Page 84 of Temptress in Disguise
But then Naomi wouldn’t have had cause to kidnap him at gunpoint, to turn his life upside down and heal his heart.
Keen to be on his way, he didn’t have time to question Jeremiah. “If you want to keep your neck from the noose, I suggest you leave England. If I see you on these shores again, you’ll pay dearly for hurting my wife.”
They didn’t linger but took to their heels and sprinted down the drive to where they had left the hired carriage parked on the roadside. They found the coachman snoozing atop the box, but he confirmed Adams’ vehicle had turned right out of the gates.
“Drive like the devil’s at your heels, and I’ll triple your fee,” Aramis barked. “Don’t turn into the manor. We’ll walk from the road.”
He joined Aaron in the carriage, exhaling deeply when the vehicle lurched forward and picked up speed.
“If I lose her, I’ll never recover.” He stared at the passing fields, a cavernous hole filling his chest. “I’ll become every man’s worst nightmare. I’ll take your title as the most terrifying brute in London.”
“It’s not a title I want or have ever coveted,” Aaron said solemnly. “But after everything we’ve suffered, it’s helped us become the men we are today.”
He could not disagree. Wealth and power were everything to a man desperate to drag himself from the gutter. Naomi had helped him see they came at a price. A price Aaron was still paying for dearly.
Perhaps he could help Aaron by being honest.
Perhaps he might breach his brother’s barricades.
“Do you remember the night Father dragged me out of bed and wanted to make a man of me?” He was to fight in the pit so his father could recoup his losses. A boy pitted against a man twice his size.
You don’t need to win.
Last two rounds, take a few punches.
A darkness passed over Aaron’s features. “Some memories I wish I could forget. I’ve spent my life praying I could go back to that night, so I might knock the pillock on his arse.”
Tell Aaron how you feel.
It may rid you of these nightmares.
Naomi’s sweet voice slipped into his mind.
He prayed he could freeze time and hear it over and over.
“I’ve spent my life wishing I’d been strong enough to let him take me, not you.” Emotion choked his voice. He remembered Aaron hauling himself out of bed, clutching his aching ribs. He remembered lying awake for hours, waiting for him to return. “You’d taken such a beating I hardly recognised you when you came home.”
Aaron hung his head.
He took a few calming breaths before meeting Aramis’ gaze. “I’d have died before I’d let him hurt you. I don’t regret what happened. I regret those closest to me suffered in the process.”
Love and respect for his brother swelled in Aramis’ chest. “There’s only two years between us, but you’ve been my brother, father and my trusted friend.”
Aaron’s left eyebrow rose a fraction. “My actions prove how I feel about you. There’s no need to spout flowery nonsense.” For Aaron, sentiment was like an ice at Gunter’s. He indulged on rare occasions, though a spoonful proved sickly.
He considered telling Aaron about his nightmares and how he hated watching him fight. But he had more pressing matters to contend with. “When we rescue Naomi, I want her to live with us at Fortune’s Den.”
She might want to live at Hartford Hall, but that would pose a problem for him. He had a business to run and couldn’t abandon his responsibilities permanently.
Aaron sighed, but the mask he’d perfected fell into place, hiding any personal emotions. “You own a few properties in town. It’s only right your wife has a place to call home. A place you can be alone together.”
Though he knew Aaron was right, they had never lived apart.
Sadness filled the space between them.
He could see Aaron sitting alone at the dining table. Sigmund his only companion on long winter nights. “Perhaps you want rid of me so you can spy on Miss Scrumptious in peace,” he said to lighten the mood. “Don’t tell me you’ve not imagined bedding her.”
“What I do in my spare time is my business.” Aaron averted his gaze to glance absently at the passing wheat fields. “Some men are meant to be alone. Women always want to change things.”
