Page 22 of The Taming of a Wicked Rogue

To say there were several attractive women residing in town was an understatement. Leo wondered if fate had conspired to make their enforced solitude some sort of test but, at present, all the pretty women in England could not distract him from Rebecca.

He should never have made love to her.

Or let her make love to him.

Or whatever the hell happened.

All he knew was he had not slept one jot and he swore his lips still recalled the touch of hers, like a brand upon him. Unfortunate indeed, considering he had vowed to stay away from women, and if there was one woman he should keep his distance from, it was Rebecca. If he let himself fall any further, he’d end up reliving the pain of having her leave once more.

What a fool he was.

She had scarcely spoken a word to him since. If he was honest, he had uttered little to her either. The truth of it remained—she had left him once before and she would do it again.

Hell, breaking the vow to his mother was not even the worst of it. He’d already tumbled headlong into the utter insanity that was his desire for Rebecca, taking her in such a heathen manner for Christ’s sakes.

And being her first.

He drew in a long breath. Every part of him needed to regret what he had done. If it didn’t, he risked everything, all over again.

Despite it all, he could not help observe her while she made her way through the busy market set out at the lakeside. It seemed the residents of Langmere were even more determined to make coin from their new guests than he realized. Though the few shopkeepers used stalls to sell their wares, they had never had an official market day in the town, nor such a wide array of wares. He suspected some of the market sellers had come from the nearby towns.

Ribbons hung gaily from one stall, the bright colors streaming in the light breeze. On another, freshly baked bread teased one’s senses and made Leo’s stomach growl, even though he’d enjoyed a hearty morning meal. There were also blankets, candles, wool fleeces and writing paper and pencils on display as well as other goods he had yet to stroll past.

None of the wares tempted quite like Rebecca did, however.

The market scheme had worked, drawing in crowds of women, but Rebecca snared his attention as she slipped past the stalls, her head low. He shook his head to himself and forced his attention back to his brothers who strolled with him along the path that led across the front of the lake. A group of three ladies—the Lonsdales, who consisted of a mother and two daughters with whom they had been introduced a few days ago, stopped and dropped into curtseys.

He shouldn’t. Alexander had even muttered about them sticking to their mother’s rules, which was odd indeed as he could swear since his brother’s wife had died, the man had lived a more debauched life than either he or Adam.

But, damn it, he needed some sort of distraction. Anything to stop him from thinking about Rebecca.

He fixed on his most charming smile and saw a blush travel along the older girl’s chest. He let his gaze linger there deliberately so she saw as much and the color deepened, moving all the way up to her cheeks. “A pleasure to see you all again,” he murmured, keeping his attention on Miss Lonsdale.

“A-and you, my lord,” she stuttered.

Leo glanced away only briefly to spy Rebecca just outside the boarding house. She had hoped to speak with a lady who it had been revealed her father had taken as a lover. With any luck, she would know something of this diamond or at least where he had hidden some belongings and Rebecca would be on her way.

And he could put an end to this ridiculous tangle of emotion he found himself woven into. He should never have taken her in in the first place, never even acknowledged her. He could feel it pulsing hard in his gut—the need to stride over and take her home and just damn well make her his once more.

But then she would leave...

He’d worked hard enough to recover from her first departure. He was not going to let himself be that vulnerable again. Rebecca met his gaze and he saw her eyes narrow, so he turned back to Miss Lonsdale and her pretty red cheeks that worked so perfectly with her fair hair. “How are you enjoying the market?” he asked. “I saw some blue ribbons that almost match your eyes, Miss Lonsdale. A most charming color.”

Beside him, Adam snorted.

Leo ignored his brother. As ridiculous as it was, the words worked and Miss Lonsdale dipped her head, glancing up at him through her lashes. “I always thought them a little pale.”

Good God the woman was delving for a further compliment. Young and a miss she might be, but she was not as naïve as she had first appeared.

“Not at all. They are a most becoming color.”

Her lips curved. “You flatter me, my lord.”

“As all women should be. Delightful creatures such as yourself deserve flattery on every occasion.”

He winced inwardly as he saw her breath catch in a sharp raise of her chest. Leo usually paid attention to widows and experienced ladies for discreet affairs. Never innocent misses, no matter how keen they appeared to be on the flirtation between them.

There could be no harm in a little conversation, he told himself. He’d certainly enjoyed many a conversation with an attractive lady in the past, even if he had no intention of bedding them. The girls enjoyed the attention, usually, just as Miss Lonsdale did, and his attention would only increase her confidence in her own charms.

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