Then Came You (The Gamblers #1)(48)

It took Alex a long time to reply. When he did, his voice was nothing but a scratching rumble. “My opinion? You should start running. And never stop. And pray to God I never catch you.”

Only Raiford could seem so menacing while tied hand and foot to a large piece of furniture. It was no idle threat. His words were laced with deadly purpose. Lily dismissed it blithely, deciding she could handle whatever trouble he might pose. “I’ve done you a great favor,” she pointed out. “You’re free to find someone else now. Someone far more suited to you than Penny.”

“I wanted your sister.”

“She never would have pleased you. Good God, you don’t really want to marry a girl who would always be frightened of you, do you? If you have an ounce of sense, you’ll choose someone with a little more spirit the next time. But no—you’ll probably propose to another meek, gentle lamb. Bullies are always drawn to that sort.”

Alex was dizzy from the ache in his head and the failed attempt to free himself and despairing, incredulous with rage. Everyone he loved had been taken away from him—his mother, his father, Caroline. He’d let himself believe that he would never lose Penelope—that, at least, it had seemed reasonable to depend on. He thought he would go raving mad if he had to endure any more. His jaw twitched violently.

“Lily,” he said hoarsely. “Untie the ropes.”

“Not to save my life.”

“It’s the only thing that will.”

“You’ll be unleashed in the morning,” she promised. “Then you’ll be free to collect Henry, return home, and plot your revenge. Do your worst. I don’t care, now that Penny is safe from you.”

“You’ll never be safe,” he rasped.

“At the moment I feel quite safe.” She smiled impudently. Then she seemed to recognize the emotions that writhed beneath his fury. The wicked amusement in her eyes dimmed, replaced by something softer. “You shouldn’t worry about Henry,” she said. “He’ll be perfectly fine tonight—Derek’s factotum is making certain he stays out of trouble.” She smiled wryly. “Henry filled my ears with praises of you during the carriage ride to London. A man who wins such devotion from a child can’t be all that terrible.” Watching his face, she put a hand on either side of his lean torso, her slight weight poised over him. “But it isn’t Henry that’s bothering you. What is it?”

Alex closed his eyes, trying to block out the sight of her, the sound of her voice, wishing to God this were a nightmare that would end soon. But she continued to dissect him with her soft words, heedlessly raking over raw wounds.

“No one’s ever forced you to do anything before, have they?” she asked.

He concentrated on his breathing, making it steady. He tried to block out her voice.

“Why so distraught over losing my sister? You can go out and find someone else just like her, if that’s what you really want.” Lily paused and said thoughtfully, “If you’re so intent on having someone who won’t interfere with Caroline’s memory.” She noticed the catch of his breath. “For shame,” she said softly, and shook her head. “Few men would mourn for so long. It reflects either on your capacity for love, or your remarkable stubbornness. Which is it, I wonder?”

Alex’s eyes flew open. With a tingling shock, Lily saw that the depths of gray had changed from ice to smoke. She felt an odd surge of compassion. “You’re not the only one who’s lost someone,” she said quietly. “I have too. I understand all about self-pity. It’s useless, not to mention unbecoming.”

Her condescension drove him wild. “If you think losing that snub-nosed little viscount is comparable to what I went through with Caroline—”

“No, I’m not referring to him.” Lily stared at him in mild surprise, wondering how much he knew about her engagement to Harry Hindon. He must have gotten it out of Zach. “What I felt for Harry was infatuation. The one I loved and lost was someone else entirely. I would have died for…this person. I still would.”

“Who?”

“That’s private.”

Alex lowered his head back to the pillow.

“Perhaps your temper will cool tonight,” Lily remarked, delicately rearranging his collar, as if he were a plaything. She knew her careless manner would incense him further. “When you think about this sensibly, you’ll realize it’s the best for all concerned. Even you.” Noticing his hands straining at the ropes, she touched his taut arm. “Don’t. You’ll only end up with blisters. You may as well relax. Poor Raiford. It must be difficult to accept the fact that you’ve been bested by a woman.” Her dark eyes danced with sympathetic laughter. “For the rest of my life, I’ll treasure this memory. The earl of Raiford completely at my mercy.” She leaned over him, her smiling mouth hovering just above his. “Just what would you do if you could free yourself, my lord?”

“Strangle you. With my bare hands.”

“Would you? Or would you kiss me as you did in the library?”

His eyes flickered, and a flush edged his cheekbones. “Consider that a mistake,” he muttered.

Lily was stung by his contemptuous tone. Her experiences with men—Harry’s desertion, Giuseppe’s angry disappointment, even Derek’s lack of sexual interest in her—had all taught her that she lacked whatever it was that made a woman desirable. Now Alex had joined the list. Why wasn’t she like other women? What mysterious thing made her so unappealing? Some devilish impulse urged her to show Alex how powerless he was. She leaned close, her breath wafting over his chin. “You had me at a disadvantage in the library,” she said. “Have you ever been kissed against your will, Alex? Perhaps you’d like to know how it feels.”