The Rogue Is Back in Town

by Anna Bennett

“Better.” He led her to the bed, sat on the edge, and patted the mattress beside him. “Now that I have you to take my mind off it.”

  She climbed up and tucked her bare feet beneath her. “I wanted to stay with you while the doctor set your arm, but he wouldn’t let me. And when he finished, he told me you were resting and shouldn’t be disturbed.

  “He prescribed a couple of shots of brandy prior to patching me up. I slept soundly for a couple of hours afterward.”

  “And now?” she asked. “Has the pain returned?”

  “I’m a little sore,” he said with a shrug. “No worse than you’d expect after your average pub brawl.”

  “How comforting,” she teased.

  “I’m glad you slept.” He gazed at her with something akin to adoration. “Mr. Finch said you were packing trunks through the night last night. And you looked exhausted earlier. Now, some of the color has returned to your face. You’re … radiant.”

  Warmth blossomed in her chest. “I want to thank you for what you did.”

  “I wish that the contract had been executed before Nigel learned I was the buyer. Then you could have kept your house.”

  “I cannot express how much I appreciate the gesture,” she said, humbled. “But I could never accept such a generous gift.”

  “You weren’t supposed to know that I had anything to do with the purchase of the property. And anyway, it wasn’t truly a gift. The house was rightfully your uncle’s,” he said firmly. “I was only trying to ensure that you both could remain there—and that my brother couldn’t unjustly manipulate you.”

  “What you did … it was beyond thoughtful.” She tried not to stare at the smooth, tanned skin exposed by his open collar. “How did you manage to obtain the contract?”

  “I sold a trinket or two to use as collateral for a loan,” he said, as if it had been a routine thing. When she suspected it was anything but.

  “Oh, Sam. Please say you didn’t give up your father’s pocket watch.”

  “He would have approved. I’ve no regrets.”

  Julie’s throat constricted painfully. “You did that for us, even when you were unsure of my feelings for you?”

  “I didn’t need to know your feelings for me. Because I know what I feel for you.” He caressed her cheek and brushed a thumb over her lips. “Sometime after I hid behind your settee, and before the night we first made love … I fell in love with you. Hard. Hopelessly. Every decision I’ve made since then has been easy. I simply ask myself what would make you smile. And then I do that thing.”

  “Then it’s no wonder I cannot stop myself from smiling when you’re near.” Heart pounding, she reached for his hand and pressed a kiss to the palm. “I know what I feel for you too. I used to think home was a house, a solid structure. The singular place where a family dines together, where memories are made, and where babies are born. But it turns out that home isn’t a place at all.”

  “It’s not?” He arched a brow, amused.

  “No.” She leaned in and pressed her lips to his for a brief but heady kiss. “Home is the feeling you get when you’re with the person you love. And no place would be home without you.”

  His handsome face turned sober. “I want to marry you, Juliette.”

  Her entire body thrummed with an odd mix of joy and disbelief. She opened her mouth to reply, but he stopped her.

  “I don’t possess a title or fortune. I can’t offer you an elegant townhouse or a grand country estate. But I can promise you that I’ll spend every damned day trying to make the best life I can for you and our family. My heart belongs solely to you, and I will care for you and protect you until my last dying breath.” He swallowed and gazed at her earnestly. “Give me the chance to love you. Give me the chance to make you smile … now and always.”

  A lump formed in her throat and she blinked away tears. “I would be honored to marry you, Samuel Travis.”

  A slow, astonished grin spread across his face. “You would? You could definitely make a better match, you know.” He pushed her hair behind her shoulder and playfully kissed her neck. “Any man would be lucky to have you. Are you certain you don’t wish for a duke or an earl, like your sisters’ husbands?”

  Though his tone was light and teasing, she sensed that her answer mattered to him.

  Very much.

  “Sam.” She stroked the rough edge of his jaw and waited till he met her gaze. “I confess I wanted what my sisters have. But it wasn’t their husbands’ titles or wealth I envied. I wanted someone who would be thoughtful and steady and true … and who could also make my heart race wildly. I wanted the fairytale, and I have that with you. I could never have it with anyone else.”

