Page 10 of A Raven Reborn

“How am I supposed to pay you back for everything?” There was desperation in her voice. ”The gowns, the money you paid to Madame Bustier, the… everything.” A tear sprang from the corner of her eye and wrenched at his heart.

Patrick left his chair and came around to her, perching himself on the edge of the desk. He lifted her chin gently with his finger and shook his head. “You don’t owe me anything, Rosie.”

The words didn’t seem to comfort her, though.

“Why are you doing this? How many other women have you ‘saved’?”

Patrick chuckled and dropped his hand to rest beside him on the edge of the desk. “I don’t know why I brought you back here, Rosie. I just knew you didn’t belong at Maison Rouge.” Patrick shrugged. Guilt landed like a lead weight in the pit of his stomach. Perhaps Ash was right about brothels, and they should all be better than to visit them for their services.

“Then why haven’t you… you know?” She chewed on her bottom lip.

Patrick scrubbed his hands over his face and let out a long sigh.

“Am I really so unappealing?” she asked quietly.

Patrick half choked. “Unappealing? How could you possibly think that?”

“Well,” she shrugged. “So far, you’ve demanded I cover myself and avoided me as much as possible. You chose to sleep in here, rather than share a bed with me. What else am I to conclude?”

“Oh, Rosie.” He crouched down beside her so that he could gaze into her eyes and was instantly lost in their depths. The colors ruffled like peacock feathers around her pupils. A lock of copper hair had escaped its plait and curled softly beside her cheek. “It is because you are so appealing that I chose to sleep in here last night.”

Her brow furrowed in confusion. Her lips parted slightly and he simply couldn’t stop himself any longer. He pressed his hungry mouth to hers as gently as he could manage in his urgent need. She startled and he forced himself back.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—” But before he could finish the apology, she leaned forward and touched her lips to his. It took every inch of Patrick’s resolve not to crush her against him and ravish her mouth, but she was tentative, and he allowed her to explore at her own pace. It was as if she’d never been properly kissed before. But how could that be? The question was enough to remind him that he was supposed to be keeping her safe, not ravishing her in his study. Not to mention, he was quickly erasing her choice of going to Raven House. Ash would be displeased that he had even kissed her. They didn’t have relations of any kind with the ladies who worked for them.

Slowly, he pulled himself away. He stood and stepped back to put some distance between them.

He took a deep breath to slow his frantic heartbeat.

“You need to go to bed.” He jerked his chin toward the door.

Rosie nodded, her breathing still quickened as she pushed herself out of the chair. “Good night, then.”

* * *

There was a knocking sound, but Rosalyn didn’t understand what it was. It sounded again, and she slowly came out of whatever dream she’d been in. Apparently, despite the kiss playing over and over again in her mind, she’d eventually been overcome by exhaustion and drifted off to sleep. She touched her fingertips to her lips, remembering the warmth of his as they’d pressed against hers.

She tried to call out, but her throat was dry and hardly a sound emerged. She swallowed and tried again. “Come.”

The door opened and Finch’s head appeared. “Hungry?”

“No,” she groaned, dropping her head back onto the pillow. How did anyone function with this kind of schedule?

Finch threw back the curtains and sunshine spilled into the room. Rosalyn pulled the duvet over her head to block out the intruding light.

“Why are you waking me?” she asked through the blankets.

“Ella will be here soon, and I thought you might like to eat something first.”

Rosalyn slowly uncovered her face. She squinted through the sunlight at Finch. She felt like she’d been running in a race rather than sleeping, and the last thing she wanted to do was try on more gowns. Silently, she chastised herself for having such ungrateful thoughts. She was behaving like a spoiled child. She folded back the covers and sat up in bed, rubbing her face.

“Thank you,” she said, unable to prevent the yawn that followed. Finch’s smile was contagious, and the corners of her own mouth turned up when she looked at him. “I would very much appreciate a cup of tea.”

He gave a quick nod and hurried from the room. She’d never had someone wait on her like this, and it still felt strange.

The second day’s fitting went much more quickly. Two more gowns were ready, and they both fit perfectly.

“Yes,” Ella said as she stepped back. She twirled a finger in the air instructing Rosalyn to turn in a circle. “The light blue is definitely the best color on you.” She gave an approving smile and nodded toward the mirror. “What do you think?”

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