Read Online His Wicked Heart by Darcy Burke - Free Book Online Page A

turned her head, perhaps unable to
bear the scrutiny of his gaze another moment. Olivia patted the
woman’s shoulder instead of shaking it, which she longed to do.
Tomorrow she would talk her into accepting the earl’s offer.
Really, Mrs. Reddy had no other choice.
    Olivia directed her attention to Saxton. “You
should go.”
    “You’ll accompany me upstairs.” His mouth was
hard. “We aren’t finished.”
    She knew they weren’t, but neither did she
want to be alone with him. She was afraid of what might happen,
what she might allow. “I should stay to comfort—”
    He lightly took her arm, steering her toward
the door along with him.
    Olivia turned her head to look at Mrs.
Reddy.
    “Go on then. I’ll be fine.” Mrs. Reddy waved
her out.
    “I’ll check on you in the morning.” Olivia
trudged from the apartment at Saxton’s side, but pulled her arm
from his hand.
    “You can’t stay here.” His voice was calm,
controlled. In fact, he’d scarcely showed any emotion toward her at
all since he’d gone to save Mrs. Reddy.
    She climbed the stairs. She didn’t like him
ordering her about. He didn’t own her. No one did. “Of course I
can. You have no say in the matter.”
    He followed close behind her. “Think about
what you told Mrs. Reddy. What if Reddy comes back, and she’s not
here to satisfy his violent urges?”
    He made an excellent point, but right now
Saxton’s presence intimidated her far more than the idea of Mr.
Reddy returning. “I don’t think he will. And even if he did, he has
no quarrel with me.”
    Olivia preceded him into the apartment and
went about gathering his clothes. Saxton closed the door after he
entered just as Olivia had piled his garments on the chair. She
picked the bills up from the table, meaning to give them to
him.
    He came to stand next to her. “You can’t stay
here. Even if it wasn’t the dingiest, most horrible place I’ve ever
seen, your safety has been compromised. I insist you come away with
me tonight.”
    Olivia clutched the money, relieved he’d
dropped the topic of her failed scheme, at least for the moment. “I
appreciate your concern, but I won’t feel any safer in your
care.”
    The chill in his eyes made her shiver. “Let
us not forget I’m the injured party here. I’m offering you valid
assistance that any sane woman in your position would gratefully
accept.”
    “What I did was wrong, but that doesn’t
change the fact that I don’t want to go with you.”
    His grip on her arm tightened, but not
painfully so. “How many times have you and Tilly executed this
scheme?”
    “Never.”
    His intense stare curled her toes. “So you
screw your other clients. It’s just me you defraud?”
    She sucked in a breath, wishing he were ugly
and cruel instead of devastatingly handsome and justifiably
outraged. “No.”
    His gaze heated and he pushed closer, his
bare chest a hair’s breadth from hers. It was very difficult to
find her voice. “I lied about being a whore. I’ve never traded my
body for money. To anyone.”
    He pressed even closer, bringing his pelvis
against hers. “Should I feel complimented because you considered it
with me?” His voice had dropped to a disturbingly seductive tone.
The words caressed the side of her neck as he leaned in.
    Horrifyingly, her body burned where she came
into contact with him. Desire pulsed urgently between her thighs.
Air couldn’t seem to find its way to her lungs. She wanted…she
wasn’t sure what she wanted. “I…needed money.”
    “Then take it.” He unfolded her hand, took
the money from her palm, and set it on the table. He traced his
finger around the edge of her face from brow to chin. She should
flee, but could only stand there mute, bound by the promise in his
gaze. “The devil,” he muttered before kissing her.
    His lips were soft and so delicious, like
cool water for her parched mouth. He curled his hands around her
scalp and slanted his mouth. His tongue licked at her,