“Charlie.” Mr. Moorish patted her hand. “I want you to know that you are welcome to stay here for as long as you wish.” He gave a soft sigh that rang with a note of sadness.
She looked over at him. “Thank you. I appreciate that.” Then her mouth twisted a bit. Should she ask what was troubling him?
He looked down at his eggs. “Cordelia is going to marry Lord Dashlane.”
“I see.”
“I’m going to be rumbling about in this great house all alone,” he said, indicating the vast space with a wave.
“Oh dear. That does sound dreadful.” Her chest squeezed as she recognized the loneliness in his words. “When I lost my parents, I felt terribly adrift. Only my brother anchored me and now he’s…” She hadn’t said these words out loud to anyone. Somehow, it felt good to share them.
He nodded, still patting her hand. “I understand completely.” He propped his chin on his other hand. “Just know that you can always call Moorish Manor home.” Then he pushed his chair back. “I’m off to the office but enjoy your breakfast, my dear.”
Charlie nodded, glanced at her plate, then dipped her fork into some eggs but didn’t bring them to her mouth. Instead, she continued to stare at her plate.
Her bargain with Lord Balstead would fill her summer. Matching his friend actually sounded delightful.
And spending time with him…. Her breath caught as she pictured him before her. The way he’d kissed, the power in his every move.
But then what? Once Cassandra was matched, he’d leave again.
In the meantime, he’d promised to educate her on rakes. The truth was that simpering lords had become tiresome and doing a more dangerous dance with a rake had sounded…exciting. She sighed. Always filling the void with excitement.
Balstead had been right. It was a foolish pursuit, dallying with rakes. She was liable to be ruined, or hurt, or…. She thought of Balstead. In his case, she lost all sense of reason, which made him the most dangerous man of all and the most intriguing one too.
“Good morning,” her cousin, Chase, the Duke of Rathmore, called from behind her. “Here alone?”
She turned to smile at Chase. “Good morning. Mr. Moorish just left. Went off to the docks.”
Chase scratched his chin. “Makes him an excellent businessman.” Then he winked. “But a terrible chaperone.”
Charlie raised a brow. “Is there a story here?”
He crossed to the buffet but didn’t look at her as he answered. “Not for your ears.”
Another person entered the dining room, heavy footfalls signaling his entrance as goose pimples erupted on her flesh. She knew that it was Balstead even before she saw him. Chase filled his plate as Balstead came up behind her, leaning over to whisper in her ear. “I begin to understand why you want an education.”
A flush heated her cheeks as she turned to look at him. His face was just inches from hers, his square jaw and full lips within her reach. If she just leaned over a bit, she could graze a kiss along his skin to his mouth…
But then he pulled away, straightening, and crossed to the buffet. Disappointment slumped her shoulders. She gave her head a little shake. Balstead brought out the absolute worst in her.
Ophelia entered the dining room, flashing Chase a grin. “Did you just arrive to breakfast? What a coincidence.”
Balstead turned back to her then, quirking a brow. Silently, he mouthed, not a coincidence.
Charlie stifled a giggle. Bad or no, he had another side that appeared…playful and she was most interested in learning more about that part of him. Her worries and fears melted away. “What’s everyone going to do with the day?”
Ophelia shrugged. “Wedding plans, correspondence, the usual.” Then she slid next to Charlie. “Why? Did you have something you wished to do?”
Charlie nodded, eyeing Balstead. “The four of us should take a nice long walk on the beach. I, for one, could use the exercise.”
“Splendid idea,” Chase said, turning toward Balstead. “Care to join us?”
“How can I refuse?” Balstead replied to Chase, but his intense gaze was trained on Charlie.
Raithe wished to refuse. Spending time with his little minx was stirring up far more trouble than it was likely worth.
But then he thought of Cassandra. Charlie would have all the best invitations, all the connections to help his friend get an excellent match. If Mr. Moorish was the businessman that everyone claimed he was, perhaps they could figure out a way for Raithe to provide Cassandra with a dowry without sullying her name.
