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  He released her, but instead of feeling relieved she was out of his arms, she felt strangely bereft.

  Running a hand through his already tousled dark hair, he said, “If we handle this the proper way, there will be a cut, but it doesn’t have to scar.”

  She turned to Cole one last time, hoping he would change his mind. Praying he would save her by saying this wasn’t the only way. But he had a look of relief on his face that let her know he wouldn’t rescue her ever again. In fact, this was the best solution for him. All Cole had to do was hand her over and he could be free of the entire mess and only have to deal with the return of his wife. How very convenient.

  He met her eyes as if he realized she was waiting for him to say something. “It will be difficult to see you with my brother.”

  Katherine stepped back. That was all he could say? That lie? She and Cole never shared the kind of relationship that would make it difficult for him to see her with another man. They had exchanged a few brief kisses, but she knew they were flat and chaste even before Dominic swept her into his arms and showed her how a woman was meant to be kissed.

  And that was the problem. Passion like that was the last thing she wanted.

  “This will be for the best.” Dominic’s rough voice had her looking at him. His gray eyes were gentle with compassion and that expression touched her strangely. “For everyone.”

  All the fight slipped from her as she stared at this stranger. This man who wanted to take her as his wife. “You aren’t really asking me, are you?” she asked softly before glancing back and forth between the two men. “Either of you.”

  To her dismay, both shook their heads.

  With a purse of her lips, Katherine threw up her hands. “Then why pretend to ask me?” She shot both men a look. “Take care of it. You two work it out and I’ll do whatever you think is best.”

  With that, she pushed past them and headed toward the sanctuary of the house. Before she went in, she made the mistake of peeking back over her shoulder. Dominic stared at her with a look so intense it nearly pinned her where she stood. Instead, she forced herself to close the door to his stare. Once inside she leaned against it with a shuddering sigh.

  Now that the decision had been made, one thing was clear. She was going to have to focus all her attention on protecting her heart. Dominic Mallory was exactly the kind of man who could blind her to everything else but him, break her heart…cause her unending grief. But she wouldn’t allow it.

  She couldn’t.

  Chapter 4

  “I don’t understand why my presence is even necessary,” Dominic snapped as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. “Sarah’s arrival should be a private moment between Cole and his wife.”

  His mother was the only family member in the small group standing in the parlor who heeded his statement. She glared at him with a quiet “hush” before returning to the endless wringing of her hands.

  Dominic rolled his eyes before casting them to Katherine. To his surprise, she was staring back at him with an expression that made it clear she agreed. And that it irritated her they shared the same sentiment about anything.

  He gave her his most wicked grin. Yes, taming his Kat was going to be an interesting exercise. One he looked forward to with increasing intensity.

  Though he’d never been long without a bed partner, in the last year he had been bored with his choices. Yes, they were all beautiful, amorous, skilled mates, but his interest waned after a few encounters, if even that. The challenge of his wife might prove to be very enjoyable. He would have the opportunity to introduce her to ultimate pleasures.

  And if he lost interest after he claimed her? Well, then their marriage would be no worse than three-quarters of those in the ton. He only had to make the boundaries of their marriage clear to avoid heartache. Later today he planned to do just that…and then kiss Katherine until she trembled.

  The parlor door opened, interrupting Dominic’s musings, and Cole’s butler stepped in. He gave the assembled family a quick bow before announcing, “L-Lady Harborough.”

  From the look on the pale man’s face, it was clear he believed the woman to truly be Sarah. And if Dominic had any doubt remaining, it was pushed aside when she swept into the room with all the aplomb he remembered.

  The family let out a collective gasp. Sarah hadn’t changed since her “death.” She had the same thick, luxurious blonde hair, the same vibrant violet-blue eyes. And her mouth still had a cruel tilt, like she was laughing at everyone around her.

  Dominic knew from bitter experience that most of the time she was.

