“I love you,” he murmured as he bent close to her ear. “Thank you for giving me a future.”
She blinked. “I love you too and it is I who gained more than I ever could have thought possible.”
Rose couldn’t believe it. She’d found the man she’d always wanted. Well really, she’d hunted him down. That made her grin and her returned the smile.
“What is it?” His eyebrows pushed up toward his hairline.
“I came here to catch a thief.” She giggled. “That distinction is yours, but I was thinking, I may have caught the bigger prize.”
Will laughed. “I’ve been ensnared by a beautiful little sneak who refused to accept that I was a common criminal.”
She bit her lip to hold back her smile. “If there is one thing you are not, it’s common. I’ve always known that.”
He pulled her a touch closer, they were still being watched. “I haven’t properly thanked you for seeing the truth in me. I’d spent so long trying to hide it, I hadn’t realized how much I needed to be seen.”
She shook her head. “It’s you who saved me.”
She wanted to kiss him. More than anything, Rose wanted to hold him close. Tonight, she told herself. As if he’d read her mind, he whispered so only she could hear. “Leave your balcony door unlocked.”
Oh yes, she most definitely would.
* * *
One year later…
Rose stood in the parlor of Duke and Duchess of Landon’s townhome. The four of them had become fast friends. But she and Will were not here for a social call today.
Her husband sat with his arm unabashedly about her waist. He rarely let it go, which was fine with her.
“So you’re saying that Bridgeton and Highwater had a third associate?” Will’s deep voice rumbled next to her.
“Correct,” Ryker nodded. “An earl who had been failing. Bridgeton had primarily been a go-between for most of the jewelers that would either transform the pieces or hold onto them until they could be sold. The Earl of Allerton, however, was actually a thief. He would use his admittance through parties to steal goods out of people’s homes. It’s what gave Bridgeton the idea.”
“Has he been caught?” Rose felt Will tense and she straightened. Having taken a year away from being a spy, Will had found a great deal of satisfaction out of running their estate, and building their family. Rose expected their first child late this winter. She knew he was glad to have let the investigation go.
“Yes, as have many of the underlings that worked for them.” Ryker gave him an easy smile. “Your services are not needed.”
Will relaxed next to her. “Thank the lord for that.” Then he pulled her closer.
“Prinny simply wanted me to inform you that they managed in the end without you.” Ryker came up and slapped him on the back. “He did suggest that a position would be there for you if you ever chose to take it.”
It was Rose’s turn to tense. Will had told her how happy he was to be done with that life, but it hadn’t been his choice to leave it, he’d been forced. If given the chance, would he take it again?
“While I appreciate the thought, I’ve closed that chapter of my life.” Will bent down and kissed her on the cheek. “But give Prinny my best.”
They left a short time later and as Rose climbed into their carriage, she couldn’t help the niggle of nerves that sent her stomach dancing. She no longer worried that Will wouldn’t be attracted to her, but somehow, she’d never quite shed the fear that Will would want a life filled with more adventure.
Silence spread between them as Rose watched her husband across the carriage. “Were you surprised the Prinny wants you back?”
Will shook his head. “I suppose not, though it’s of little consequence.”
Her brows lifted. “Why is that?”
“You know very well, I’ve worked hard this year to restore my reputation.”
“You don’t give a fig about your reputation,” she fired back.
He gave a hearty laugh and then reached for her to pull her across the carriage and into her lap. “You’re right there. But I do care about you. You’re everything to me.”
“We could do it together,” she whispered. “I’d be good at it. Helping you.” It was true. And it was tempting. The excitement and the drama of it. But somewhere in the last year, she’d found she liked their life together so much more than that.
“I know you are, love.” His lips found hers. “But I would never want to see you in danger like that. And besides, I love our life just the way it is. I’ve had enough of all that.”
“Oh thank goodness,” she said just before he kissed her again. And then again. She’d have said more but as their kisses lengthened and deepened, words were no longer necessary.
Other Titles by Tammy Andresen
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Wicked Lords of London Books 1-3
Wicked Lords of London Books 4-6
Wicked Lords of London
Earl of Sussex
My Duke’s Seduction
My Duke’s Deception
My Earl’s Entrapment
My Duke’s Desire
My Wicked Earl
New: Taming the Duke’s Heart
Taming a Defiant Duke
Taming a Wicked Rake
Taming an Unrepentant Earl
Taming my Christmas (Coming in November of 2019)
How to Reform a Rake
How to Reform a Rake
Don’t Tell a Duke You Love Him
Meddle in a Marquess’s Affairs
Never Trust an Errant Earl
Never Kiss an Earl at Midnight
Make a Viscount Beg
Brethren of Stone
The Duke’s Scottish Lass
Scottish Devil
Wicked Laird
Kilted Sin
Rogue Scot
The Fate of a Highland Rake
A Laird to Love
Christmastide with my Captain (FREE!!!)
My Enemy, My Earl
Heart of a Highlander
A Scot’s Surrender
My Laird’s Seduction
The Earl’s Forsaken Bride
Taming the Duke’s Heart
Taming a Duke’s Reckless Heart (FREE!! Check it out today!)
Taming a Duke’s Wild Rose
Taming a Laird’s Wild Lady
Taming a Rake into a Lord
Taming a Savage Gentleman
Taming a Rogue Earl
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More about Tammy
Tammy Andresen lives with her husband and three children just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. She grew up on the Seacoast of Maine, where she spent countless days dreaming up stories in blueberry fields and among the scrub pines that line the coast. Her mother loved to spin a yarn and Tammy filled many hours listening to her mother retell the classics. It was inevitable that at the age of 18, she headed off to Simmons College, where she studied English literature and education. She never left Massachusetts but some of her heart still resides in Maine and her family visits often.
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“The characters are well-developed and interesting, the plot is edge-of-your-seat intriguing, and the setting is one with so much history. If you are a fan of history mixed with mystery and intrigue, you won't be disappointed.” Linda Thompson THE AUTHOR SHOW
“While the relationship between Lily and Eric is the primary focus of this story, the mystery/supense factor is what kept this from being JUST a historical romance. Lily in Bloom was a fast-paced, romantic read that I absoutely LOVED.” http://alysenovak.blogs
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”… it held not only a pure romance but the simple magic that goes with it. I was enchanted with this story from the beginning until the end and I didn’t want it to end. I wanted it to go on.” Robin
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Dashing Dukes and Romantic Rogues Page 79