He scratched his chin. He was most definitely going to have to stay here for a bit, which meant going for a walk on the beach.
Not that he minded the beach. The ocean waves, the sand under one’s feet could be quite relaxing. But the company of Charlie was anything but.
“Excellent,” Chase answered. “We’ll leave shortly after breakfast before it gets too hot. The weather is warming, for certain.”
“London will empty out soon enough,” Charlie said, glancing down at her plate.
Chase gave her a sympathetic look. “Sorry, Charlie. You missed the whole season.”
She shrugged. “Your and Dane’s marriages are more important. And besides. I’m only nineteen. They’ll be others.”
Chase gave her a winning smile as Raithe watched them interact. It was a different side of Charlie. One that cared more for other’s needs, one that wasn’t sparring. He quite liked her like this. Warm and soft.
But then he reminded himself that this was the woman who’d bargained to learn about rogues. Who made him forget his vows and question his life choices. He didn’t have room to like her.
“There will, for certain,” Rathmore said. “Dane and I will take turns escorting you. I am sure Juliet and Ophelia will help in that regard too.”
Charlie didn’t answer at first but Raithe noted that she had a tight grip on her fork. “Of course you’ll take turns. You’ll be busy building your new lives.” Her mouth pinched.
Something clearly troubled her, though Raithe had no idea what it might be. And frankly, it wasn’t his concern.
They ate their breakfast, the conversation remaining light, and then headed out for a stroll.
Rathmore escorted Ophelia and Raithe offered his arm to Charlie, her hand slipping into the crook of his elbow. He imagined her fingers felt like that of a bird resting on him, her touch was so light.
“Do you want to see the caves properly?” Ophelia called from just ahead. “The tide is low.”
Charlie shook her head. “I think I’m done with the caves. Thank you.”
“Caves?” he asked.
She nodded. “There are caves that dot the bluffs. But many of the reachable ones also flood so you have to make sure and explore them when the tide is on its way out.”
“And did you? Explore them?” he asked. Raithe wasn’t certain why he was curious but something about her behavior puzzled him.
She nodded. “I did. But I didn’t wait for the group and—” She stopped. “It all worked out fine.”
He looked at her. “I’d like to hear the part between I didn’t wait and it all worked out.”
She sighed. “What does this have to do with rakes?”
“I’m not certain yet. But I suspect something.” That was the truth. And he knew he should likely mind his business. Keep his interactions with her as brief as possible but he couldn’t shake the feeling that the caves and researching rakes were of the same origin.
“Well.” She licked her lips and his entire body tensed. Her tongue was the same pale pink as her lush, delicious mouth and he wanted to taste her again. “A few days ago, the Moorishes held a ball.”
A touch of jealousy made him flex his arm. “And did you have scores of suitors?”
She shook her head. “Not at all. Honestly, everyone else was so engaged I was rather lonely.” Then she drew in a sharp breath. “Anyhow. The next morning I woke up restless.”
That word again.
Restless. And the other…lonely. He was beginning to sense a theme. One he honestly shared. “And so you set off to explore caves that flood…on your own?”
Her hand tightened in the crook of his arm. “That’s right.”
“And what happened next?”
She shuddered. “I was deep in the cave, looking at some skeletons of fish and shells of crabs when a burst of water hit my feet. I’m not a strong swimmer and I rushed to the front of the cave, I realized the water had completely covered the sand and was climbing the rock face. I had no idea of how deep it was or—”
He heard the catch in her voice. His other hand covered hers. His own heart beat wildly thinking of the danger she’d been in. “How did you escape?”
“Dane, my brother, and Juliet, they rescued me. I think that Dane asked Juliet to marry him just after that. She risked her life to save mine.”
He stopped looking down at Charlie, her face gathered in pain. “I think you’re lucky to have such a wonderful sister-in-law join your family.”
