Deceived by Jess Michaels Page A

would look at him. “Please, Josie.”
    She stood stock still for a long moment, then let out a very long sigh and turned to face him at last. Her arms were folded like a shield across her chest, her chin was lifted in defiance and wavering strength, but in her eyes he saw the pain she had suffered. She had never been more beautiful and in that moment he had a strange longing to just… hold her.
    “I don’t feel pity for you,” he began. “Because you are not pitiable. The fact that you endured that kind of teasing and are so strong today is a testament to your character. The fact that I participated, even peripherally, in what happened to you is, sadly, a testament to mine.”
    Her lips parted, but he held up his hand. “Please, let me finish.”
    She nodded. “All right.”
    “Jocelyn Westfall, I did you a wrong. And I am truly sorry. Not half-heartedly, but truly. And I hope that you can forgive me at last.”
    She was looking at his face, exploring it like she could determine if he was being true. He hoped he could see that he was. His odd desire for her and the fact that he thought she might know something about Claire aside, he did want to make up for what he’d done.
    “I can accept your apology,” she said at last.
    He frowned. She said the words, but there was still hesitation in her eyes, in her voice. Perhaps that was born after years of habit when it came to mistrusting him, but he thought there was more to it.
    “Who was the girl?” he asked.
    She blinked in confusion. “The girl?”
    He nodded. “You said that I was trying to impress a girl. I vaguely recall her, but who was it?”
    Josie shook her head. “Viscount Aldridge’s eldest daughter, Aurora. I think she’s Lady Denham now.”
    Evan recoiled. “ That girl?” He shuddered. “God, she must be the biggest bit—” He cut himself off. “She is one of the nastiest women in Society. I thought her attractive?”
    “She was very pretty,” Josie admitted, he thought reluctantly. “She still is. She and her younger sister Philippa made great sport about teasing me.” She bit her lip. “Occasionally they still do when they feel they can get away with it.”
    Evan clenched his hands at his sides at the thought that Josie was still being tormented. “How about this? I will make it up to you.”
    “How?” she asked, incredulous tone proving she had no trust for him whatsoever.
    “When we return to London, I will give those little witches the cut direct. I will make it clear to all that no one will get away with calling you names again.”
    She tilted her head with a small laugh. “And how will you enforce that edict, Evan? It isn’t as if we will be together all the time.”
    Evan hesitated. The idea of being with Josie all the time was not as unpleasant as it should have been. He could almost see it perfectly in his mind. Dancing with her at midnight, stealing a kiss, taking her home to his bed.
    He shook his head. “We’ll work it out.”
    “It doesn’t matter,” she began, moving to turn away again.
    He caught her arm, tugging her a bit closer, not allowing her to turn her back to him and shut him away. “But it does,” he said softly. “I see how much it does now.”
    Her tongue darted out to wet her lips as she stared up at him, and something dark and deep stirred in him. That desire he didn’t want to feel roared back to the surface, tormenting him.
    “I appreciate that,” she whispered, her gaze suddenly back on his lips as it had been a few nights before.
    “I really am sorry that my words helped in any way to make your life hell,” he whispered.
    She smiled. “I believe that, perhaps for the first time. But you know, it wasn’t always awful. I had Claire. Claire made it sweet enough times that the bitter didn’t destroy me.”
    He tensed. Here was Josie, opening up to him in a way that meant she was beginning to forgive him, and yet she was also giving him an opening to press her about Claire. He could use