Page 611 of From Rakes to Riches

They emerged from the stable, squinting against the warm afternoon light, to a roar of cheers and more claps on the back. Gemma would be black and blue tomorrow.

“That was the stuff, old chap,” came a congratulation.

“You could’ve let me know you had a goer,” came a grouse.

“Where did you come across the lad?”

“Been keeping mum on this one, have you?”

Gemma couldn’t keep track of all the words being tossed their way, mostly from lords in varying states of drunkenness. All the while, Rake had a face like a storm about to break. But Newmarket’s habitués must’ve been accustomed to such from the Duke of Rakesley, for it didn’t put them off one bit. Gemma kept her gaze pointed toward the ground and followed where Rake led.

For the reckoning coming.

Though she was utterly worn to the bone, both emotionally and physically, and her back threatened to seize up any second, this needed to happen.

So much lay expressed between them.

But so much more lay unexpressed.

It was only when they arrived that Gemma saw that he’d led them to his carriage. He jerked the door open and stood aside, making it obvious she was to precede him inside.

She hesitated, cutting him a glance before entering, catching his gaze. There it was again—that opaque flash of emotion. And it hit her—the other emotion that ran alongside the anger in his eyes…

Hurt.

Somehow, it was worse than the anger.

She cut the contact and hefted herself inside the carriage with a pained grunt, wincing before lowering herself to a seat. Her back wasn’t pleased that she would be sitting inside a carriage, no matter how sumptuous. Really, though, the interior of a duke’s carriage was more comfortable than most people’s beds.

She shook that last word loose. It wouldn’t do to think about beds—or what she’d done in them with this man.

He seated himself on the bench opposite her and stretched his long legs in a sprawl that suggested power. He gave the ceiling two sharp raps, and the carriage lurched into motion.

Gemma wanted to stare out the window…at her hands presently clutched together on her lap…anywhere but at the gorgeous, angry man sprawled across from her, but she wasn’t that much of a coward, so she lifted her gaze and met his.

She detected an emotion utterly unexpected within those depths.Concern.

“Did you suffer injury during the ride?”

“Just my,erm…” She hesitated. “My back.”

My back.

It didn’t bear thinking about what this man had done not so long ago to make her back—and other parts of her—feel better.

She detected the same knowledge within his eyes.

The concern didn’t fade.

Even now, knowing what she’d done, he wanted to protect.

It was his nature.

“I’ll be alright.”

A moment passed before he gave a brief nod of acceptance. As the carriage made slow progress through the racecourse grounds, he said, “I had a few interesting sightings today. Would you like to hear about them?”

That look in his eyes… “I’m not sure.”

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