts led.
“I’m not smirking.” Yet, her lips twitched all the same.
“You could have told me, Ella.”
Her mirth fled. He was still, but she could sense his energy nonetheless, ready to unleash at any moment.
She plucked at the lace on her cuff. “What did you tell your grandfather?”
He stretched his long legs so they pressed against hers. “Nothing.”
Ella ignored the comfort of his touch and focused on his face. “Nothing? You didn’t explain why you’d left?”
“Akshay will tell him, if he asks.”
She didn’t believe him in the least. They had no plans to keep his grandfather informed. It was obvious he didn’t trust his own kin, so why should he trust her? “What if he has a twin, Leo? What will you do?”
“Most likely kill him; is that what you wish to hear?”
She forced herself not to react to his statement. “No, you won’t.”
“You should have stayed home.”
“I’m safer with you.”
“Are you?”
She held his gaze even though she couldn’t make out his emotions. They hadn’t been alone in days. The silly thing was, she missed him.
“Do you trust me?” he asked her again.
Warmth settled around her chest, squeezing her heart, and suddenly she knew and she could no longer deny her feelings. “I do.”
He didn’t smile, he didn’t smirk, and she was left wondering how her words made him feel.
“Come here, Ella.”
She stiffened in surprise. “Where? What do you mean?”
He patted the seat next to him. “Here.”
His gaze burned into her, a predatory amber in the dim light of the carriage, and she couldn’t quite seem to catch her breath. He reeked of danger, yet mesmerized by the glint in his eyes, she crossed the small area to sit beside him. Why, she couldn’t say. Perhaps, she merely wanted to see what he’d do next.
And then he surprised her. Leo reached out and trailed his finger down the side of her face. A delicate touch that sent shivers over her skin. “In India hands are very important,” he said softly. To stress his point, his fingers trailed down her arms. Slowly, he pulled the white gloves from her fingers, one by one. When her hands were naked and exposed, he stroked the sensitive skin of her palm. That familiar ache grew in the pit of her belly, swirling, tightening, lower…lower.
“They paint beautiful, intricate designs over their hands.” His thumb stroked her wrist, melting her muscles, and she sank into the plush cushion of the seat.
“Akshay told me about the attacks. Were you injured?”
She shook her head, confused by the change in topic as much as she was confused by this touch. “Akshay was there just in time.” Her brows drew together. “How was he there in time?”
His thumb caressed the palm of her hand, muddling her mind further. She couldn’t seem to think when he touched her. One would assume Leo had some sort of strange powers.
“I asked him to keep an eye on you.”
She stiffened and jerked her hand away. “You had me followed? Why? Why did you want him to watch me?”
He met her gaze. “Because I car
e.”
I care. Ella shook her head as sudden tears burned her eyes. She scooted back into the corner of the seat, as far away from him as possible. As if a foot or two would provide enough distance from the man and his contradictory emotions.
“You don’t. You said you didn’t care…about anything or anyone.”
His jaw clenched. “Merda, Ella, I’ve tried to forget you. I tried not to care.”
“Stop,” she whispered. “Please.”
She couldn’t stand hearing the words. Not when she loved him and not when he would eventually leave her. Yes, she loved him. She had for days now, and she feared her feelings would be her downfall.
He cupped the sides of her face. “I can’t stop, Ella.”
When he leaned toward her, as much as she wanted to, she didn’t protest. His lips captured hers, and she sighed. Suddenly nothing mattered. No silly problems, no silly emotions—only Leo.
She loved him.
She could be his…just once, before he left England…left her. His tongue swept inside her mouth, stroking, teasing. Heat shot through her body, pooling in that place between her legs…that place he’d touched so gently.
She’d had a taste of what could be, and now she feared she’d always want more…always want him. She slipped her hands up his chest and around his broad shoulders. Her fingers entwined in the long strands of silky hair. She tilted her head, deepening the kiss. A moan escaped his lips, and a thrill of excitement rushed through her body. He moved his mouth from her lips to her jawline, and the scruff on his face scratched against her sensitive skin.
“Do you know how good you smell, Ella?”
She was too weak to respond. His lips moved to her neck, and she sucked in her breath.
“You smell like lavender, rose, rain, and now the musky scent of sexual desire.”
Her eyes flew open. Surely she didn’t smell that way. She pushed his hands away from her waist.
“What is it?” He leaned back and looked into her eyes. Noting her discomfort, his lips quirked. “You’re embarrassed?”
“No,” she whispered, straightening her dress and inching away from him.
“Why are you embarrassed, my love?”
Heat rushed to her face at the endearment. “I’m not…I’m just…” She swallowed hard and met his eyes. “Can you really?”
“Really what?”
“Do I have a scent?”
His teeth gleamed in the dim light, and he leaned forward, his lips close to her ear. “It’s sweet and musky and you. Only you.” His warm tongue flicked along the shell of her ear. Ella groaned and sank into her seat. “I smelled it that first day we met.” His lips moved to her neck. “That day after the folly, I could smell you on my body, mixed with my own scent. I could smell myself on you. It made me want you all the more, Ella.”
His arm slipped around her waist, and he drew her onto his lap. The proof of his arousal pulsed hard against her thighs. She tried not to move as his lips found hers…. Dear Lord, she tried, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself from rocking with the rhythm of the carriage. The ache in the pit of her belly grew…almost unbearable.
“Merda, Ella. You’ll be the death of me.”
His hands found their way up her legs, her skirts crinkling as he bunched the material further…further until warm air whispered across her skin. Then his fingers brushed against her thighs, and her stomach jumped. Her surprise gave way to need. She whimpered, her arms tightening around his neck.