  “Oh my, I’ve earned the family greeting,” she murmured as she looked from one face to another. Her gaze halted on his brother and her smile grew wider. “Colden. Haven’t you anything to say to me? After all, I’ve been ‘dead’ for so long.”

  His brother stepped forward and the expression on his face was heated and desperate. Dominic couldn’t help but shake his head. Despite everything, it seemed their relationship would instantly return to its previous pattern. Passionate and hard, whether in the bedroom or in their nasty arguments. The ones they shared even when others were present.

  He had always watched his brother’s relationship with the interest of a passerby observing the cleanup of a carriage wreck. As much as he wanted to turn away, it was just too fascinating. Or at least, it had been until that moment when Sarah somehow showed up in his bed at his London town house.

  Had he been tempted by her? Hell, yes. What normal man of a certain age wouldn’t be lured by her lush curves and experienced touch? He’d even indulged for a brief moment in her kiss. But she’d tasted bitter. Dominic had pushed her away. Even so, the whole thing went to hell when Cole discovered them. Any hope he had of a real relationship with his sibling flew away that night, dashed on the rocks as much as Sarah’s ship had supposedly been just a few weeks later.

  The timing matched so closely, Dominic had to wonder…was that why she hid away for nearly two years? Why she allowed the world to believe her dead? Had Cole threatened her somehow because of the indiscretion and a false death seemed better than his alternative punishment? Just how big a role had Dominic played in his brother and sister-in-law’s deception?

  “Sarah,” Cole murmured. His hand stirred at his side to touch her, but she was quicker and leaned up to place a hot kiss on his mouth.

  Beside him, Katherine turned her head. Dominic frowned. When she sucked her breath in through her teeth and stared at the ground in misery, it was impossible to forget that he was her second choice. He wasn’t her choice at all. Despite knowing that, and even claiming it was better that way, the obvious exhibit of Katherine’s pain raised his hackles. He suddenly wanted to make her forget any emotions she felt for his brother.

  Sarah broke off the kiss with a feline smile. “Delicious, as always.”

  Cole took his wife’s arm and moved to Larissa. Their mother was pale as she searched Sarah’s face.

  “Sarah,” she whispered. “Where in God’s name have you been?”

  “Hello, Mother Larissa.” Sarah smiled as if she had only been gone for an evening before she turned her gaze on Julia. “And Julia. My, are you still unmarried and living under our roof?”

  Dominic’s sister stiffened. Her breath came harsh. “Sarah, please tell me you forgot who you were. Tell me you did not put your family and ours through hell while you knew we believed you to be dead.”

  “Direct, as always.” Sarah glanced at Cole from the corner of her eye.

  Dominic sucked in a breath as he followed her gaze. Cole looked positively sick. Was he waiting for his wife to reveal her own secrets? Or his? He was certainly curiously silent.

  “Sarah!” Larissa’s voice cut through the tension. Its normal sharpness returned now that the initial shock had passed. Even Sarah’s smug expression flashed with momentary surprise. “Where have you been?”

  Sarah looked at Cole one last time before she began to speak. Her voice was flat and monot
one. “As you know, our marriage was…failing. At the time of the incident, I planned a trip to Spain to visit friends. When I arrived at the port in London, there were two ships bound for the Continent. I was meant to depart on one, but when I saw the accommodations on the second, I decided to change.”

  Julia shook her head. “And when you heard your original ship was lost and all aboard feared dead, why in God’s name didn’t you send word home?”

  Dominic noted Sarah’s hesitation as she searched for words to explain the unspeakable, but his attention was drawn to Cole. As their mother and sister interrogated his wife, his brother stood by watching. There was no emotion on his face, save anxious waiting. As if he hoped these explanations would simply pass.

  Sarah shrugged. “I planned to let Cole suffer for a short time and then return home.”

  At his side, Katherine winced. Dominic looked down to see her shaking her head in shock at the other woman’s callousness. If only she shared his suspicion that Cole had some knowledge of his wife’s deceit, perhaps she wouldn’t reserve so much pity for her former intended.

