Beautiful Distraction (9 page)

Not that they had ever spoken of a future. Not that she
wanted
a future with any man.

She blushed as she pushed those thoughts away.

This wasn’t why she was here. Violet had brought her to be of assistance. Not just to distract Malcolm, but to aid Violet with her plans for Liam. And perhaps if she did that, it would help her remember her place in the world.

“Violet,” she said, smiling at her friend, “didn’t you have plans in London at the end of the month?”

Violet jolted. They had never spoken of such a thing and Olivia could see that her question had thrown her friend. That in itself was proof that Violet was struggling, for normally the other woman was more than capable of adapting to any conversation and turning it to her advantage.

“I—” Violet began, voice shaking. “Did I?”

Olivia drew back. Violet wouldn’t make this easy. “I thought you had something drawing you back. Certainly we cannot hide away in the country forever.” She tossed Mal a smile. “No matter how much we would like to do so.”

He smiled in return, but there was suddenly distance to his stare.

She cleared her throat and focused her attention on Liam. “Will
you
ever return to London, my lord?”

The earl blinked and finally looked at her. “You are asking me?”

Olivia frowned. Did he ignore her out of distraction or because he didn’t think her worthy of listening to? Did she even want to know the answer?

“Yes, Lord Windbury,” she said, trying to keep her tone light. “We were talking about our return to the city in a fortnight or so. And I wondered if we might expect to see you and Malcolm there at some point in the future?”

She smiled at him, but the earl didn’t return the expression. Instead, he stared at her as if she had sprouted a second head that was now bobbing up and down on her shoulder.

“I don’t know,” Liam finally said slowly. “I haven’t put much thought into where I will go after our time in Bath is finished. But I don’t care for London. I swore to myself I wouldn’t return there again.”

Olivia drew back, surprised he would reveal so much. It was well known that the earl didn’t speak about the past that had scarred him and driven him from his home. Normally she would leave the poor man alone with his memories, but this was an opening Violet could desperately need. So she continued.

“I suppose I can appreciate that vow. After all, there is little to bring you back to London. You have cut ties with your sister since her marriage, haven’t you?”

Beside her, Violet sucked in her breath in surprise and Mal physically jolted. And despite how uncomfortable she was, Olivia held her stare on Liam, waiting for his answer.

“I do not speak about such things.” Liam sounded as though he were choking on the words.

Olivia hesitated. How she wanted to stop. To leave it be, as would be polite. But she found herself speaking again. “Of course, after what you went through—”

With a grunt, Liam pushed to his feet and turned away from them all. He stood on the edge of the blanket, hands clenched at his sides.

Olivia froze, but Violet moved, rising to her feet and moving toward Liam. Gently she touched his elbow and he looked at her.

“Why don’t we walk around the lake?” she asked softly. “I think we could both use the exercise.”

Liam stared at her a moment, then he jerked out a nod and the two of them walked away.

Olivia watched them go in shock. She hadn’t expected Liam to spill his every secret, but he responded to her like she wasn’t even a person.

“He thinks low of me,” she whispered, refusing to look at Mal.

Malcolm touched her hand. “He is simply very private. And…broken, which I’m sure you know from gossip. Truly, you cannot take his moods personally. I’ve known him for almost two decades and he still cuts me off just as he did to you.”

Her embarrassment faded as she looked at Mal. There was a pinched, pained expression on his face as he watched their friends disappear from view.

“Were you always in his service?” she asked.

Mal shook his head slowly and lay back on the blanket with his hands propped under his head. As he motioned her to join him, she rested her head on his shoulder, spreading her hand against his chest as an act of comfort.

“I was not as elevated as he in status, but we ended up at the same school. It may be hard to imagine, but at the time I was a very slight boy.”

She sat up slightly to stare at him, all perfectly formed muscle and sinew. “No!”

He nodded. “Indeed. Some of the more popular boys saw me as a target. Liam was their leader.”

Her lips parted. “And he attacked you?”

Mal smiled. “No. He stepped in and made it clear that I was to be his friend and if anyone else wanted to remain so, they would straighten up.” His smile faded slightly. “He was different then, charismatic and made to lead. Everyone wanted to be his mate and somehow
I
was chosen.”

Olivia stared at him in wonder. It was hard to picture this strong, virile man at her side as a weak and frightened boy.

Mal continued, “He took me in at school, but also at home. My father was not kind, often he was violent.”

She flinched.
That
she did understand. “I’m sorry.”

He shrugged, but she saw the tension on his face that showed her how much he cared, even if he dismissed the past. “It was a long time ago. But Liam made certain I was invited to every Christmas, every summer holiday with his family, in order to separate me from my father. He made what would have been a living hell into some of the best years of my life.”

Olivia sighed. He had confided some painful facts to her, ones that explained perfectly why Malcolm would stand by Liam, despite the earl’s prickly disposition. They were bound as best friends.

And Liam despised her.

She sat up and turned her face so he wouldn’t see how much that fact affected her, even as she tried to gather her emotions. But her eyes stung with tears and the familiar press of humiliation at not being quite good enough began to make her chest ache.

Mal sat up too.

“What is it? Olivia?” He tilted his head, trying to see her face, and when she couldn’t stop a tear from sliding from her eye, he caught her arms and turned her toward him.

“Why do you cry?” he demanded, smoothing the tear away with a thumb.

She shook her head. “I’m being stupid, so foolish,” she croaked out.

“That doesn’t answer the question,” Mal insisted. “Tell me.”