“Do you like that, Ella?” he asked.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“And this?” His fingers moved further up her thighs, hovering over the very heat that begged to be touched.
“Yes,” she groaned, her head falling back.
His fingers slipped between her folds, coaxing gently until her body trembled for release. Ella gasped for breath and in the air was the heady, musky scent of their intimacy. Oh God, he was right. She’d barely noticed in the folly.
The realization made the ache between her legs increase, and she squirmed against the sweet torment of his touch.
“Please Leo,” she whispered.
His lips pressed to her collarbone. Before she could agree, he jerked down the neckline of her dress, exposing her breasts to his gaze. His breath seared her skin right before his mouth covered a nipple. He sucked as his fingers stroked the folds between her legs, and she was sure she would die.
Deeper, his fingers pressed, urging her legs further apart. Ella clung to the man and whimpered, the only actions she was capable of at the moment.
“Come for me, Ella,” he said softly, lifting his mouth to hers.
When his tongue flicked over her lips and his finger pressed deep inside of her, pleasure exploded in her body…pulsing, pounding, sending white stars dancing behind her eyelids. And in that moment, there were no worries, no problems…there was only Leo.
Slowly, the pleasure receded, leaving Ella in a daze of buzzing satisfaction. She became aware of Leo’s harsh breathing against her neck, of his body tense and hard beside her. He’d rested his forehead on her shoulder, his heart slamming wildly against her chest.
The carriage slowed, and the sound of a bustling town seeped through the windows. Dear Lord, they’d arrived. She stumbled off his lap and onto the seat across from him. Her fingers shook as she buttoned her bodice, frantic to make herself presentable. Leo leaned back casually against his seat and watched her through hooded eyes. She could read nothing in his expression. Did he want her? Was he disgusted by her need?
The carriage stopped, and Leo flicked back a curtain. “We’ve arrived.”
Ella nodded, her face flaming as reality rushed in. What was wrong with her? Surely she’d gone mad. To let him touch her, to do those things to her in a carriage, for God’s sake. Her legs felt like melted wax, her body still tingling so she didn’t know if she floated, if she even dreamed.
The door opened, and Leo jumped outside. She couldn’t look at him, didn’t dare look at the footman who stood stoically by with the door held open. She slipped her hand into Leo’s, sinking into his body for support. When he started down the street, she followed meekly, knowing she could do nothing more than trust him. But even as she forced her mind to calm, she took in a deep breath and smelled that musky scent, clinging to her body, clinging to him. Horror made her stumble.
As if knowing exactly what had shocked her so, Leo leaned close. “Do you smell it, Ella? My desire…your desire, mixed…in the air.”
Her lips parted on a gasp.
He leaned closer…so close his lips brushed against his ear. “This isn’t over, Ella.”
This isn’t over.
The words repeated again and again in his head as they strolled down the street. Cazzarola, why hadn’t he taken her in that carriage and shown her exactly how it could be? But even as he wondered, he knew the answer.
Because he respected her too much.
Ella looked up at him, her eyes innocent and guileless, and his guilt grew. What the hell was he doing here, with her?
She stepped closer to him as the street crowd grew, and the side of her soft breast pressed against his arm. Leo gritted his teeth and ignored the sweat that broke out on his forehead. It was too soon, much too soon to be this close to her after that carriage ride. He needed distance, miles and miles of distance, to recover.
Small stone cottages tucked tightly together lined either side of the road. He focused on the buildings, tearing his gaze from the woman beside him.
“Is that the place, then?” she whispered. Her wide eyes were trained on a two-story building in front of them.
“Yes, I suppose it is.” Thank the gods, it was almost over. Without hesitating, he knocked on the door.
There was the soft shuffle of feet, and then moments later the door opened. A tall, thin man stood before them, his eyes narrowed in obvious suspicion. He scratched the scruff on his face and twisted his mouth into a snarl. “What is it?”
“We’re looki
ng for a man with last name of Convey,” Leo answered.
The man stiffened, and his gaze flicked nervously from Ella to Leo. “Blast and hell.” He stepped aside and nodded toward the interior of his house. “You’d better come in then.”
The room was small, crowded, and held only the basics one needed to survive.
“My name’s Crane. Have a seat,” the man said, with a nod toward a scratched and worn table. Leo pulled out a chair for Ella, rolling his eyes when she made pains to carefully smooth out her dress.
“Convey lived out back,” Crane said. “He did, for two years now. Quiet man, kept to himself. He’d been a few days late on his rent, so I went looking for him. He wasn’t there and hasn’t been since.”
Leo stood behind Ella, not bothering to sit. “When was the last time anyone saw him?”
The man shrugged. “Don’t know. I can take you to his place, if you want.”
Leo nodded. They followed the man out back to a building that was little more than a shed. With a nod, Crane left them alone. Taking in a deep breath, Leo tugged open the door. There was a distinct stench in the air…the smell of death…metallic blood…rotting bodies. Leo’s stomach churned, and he clenched his jaw to keep the bile from rising in his throat.
“Leo?” he heard and turned to see Ella. “Are you all right?”
He nodded.
She gently touched his arm. “What is it?”
“He’s dead.”
Ella shook her head, and her brows knit together. “How do you know?”
“I know. Come on.” He took her hand and led her into the room, leaving the door wide to allow a soft breeze to enter. “Look,” he said with a nod toward the far wall.
Ella released his hand and went to the wooden carving of an elephant standing on his hind legs. “What is it?”
“Indian god.”