Suddenly You(52)

No man had ever made her feel so desirable and fulfilled, and so unlike a spinster. She only hoped that she could keep from revealing her love to him.

For she did love him.

The realization had come over her, not with the immediacy of a summer thunderstorm, but with the slow persistence of April rain. She thought it unlikely that any woman could keep from falling in love with Jack Devlin, as handsome and wily and damaged as he was. She entertained no illusions about his loving her in return, or about the potential of his interest in her withstanding the test of time. If he were capable of loving a woman, he would have done so long before now, with one of the many women he had known in the past.

And even if a woman did manage to entrap him into marriage, it would doubtless be a miserable, unfulfilling experience. He was a handsome man with wealth and position; women would forever be throwing themselves at him. And he’d never be able to return a wife’s love.

She would simply take what she could have of him, and do her best to ensure that the affair would not end in bitterness on either side.

They went into the parlor, where Jack extracted matches from a silver match safe and struck a fire in the grate. Amanda sank to the flowered carpet before the leaping blaze, stretching her hands toward the warmth. Lowering himself to the space beside her, Jack slid an arm behind her back. She felt him kiss the top of her head, his mouth moving gently amid the disheveled curls.

“Now tell me your terms, before I ravish you again,” he said, his voice husky.

She struggled to remember exactly which points she had wished to make. It was difficult to think clearly with his body so close to hers. “First, I insist on our mutual discretion,” she said. “I have a great deal to lose, should our intimate relationship become public knowledge. There will be rumors, of course, but as long as we do not flaunt our activities, there will be no great scandal. And also…” She paused as she felt his hand coast along her spine. Her eyes closed, the firelight flickering in scarlet patterns across her eyelids.

“Also?” he prompted, his breath hot against her ear.

“Also, I wish for our affair to be of a limited duration. Three months, perhaps. At the end of that time, we shall conclude the liaison as friends, and go our separate ways.”

Although she could not see Jack’s face, she sensed from the sudden tension in his body that the request had startled him. “I suppose you have a list of reasons for that. God knows I’d like to hear them.”

Amanda nodded decisively. “From what I have observed, it always seems that affairs end in boredom, or arguments, or jealousy. But if we decide in advance exactly when and how the affair should be over, we may still be able to part amicably. I should hate to lose your friendship when the passion ends.”

“Why are you so certain that it will end?”

“Well, no affair can last forever…can it?”

Instead of answering, he countered with another question. “What if neither one of us wants to break things off in three months?”

“So much the better. I would rather end it still wanting more, than to drag it out until we are both sick of each other. Besides, our chances of getting caught increase with time…and I have no wish to become a social pariah.”

He urged her to face him, and it seemed that he was somehow torn between amusement and annoyance. “I will still want you in three months,” he told her. “And when that time comes, I reserve the right to try and change your mind.”

“You may do your worst,” she informed him with a gathering smile. “But you will not change my mind. I have a very strong will.”

“So do I.”

They shared gazes filled with pleasurable challenge. Jack’s hands curved around Amanda’s shoulders, and he nudged her forward, his mouth lowering to hers. They were interrupted, however, by the sounds of someone entering the house, and Jack paused in mid-motion.

“My servants,” Amanda said ruefully. She struggled upward from the floor. Jack rose in a fluid movement, pulling her with him to a standing position.

Despite having known Sukey for most of her life, and enduring the woman’s constant needling concerning the lack of a male companion in her life, Amanda was embarrassed by the compromising situation. She felt her face turn hot, even as she assumed a perfectly bland expression. Sukey came to the parlor door and her face went blank with astonishment when she saw that Amanda was alone in the house with Jack Devlin. The disarray of Amanda’s clothes and hair, and the intimate atmosphere of the parlor, left little doubt as to what had occurred between them.

“Pardon, Miss Amanda.”

Amanda went to her immediately. “Good evening, Sukey. I trust you and Charles enjoyed your Christmas revels?”

“Very well, miss. A fine night indeed. Is there aught I can do before I settle in for the evening?”

Amanda nodded. “Please bring a ewer of hot water to my bedroom.”

“Yes, miss.” Scrupulously avoiding the sight of Amanda’s guest, the housemaid hurried away and headed down to the kitchen.

Before Amanda could move, she felt Jack’s hands catch her waist from behind. Gently he pulled her back against his chest, and lowered his head to nuzzle the side of her throat. The pressure of his mouth was hot and light, sending a thrum of delight down to her toes. “I have a condition of my own to add to our agreement,” he said against her skin.