“I am,” she answered. They’d reached the top of the bluffs, about to head down the path to the beach. “And yet, sometimes I think that I’ll lose everyone I love.”
Raithe squeezed her fingers in his. He was beginning to understand the origin of her restlessness. He ached for her. Someone as young and lovely as Charlie shouldn’t have to hurt so much. In that moment, he wished he could take away her pain. But there was nothing he could do. Was there?
Chapter Six
Charlie wished she could kick herself, but she straightened her shoulders, determined to turn the conversation to something lighter, less personal. “Enough about me.”
They started down the step path, Ophelia and Chase easily made their way down the steep, rocky path. She lifted her skirts, watching her slippers as she picked her way down.
“I disagree. I am finding this conversation fascinating.”
His deep voice shivered through her. Why had she told such a man about her foolish escapade? “I’m sure my mistake will only affirm all the reasons you should never kiss me again.” She tilted her chin, looking into his near-black eyes.
Her foot slipped on a rock and he steadied her waist. The feel of his hand covering her midriff shot a wave of longing through her. He was so strong. Once more, Charlie really considered what it would be like to be sheltered by such a man.
“For the record. I have no intention of ever kissing you again. But not because of what you said.” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I am, as I know you know, a rogue. Unredeemable. And you are an innocent. I’ll tell you what you wish to know, but we can’t touch, especially kiss again. It isn’t safe for either of us.”
Her stomach flopped about. He’d never kiss her again? “Of course,” she said as they began moving again. Her head dipped. Even bringing up the kiss only highlighted how much she wanted another. Because that had quieted her head in the most satisfying of ways. Because he stole her breath, and her thoughts, and her reason.
“Which brings us to the topic at hand. I’ve issued my warning for you to stay away from rakes. Last night, I wanted to teach you how quickly and easily you can fall into one’s arms. But if I were truly acting the part of rake, I wouldn’t have stopped at a kiss.”
Those words should have frightened her. But instead, she ached between her thighs again. “What else would you have done?” The words popped out before she could stop them.
He looked over at her, letting out a deep groaning sigh. “I would have ruined you…completely.”
She gripped his arm. “How does a man ruin a woman…completely?”
He stopped again, his boots scuffing the dirt. “You don’t actually mean you want me to explain the act?”
She did mean that. Precisely. She had no mother, no sister. Dane certainly wasn’t going to tell her. And she didn’t know the Moorish sisters well enough to ask. “You promised to educate me.”
“Yes but…I thought you wanted me to demonstrate lines they might use or tell you about the parties men hold when women aren’t present.”
“Exactly,” she dropped her voice. It was almost ridiculous she asked this of him and her pulsed raced, blood rushing in her ears, but he was the only one she could think to go to for the information. And besides, somehow, she preferred him over any other man. There was an intimacy between them she didn’t know how to name. “What do you do with a woman at one of those parties? Kissing? Yes. What else?”
“No,” he answered the single word biting out.
“Please,” she begged, tugging on his arm. “My mother and father died when I was thirteen. I was too young then and I don’t know who else—”
“Thirteen?” He swallowed. “That’s a terrible age for such a loss.”
“I didn’t mean to talk of myself again.” She shook her head, a few strands of her hair coming loose. “The point is, I’ve no one else to ask and you are the only man that I dare.”
Chase and Ophelia were still in sight, but they moved further ahead, which was just as well.
“Balstead,” she whispered. “Please.”
He closed his eyes for a moment. “Call me Raithe.”
“Raithe?” she asked as her feet slipped again. This time, he just wrapped an arm about her waist. Funny, even that small gesture, while exciting, calmed some of the hectic racing in her mind. “It suits you.”
“This isn’t education on rakes. This is an education on relations.”
She shrugged. “Fair enough. Though I did warn you that my ultimate goal was to marry.”
“Then your husband should explain it.”