  “But life in Spain was so entertaining. I could do what I liked, when I liked, with whomever I liked. So I never got around to writing or coming home.” Sarah’s smile fell as her eyes narrowed. “Until I heard word from an investigator I hired to watch over Cole that my husband was planning to marry another woman.”

  Now she turned on Dominic and Katherine with sudden fire in her stare. Dominic felt an odd urge to throw himself between the two women. To protect Kat from the bile Sarah was sure to throw her way.

  “I assume, little mouse, that you are the woman Cole promised to wed?”

  Katherine’s hand tightened on Dominic’s arm, but she did not burst into tears or turn away from the challenge apparent in Sarah’s every gesture and expression. Dominic thought about the words Cole had used to describe her. Katherine was a fighter. Apparently, he was about to see proof of that fact.

  “Yes, my lady,” she said with as cold and hard a voice as Sarah had ever managed. “I am.”

  Dominic wanted to applaud when Sarah’s eyes narrowed. She wasn’t used to being faced head on. That Katherine was staring at her unflinchingly was obviously a disappointment.

  “Perhaps if you had been more considerate of your husband and family’s feelings, you would not have had to hear such bitter news,” Katherine continued. “Cole mourned you extensively. No one should be forced to endure the hell he faced.”

  “Did you, Cole?” Sarah turned on her husband with amusement. “Did you?”

  Cole cleared his throat uncomfortably.

  Katherine shook her head. “Our engagement has obviously been dissolved,” she said as she looked up at Dominic. Her hand tightened on his arm again and warmth spread from the spot where she touched him.

  Sarah’s mouth opened and she laughed with incredulity. “Don’t tell me! You? And Dominic?”

  Dominic smiled as he placed a possessive hand over the one Katherine had on his arm. “Yes, Sarah.” He gave Katherine an adoring stare, if only to irk Sarah and Cole. Though he had to admit it was far more pleasant to face their poison with someone taking his side. “So some good has come from your deception. I’m very glad you’re home unharmed.”

  Sarah’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Are you now?” she whispered. “Well, I’m surprised you would settle for your brother’s leavings. Again.”

  Katherine let out a most unladylike snort and released his arm. She opened her mouth to retort. Before she could say too much and begin an all-out war in the sitting room, Dominic put himself between the women and clasped her arm again.

  Though she put on a good front with Sarah, when he touched her, he felt her tremble. It was the first sign of weakness she’d shown in this trying day, and it roused an urge to comfort her that was as strong as any he’d experienced before.

  Pulling her a fraction closer to reassure her, he said, “Katherine is marrying me now. From this moment on, we will behave as if the engagement between Colden and Katherine never happened. All of us. Publicly and privately.”

  His gaze moved from one family member to the next, holding longer first on Cole and then Sarah. To his relief, his brother nodded grudgingly. Dominic prayed Cole would convince his wife to behave accordingly.

  “And now my fiancée and I are going to take a bit of fresh air. I assume Colden and Sarah will want a moment alone. Good afternoon.” With a nod for his mother and sister, Dominic gripped Katherine’s arm tighter and led her from the room.

  But as they passed through the doorway and headed toward the terrace, he had to wonder where this strange protectiveness came from. And where it would lead him if he chose to allow it to continue.

  As much as Katherine tried to control the wild beating of her heart, she couldn’t seem to manage it while Dominic’s large, warm hand was on the small of her back, leading her onto the terrace where she first met him. First kissed him.

  While the parapet had once been a snowy retreat for her, now he owned it. Everywhere she looked, she was reminded of him. Of his taste. Of the gravelly timbre of his voice.

  But then, it was better than being in the stifling parlor with that harridan Sarah Mallory. Katherine somehow hoped the woman would have a good explanation for her long absence. To hear her so callously dismiss the grief she caused made Katherine’s stomach turn. Never in her wildest imaginings had she believed Cole’s first wife would be so cold. So cruel. So ugly that she demanded a retort.