She looked down at the blanket. “He thinks so little of me. It’s clear by the way he treats me. And I’m not saying I don’t deserve that disregard, but, Malcolm, you care for him. His opinion means something to you—”

He cut her off by pressing two fingers to her lips. “You foolish girl,” he said with a smile. “Haven’t I made it clear over the past week that I am captivated by you? For the first time in years, I don’t give a damn what Liam or anyone else thinks. I want you, I
care
for you. And if my friend doesn’t like it, then…” he trailed off, “…then I suppose he can find someone else to run his estates and calm his moods.”

Olivia’s eyes went wide at this brash statement. “You cannot mean that you would abandon a friendship of such importance, not for a whore.”

His jaw tightened. “I would thank you not to refer to yourself that way. Not in front of me.” He leaned closer. “And I would grieve the loss of my friendship if it came to that, but not enough to turn away from you.”

He leaned closer and pressed his lips to hers. Immediately, she wrapped her arms around his neck and dragged herself closer, losing herself in him, in his sweet words and even sweeter kiss.

He pulled back with a chuckle. “Too much of that and I’ll be forced to strip you naked and have you right here and now.”

She arched a brow, her body leading her with its incessant needs. “How long will it take for Liam and Violet to walk around the lake?”

He pondered that a moment, then began to unbutton her gown. “Long enough.”

She laughed, then began to help him, stripping him out of his shirt, lifting her hips to facilitate the removal of her gown. Soon their clothing was all discarded and he pulled her over him, his mouth moving over hers as she straddled his erection and slowly eased herself over him in slick welcoming. He turned his face into her shoulder with a garbled moan, his fingers digging into her arms, his hips lifting to spear her fully.

She smiled, loving how she affected him, loving how he affected her too. Then she began to ride him, hard and fast, driving her hips over him, stroking her clitoris at the base of his cock with every thrust.

Her pleasure began to build and her hip movements grew erratic as impending release stole her rational thoughts. Mal chuckled beneath her and suddenly he sat up, his arms folding around her back, clutching her close as he lifted his hips up into her.

She clenched her legs around his back and met him stroke for stroke, her head dipped back as pleasure began to mob her, overtake her. The orgasm was powerful, swift and all consuming, and she cried out Mal’s name into the wind as her body clenched his, milking him with her release.

He cursed as he flipped her onto her back. Her mind spinning with pleasure, she managed to let her hands slide down and grab his muscular backside as he began to drive into her in earnest.

The tendons in his neck tightened, his face twisting in a mask of pleasure as he grunted out release and poured his seed deep into her body. She clung to him, taking it all as he cupped her face and kissed her deeply, passionately.

Now they were bound in a way they hadn’t been before. And as she clung to him, panting, her body still flexing around him, she knew that nothing in her life could ever be the same.

Chapter Eight

Olivia paced the parlor, her mind tangled by memories of her passionate joining with Malcolm earlier in the day. Even now, just thinking of it made her body ache and her heart swell with emotions that frightened her.

There was one person she longed to talk to about her confusing feelings—her best friend. But Violet and Liam had never returned to the picnic spot, leaving Olivia and Malcolm to return to the house together and reluctantly part ways when Mal had some estate business to take care of.

Olivia sighed as she left the parlor. She would find Violet if she could, for she truly needed pragmatic counsel in this matter in order to return to reality.

As she moved up the hallway, she encountered a maid dusting and approached the girl.

“Excuse me, have you seen Miss Violet?” she asked.

The girl bobbed out a nod. “Yes, miss. She’s in the library.”

The girl indicated which door down the hallway and Olivia headed that way, drawing calming breaths as she walked so that her emotions wouldn’t be clear on her face the moment Violet looked at her.

When Olivia entered the library, she found Violet sitting in a comfortable chair by the window, scribbling on a piece of paper. At Olivia’s appearance, her friend frowned, folded the sheet and tucked it away. She didn’t stand, but merely stared and seemed to be waiting for Olivia to explain herself.

Olivia shook her head. “Where did you and Liam go? Why didn’t you return?”

Violet pursed her lips and anxiety gripped Olivia. She had displeased Violet, apparently.

“Before we discuss that, I want to talk about something else.” Violet arched a brow. “
Why
did you try to talk to Liam about his past?”

Olivia stared at her. Here she had been trying to help her friend, and now Violet was upset with her?

“Isn’t that what you’re here for? To wheedle the facts about those things out of him and report back?”

Violet shot to her feet and rushed around her to close the library door. “Mind your tone, Olivia, you could ruin everything!”

Olivia folded her arms, refusing to feel guilty over something that had been done out of a desire to be of assistance. Especially since her friend seemed to need it.

“What
everything
, Violet? We’ve been in Bath for over a week. Have you even tried to pry anything out of him?”

“Not exactly. I told you, it’s part of my plan.” Violet turned her back so Olivia couldn’t see her expression.

Olivia stared at her in surprise. Here she had been fearful about her own feelings, and it seemed Violet was no more clear or calm about her own.

“Yes, I do recall the plan, but it only works if you begin to obtain information from your target,” she pointed out as gently as she could.

Violet shook her head. “He isn’t my target—you make it sound as though I’m attacking him.”

“No, you aren’t. Though you should be.” Olivia sighed. “I’m sorry you feel I interfered by asking Windbury a few questions, but I was trying to help you. Though I judge by your upset with me that you didn’t attempt to walk through the door I created by bringing up tender subjects.”

Violet sat back down hard in the chair she had vacated. She rubbed a hand over her face. “No,” she admitted softly, “I didn’t. I suppose I could have, I think he might have told me something had I pushed. But…I couldn’t.”

Again, Olivia thought of Malcolm and her tangled feelings. She took a seat beside Violet. “Why?”