“But it’s so much easier to ask you,” Why did she feel so comfortable asking him these things? Perhaps because he didn’t seem ashamed of them. Besides, he wasn’t courting her, so she didn’t have to worry about how she came across to him.
He drew in a deep breath. “Fine.” Then he cleared his throat again. “A woman has a hole.”
“I’m aware of that,” she answered, looking over at him, the funniest tickle in her belly.
He paled, just a bit. Even in the sun. “You are? How?”
She tsked. “Don’t you know your own anatomy? I’ve done some exploring.”
“Exploring?” his voice cracked. “You’ve done some exploring?”
“Yes. Now can we please continue to the parts I’m not aware of?”
Raithe was in hell. Images of Charlie exploring herself were wreaking havoc on his body and his mind. By God, he wanted to watch. He’d bet her lower lips were the same pale pink as—He stopped. His breeches had grown uncomfortably tight and his mind could hardly put together a coherent thought. “Charlie,” his voice sounded strangled even to his own ears. “Are you always so blunt?”
“Yes,” she answered. “It’s how I got the nickname Charlie to begin with. Dane has always said I sound more like a man than a woman. My mother hated it. Always trying to convince me to be more demure.” She looked down at the path. “I even miss that.”
Her grief lessoned the burden of his awareness. She ached from loss just as he did. “I know.”
Her head snapped up. “You do?”
There wasn’t room in one walk for two sad stories, so he switched back to their previous topic. The one that was going to leave him aching all day. “A man has a rod. For lack of a better term.” He would not teach her the terminology. Even he had limits.
“Oh.” She sucked in her breath and then her hand fluttered to his chest. “Does it go into the…”
Christ. Now he was picturing sliding inside her body, her creamy thighs wrapped about him. Shivers of awareness ran down his spine, and he’d turned to granite. He’d doubted he’d ever find relief. “Yes.”
“Why do women say that it hurts?”
Now that he could answer. “The first time, there is skin that needs to be broken. It’s just the once.”
“Oh, that makes sense.” She tapped her chin, then turned back to him. “Do women feel pleasure? After the first time?”<
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“Yes. Many do.” His teeth had clamped together and he pushed the words out between them.
“Hey,” Rathmore called from ahead. “Keep up now.”
“Gladly,” Raithe muttered. Because the very idea of her finishing underneath him had desire coursing through his body.
Blessedly she fell silent as they finally reached the beach. “And obviously men find it pleasurable as well. That’s why they try to convince women to allow them…” She let her voice taper off, thank the lord. If she said any more he might explode in his pants like a school boy.
“Partially,” he said, breathing a sigh of relief after they’d ventured back into safer territory. Discussing the behavior of rakes was so much safer than a woman’s pleasure. “I think the rakes that target innocent women like the thrill of the hunt and conquest as much as the act itself. Innocents are more difficult to coerce.”
They moved faster now that they’d reached the beach. “And that isn’t you?”
“No,” he answered honestly. He’d kept his activities to women who understood the bargain. It was a transaction. “That isn’t me.”
“So how will I know if a man’s attention is genuine?”
He drew in a breath. “He’ll want to protect you as much as he’ll wish to bed you.”
“Oh,” she gasped. “That is beautiful.”
He shrugged. It was how he’d felt about Jennifer. And on that front he’d failed. He didn’t ever want to fail another woman again. “Have I answered enough questions for the day?”
She nodded. “I think so.”
“When does your brother return to collect you to begin your summer social schedule?” They had changed directions and headed toward the rock face.
“Not for a week or two. Then we’ll have Chase’s wedding,” she said. “We’ll depart in probably three weeks’ time.”
“Can you write to your brother this afternoon and ask him if Cassandra and I might gain invitations to some of these events?”
“Certainly,” she replied. “I can gather some more information from you while we wait for his—”
Who Wants a Brawling Baron: Romancing the Rake Page 4