  With a shiver at the memory, she stalked away from Dominic to give herself a safe amount of distance.

  What was it Sarah said…something about Dominic taking his brother’s “leavings”? What did she mean? That Katherine’s soon-to-be husband had been involved with Cole’s romantic partners, perhaps even Sarah herself? She shot a quick glance at Dominic, who was staring at her evenly, but without advancing on her position.

  Did it really matter? It only cemented the things she already believed. That Dominic was a threat to her if she let him get too close.

  Which didn’t explain the sting in her heart when she thought of it.

  “Th-Thank you for taking me out of there,” she murmured as she stared absently at the terrace stones.

  “It was awkward for everyone involved,” he said softly.

  “Yes.” She flashed back to Sarah’s cold viciousness. “I didn’t expect her to…be like that.”

  He was quiet for a long moment, as if contemplating what she said, then he answered, “Sarah has always been exactly as she was in the parlor today. Her time away obviously hasn’t changed that. She thrives on competition and ugliness. Whether she encourages it in others or participates in it herself.”

  Her gaze flashed up at the distaste in his voice and she found herself looking at her future husband’s face. The hard lines were softened slightly by the compassion he obviously felt for her in her plight. His eyes captured hers and it took nearly all her strength to move her gaze to a spot slightly lower—his square jaw that somehow already had just the hint of a beard.

  “You don’t like her.”

  Hearing this statement come from her own lips surprised her. It was an inquiry of a highly personal nature. To hear his answer would only lead her into a deeper understanding of this man. Though he was to be her husband, it was the last thing she wanted. Distance was key. It was far too dangerous to be involved in his life any more than she had to be. Yet she still waited with bated breath for his response.

  He laughed. “As you so astutely pointed out, I’m not particularly fond of anyone in my family. Except my sister.”

  “Then why are you marrying me?” She cocked her head. “If you don’t care for them, why protect their name?”

  He dodged her glance and shuffled. For a moment he seemed lost for words. But then the smooth smile returned to his face, yet his eyes remained cold. “It’s my name, too.”

  She opened her mouth to press further, but he edged closer to her. All thoughts fled, replaced only
by awareness of his scent, his heat, the nearness of his body.

  “Regardless of why, we will be married tomorrow. I procured the special license and made the final arrangements today.”

  Her heart leapt. “So soon?” she asked with a desperate lilt.

  His smile faded. “We were only waiting for a confirmation that Sarah was indeed alive. Obviously, she is. The sooner we marry, the sooner everyone can forget and the scandal around us can fade. Cole and Sarah’s scandal is another story. I’m not sure the family will ever recover from that.”

  Tears pricked her eyes. Somehow she dreamed she would escape this nightmare of a situation, that something would happen to change the inevitable. But now that Dominic said they would marry tomorrow, realization hit her. In twenty-four hours she would be Katherine Mallory. But it wouldn’t be the same Katherine Mallory she planned on becoming. There would be no staid life full of dependable security and companionship.

  Only uncertainty, and startling passion she neither wanted nor needed.

  With a shiver, she stepped away from Dominic to sink her hands into the snow along the top of the low wall. Though her thin gloves weren’t made for it, she didn’t care. She wanted to feel the sting of the cold, to remind herself of reality. That though the snow looked soft and beautiful, it could cut. And so could Dominic Mallory.

  “Katherine!” he said, pulling her hands away from the icy water. In a few swift movements, he peeled the sopping kid away from her skin and cradled her damp, cold hands between his own. His skin was hot and slightly rough.

  She attempted to tug back to no avail. “Please don’t trouble yourself with me,” she whispered, willing herself not to look into his face. Not to be pulled in by the heat of his eyes. “You should go and enjoy your last night of freedom.”

  Dominic held tight to her hands with one of his own, while with the other he tilted up her chin until she was forced to meet his stormy gaze.