Read The Earl in My Bed: A Forgotten Princesses Valentine Novella for Free Online Page B

remembering herself, mortified to see her breasts, the skin pink from his thorough attentions, exposed to the elements and his gaze. Those hard eyes sparked for a moment before sharply glancing away.
    “Cover yourself,” he said tersely. As though he had not been the one to start this little lesson in passion and unclothe her in the first place.
    Her trembling fingers fumbled with the loosened ribbons of her chemise. Even as she worked quickly, tugging her corset and gown back into place, her chin jerked high, pride stiffening her spine. She refused to let him shame her. She’d behaved no more scandalously than he.
    Finished arranging her clothing, she pulled her cloak tighter around her, grateful for the additional barrier. Still, when he returned his searing stare to her, she found it wasn’t enough. After what had just transpired between them, she doubted if she would ever feel anything other than vulnerable around him again.
    A long moment passed, and he said nothing. Her fingers clenched around the edges of her cloak until they ached bone-deep. At last he announced grimly, dispassionately, “And that’s how meaningless desire can be.”
    Understanding dawned as his words sank in.
    He had used her to prove a point.
    He had manipulated her with the very thing she craved.
    She’d never felt so . . . small . So foolish.
    Her palm itched to slap him, but she refused to permit herself to do that again. She curled her fingers into a fist, resisting the impulse. He deserved it, but she would not show how much he had affected her. “You are worse than I remembered.”
    She squeezed past him and put several paces between them, giving him a wide berth. He rotated, watching her impassively. There was nothing in his eyes, and it became clear to her that what they had just shared had meant nothing. Just as he claimed.
    His earlier words now echoed through her: Perhaps I can prove to you just how meaningless passion can be. He had succeeded in that. In fact, he had made it abundantly clear how meaningless passion could be. For some people. For him . Disappointment cut her as keenly as a knife’s blade.
    Tiny prickles of heat washed over her face and neck as she thought of all that had passed between them . . . all she had allowed him to do, all she had reveled in.
    It had been nothing, an experiment for him. A lesson he had sought to teach her.
    And teach me he had . He had her panting and begging for his touch, his mouth, him, against that tree. And it meant nothing. Less than nothing.
    Presenting him with her back, she walked away, clutching her cloak to her throat, clinging to the frayed edges of her dignity, refusing to let him crush that, too.
    J amie watched her go, the memory of her dark eyes flashing with a mixture of hurt and rage imprinted on his mind. It only made her more appealing, her eyes more luminous—and made him feel that much more a bastard.
    He’d chosen his words carefully, determined to make his point . . . determined to guarantee that she despise him . . . that she forget about giving up on Owen and her foolish quest for a marriage of passion.
    It didn’t matter that his words were a lie.
    From the first touch, the first taste of her mouth, he’d wanted to lose himself inside her. Consume every inch of her until they were both thoroughly spent. He had not anticipated such a reaction. He had not thought matters would spiral so quickly out of his control. He dragged a shaking hand through his wet hair. That had been more than the kiss he planned. You practically had your way with her against a tree.
    Nothing about what just occurred was meaningless to him. He was relieved she did not realize the lie of his words. As a girl, her bold gaze had always managed to see straight through him. She’d frightened him a bit then. And to be honest, she still did. There was nothing half measure about her.
    He rubbed the back of his knuckles against his lips. He could still taste her. She was the type of