Page 39 of Any Rogue Will Do
Dark curls had tightened in the damp, and no doubt they’d wind around her fingers if she ran a hand through his hair. The white shirt he wore would be transparent without the coat, clinging to each line of his muscular torso. Maybe, if she was lucky, she’d see him without the coat soon. Lottie blew out a slow breath. The restriction of her stays grew uncomfortable at the mental image.
The coach rolled to a stop before stone steps and a massive wooden door. The huge knocker, made to resemble dragon’s teeth holding a metal ring, looked ready to bite the next unwelcome visitor. In line with the whimsical architecture, even the entryway embraced the dramatic.
The door eased open, and a well-dressed wiry man with a peg leg stood in the doorway. He greeted them by saying, “Welcome home, Ethan. Ge’ those London birds out of the rain before they melt, aye?”
Although Ethan shook his head, his smile implied this cheeky behavior was expected. “Lady Agatha and Lady Charlotte, this is Connor. He runs Woodrest and drives me crazy while he does it. In case you couldn’ tell, we’re an informal household.”
Lottie grinned at Connor. “A pleasure to meet you, Connor. Ethan told me how indispensable you are to his home.”
Connor nodded a bit coolly. “If ye need anything, jus’ ask. Let’s get ye settled in rooms.”
Taking her hand on the stairs to the great door, Ethan asked, “What do you think of my house, lass? ’Tis a wee bit of a mishmash after all the ancestors left their mark.”
“If a squat castle indulged in an unholy union with a Gothic cathedral, this house might be the result. I rather like it.”
He laughed. “Aye, I think you have the right of it.”
A curving staircase opened up to the hall inside. Their fingers interlaced as he led her to the next floor in silence. She bit her lip to hide the smile at how the simple action affected her. Every brush of fingers or casual show of affection pushed her further from her comfort zone. Yet the bubbling sensation beneath her breastbone compelled Lottie to discover that tantalizingmore—that lust and everything it could contain—and with every touch, the curiosity grew. It might be time to have a frank conversation with Darling, and fast. Darling’s advice on physical matters between a man and a woman would be unvarnished truth. This time away from London might be the best time to explore this feeling that had grown between her and Ethan. Once the thought crossed her mind, she couldn’t get rid of it. Truth be told, she didn’t want to get rid of it.
He walked ahead of her down the long hall, and she took the opportunity to let her eyes linger. Long powerful legs, confident stride. The deeply tanned nape peeking out beneath dark, damp curls. And lord, those shoulders. She knew how that torso looked without clothing, and now she knew how it felt under her hands. Lottie pressed a palm low over her belly as if to hide the heat growing there.
What if she treated this time away from London as a sort of escape? Here they could do whatever they wanted. Indulge in a mutually satisfactory exploration of lust and get this desire out of their systems. If, in a few weeks, she did her duty and agreed to marriage with someone her father approved of, at least she could do whatever she wanted first. This was her chance to make memories that would keep her warm for the rest of her days.
Pushing open a wooden plank door, he lingered in the doorway. Lottie forced herself to focus on her assigned bedroom instead of her wayward thoughts. The wooden floors gleamed with a high polish, while plush rugs by the bed ensured her toes wouldn’t freeze when she awoke in the morning. Gold and yellow walls with white floral-print linens made the space feminine and comfortable. If the tapestries flanking the window were a bit threadbare, it was because they were likely hundreds of years old and fine quality.
“This is so bright and sunny. You’d never know it was drippy and gray outside.”
“Aye, I’m wearing a wee bit of our English liquid sunshine. I’ll be down the hall, changing. There’s a rope pull in the corner if you need anything. Would you meet me in the library in a half hour?” He began unbuttoning his coat, and she couldn’t tear her gaze from his chest. Standing close enough to touch, with his fine lawn shirt transparent from the rain, she couldn’t think of a single reason not to do whatever she pleased. As she smoothed her fingers over his damp shirt, along a deep crevice of musculature, her heart rate quickened.
“If you’re wanting me tae kiss ye, you’re doing it right, lass,” Ethan said with a low rumble.
A quiver raked over his body at her touch, and she smiled. Such simple contact, yet this giant of a man responded readily, at her mercy. At the opening of his shirt, below the bedraggled cravat, she slipped two fingers inside to feel the crisp hairs on his chest. Springy but oddly soft. Finally skin to skin.
Already heated from her blatant ogling in the hall, her core went molten. Lottie knew if she met his gaze, he’d see the effect he had on her. Boldly, she did just that, smiling her welcome. Ethan caught her around the waist, pulling their hips together as her back hit the wall with a controlled push. When he covered her mouth with his, she had to wonder if he wasn’t at her mercy at all. Perhaps in this way, they met as equals.
He sighed into her mouth, as if it were a relief to kiss her, and she understood. Eager fingers made quick work of his cravat until finally the V of his shirt opened to her hands. Their groans mingled while his hand explored up her side to cup one breast.
He pulled back, sucking her bottom lip until the very last second. “You’re killin’ me, Lottie. I need tae go before I make an utter arse of myself.” He dived back in for a fast kiss. “You’re delicious. Library. Half hour.” One more kiss, with a whimpered moan on her part when he removed his hands from the shiver-inducing torture they’d created.
Leaning against the doorway, Lottie struggled to think clearly. She was in his home. Not a single London hostess or gossip-rag spy to be seen. Agatha might go to bed early. There was no delaying this if she wanted to seize the opportunity. It was definitely time to speak with Darling.
Lucky for her, Darling arrived only a few moments after Ethan left. Flanked by a couple of burly footmen carrying Lottie’s trunks, her maid shot her a questioning look. Lottie grinned. If the staff had arrived three minutes earlier, there’d have been far more to see besides one slightly rattled, aroused woman lounging in a doorway.
The staff departed, leaving Darling and Lottie alone. They set to work removing gowns and underthings from the trunks. Selecting a simple day dress to change into, Lottie stepped out of her traveling costume and gathered her courage.
“Darling? I’d like to discuss something with you.”
“What’s that, milady?”
“It’s about Ethan. Lord Amesbury, I mean. I can’t help wondering if this time away from London is a chance for us to get to know one another more intimately.”
“You want him,” Darling said casually, as if discussing the weather.
Hearing it said aloud made all the tension leave her body, and Lottie sank to the edge of the bed like a deflated balloon. “God, yes. And I don’t have the foggiest idea what to do about it.” At Darling’s look, she corrected herself. “Fine, that’s not true. I know exactly what I want to do. But I can’t risk pregnancy.”
“I can teach you preventions, but nothing is guaranteed. Do you plan to actually marry him, then? Sounds like he’s won you over.”
Shaking her head, Lottie said, “No one’s won anyone over, and my plans stand. We have three weeks left of this engagement, and part of it will be here, in the privacy of Woodrest.”
