Deepest Desires of a Wicked Duke(99)

He knew the words he had to speak.

But he couldn’t make them come out. With them had to come the truth. The whole truth.

Her eyes shone at him. She looked at him with love. But with more than that—

Admiration. She looked at him as if he were a man worthy of her love.

Within minutes, that glowing light would fade, and he would lose her—the only person whose love he’d ever had.

He had cast aside her love once, had pretended he could fill his life with athletic sex and not feel the loss.

He’d been wrong.

Gently, he stroked Portia’s shoulder. Skin like silk, sweetly damp from sex. Their scents filled the room—sweat and come.

The sweetest smile curved her lips. Breaking his heart. Because he knew, once they were off this island, she might become his duchess, but he would never see her again.

“I wish we could stay in here, with the door locked, and pretend that everything is well,” she whispered.

“We can’t, Portia. But I promise I am going to get you off this island alive.”

“Such a promise is impossible. But working together, trusting each other, we can end this.”

He had to explain why he had to let her go—

“Sinclair! I know you are in there—and alive! Open this door! At once!”

He bolted upright at the woman’s desperate tone, despite the hazy feeling in his head from three—still astounding to think of it—three intense orgasms. He went for his robe, threw it on. Someone knew he was alive—a problem. This intense knocking had to portend another disaster.

But he knew he was racing to the door to avoid telling Portia the truth.

* * *

Portia sat up, holding the sheets to her. She felt guilty, being caught in bed with Sin. Though in her heart, she no longer knew why. Why feel guilty about this? When surrounded by murder, how could sharing pleasure be bad?

Sin, wrapped in his robe of heavy, luxurious blue silk, opened the door. Only inches, so she could not see on the other side. She could only see his back, as he spoke to the person who’d knocked.

It was the Incognita. She’d recognized the woman’s voice.

“How did you know I was alive, Clarissa?” Sin asked.

Portia heard the woman’s laugh—but it sounded more strained than silky. “I assumed you were responsible for all of Miss Love’s moaning and screaming behind the door.”

Heavens, she’d never dreamed she was so . . . loud.

The Incognita ducked under Sin’s arm and peeked in the room. Portia was caught in the bed, and felt her cheeks heat.

Then Clarissa smiled. “So you played a trick on us, Sinclair.” The woman tapped her lips. “Perhaps you are the murderer—which is why I came here, armed with a kitchen knife. Perhaps you and Miss Love are in league. But I believe you’re not. I believe you faked your death as a way to investigate, not as a way to lure the rest of us to our doom. So I have come because more people have gone missing. The last three women, other than me and your Miss Love.”

“Nellie, the cook, and the Old Madam,” Portia cried.

Sin glanced at her, then turned his attention back to the Incognita. “They’ve left the house, I take it.”

“Not a trace to be seen.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“All of their belongings are gone. I looked in their rooms. Emptied,” Clarissa said, sounding like a duchess about to crack.

“Has anyone searched the grounds?”

“Rutledge claims that he has done and saw nothing. But then, he could be the murderer. So I would not trust a word he says. I let him go and stayed with Saxonby. I held my knife at all times. We sat in the drawing room, at opposite ends of the room. But now there is only Blute, Rutledge, Saxonby, and me, and you and Miss Love left.”

“It could be one of those women. Just because they aren’t in the house, doesn’t mean they are dead,” Sin said.

“Oh yes. I did not think of that. I wonder—” Clarissa’s dark eyes searched his face. “After all, you weren’t really dead. . . .”

“You mean, what if one of the other previous victims was not actually dead?”

The Incognita nodded. “Only Willoughby is beyond suspicion, for his head was smashed to a pulp. But I have no key to those bedrooms, and Saxonby told me you and he had already entertained the thought and checked the rooms.”

“That’s true,” Sin answered. “We did. They are all dead.”

“So what do we do now? Do we simply wait to see who shows up to attempt to kill us?” The Incognita narrowed her eyes, which were rimmed with kohl to look massive. “I should think the killer will want to eliminate Miss Love. Since she claims to know who the killer is.”