  He blew out a relieved breath. “We’ll take care of your uncle. Once I find us a house, he can move in with us and continue his research. I know the move has taken a toll on him, but we’ll help him return to his former, jovial self. I’ll play another cricket match with him. Or maybe we’ll try something different like archery or a fox hunt.”

  Julie choked back a sob—she couldn’t help it. “Thank you,” she managed.

  “I like your uncle,” he said, sincerely. “And I think he likes me. The true test will come when I request a meeting with him after breakfast tomorrow. He may like me more as a distant cousin than as your betrothed.”

  “Nonsense. He adores you. In fact, I confess to being a bit jealous at how quickly he warmed to you.”

  “I want us to be a family,” he said, “but I also want to be a part of yours. Your sisters and uncle are important to you. That makes them important to me.”

  “What about your family? I’m sorry about Nigel. I know you’d hoped to reconcile with him. I don’t want you to have any regrets.”

  “I could never, will never, regret loving you,” he promised. “No matter what. My brother isn’t the man I thought he was.” He glanced down at his injured arm. “And yet, there’s always a chance that someday he’ll change.”

  They sat in silence for several moments, and Julie pondered all that Sam had said, wondering when it would truly sink in. They were betrothed.

  “God, how I’ve missed you,” he breathed, leaning his forehead against hers and cupping her cheek. “I can’t believe you’re here right now. In spite of all the day’s catastrophes, I feel like the luckiest man in the world.”

  “You are very lucky, indeed.” She braced a hand on his hard thigh and took care not to bump his arm as she slanted her mouth across his.

  At last, the rogue was hers.

  Chapter FORTY-THREE

  Juliette probably had no idea that her silk dressing gown gaped open at the front, exposing the lush curves of her breasts. Sam would have sworn he’d died and gone to heaven—if the idea of him ending up in that place wasn’t so damned farfetched.

  Still, odder things had happened—like Juliette agreeing to marry him.

  Her gleaming hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders as she closed the distance between them and pressed her lips to his.

  The moment their mouths touched, he was gone.

  She’d become the center of his world, and nothing had ever felt so right. Now she was here. Willing to give herself to him—heart, body, and soul.

  The fragrant scent of her hair and the soft mewling sounds in her throat and the firm pressure of her hand on his thigh overwhelmed his senses in the best possible way.

  “I want you, temptress,” he murmured, already burning with desire.

  “We cannot risk injuring your arm even more,” she said regretfully.

  “To hell with my arm.” He squeezed a shapely hip through the satin of her robe and pulled her onto his lap, so her thighs straddled his.

  “Goodness.” She blushed adorably. “This isn’t prudent, Sam. I’m certain the doctor wouldn’t approve.”

  “I don’t need the doctor’s approval.” He slipped a hand inside her dressing gown and cupped her breast, loving the way she melted into his hand. “Just yours.”

  “In that c
ase,” she sighed, “you may proceed.”

  With one tug on her sash, her robe slipped off her shoulders and fell away. He drank in the sight of her—proud, passionate, beautiful. His.

  She was tentative at first, avoiding his injured arm as though the lightest touch would shatter it. But soon she was spearing her fingers through his hair and kissing his neck and rocking against him, greedy for more.

  With a timid smile, she unbuttoned the front of his trousers and wrapped her fingers around his hard length, stroking him till he groaned.

  “I can’t wait, Julie. I need you. Now.”

  She frowned at his arm. “I’m not sure how…”

  He grasped her hip and lifted her up and forward. “Just like this.”

  With a gasp, she lowered herself onto him. Tight, hot, wet … perfect. She cradled his head in her hands and stared at him, her eyes glazed with pleasure. “Are you all right?”

  “I have never been better.” He took a rosy tip of her breast in his mouth as they slowly moved together, finding the rhythm that made her whimper with need. He reached between their bodies and touched her till her head fell back and she cried out his name.

  The moment she came apart, he let go too. His release rolled toward him with the power of a thundercloud and surged through him like lightning.

  Changing him, deep in his bones.

  Afterward, he covered Julie with a quilt and tucked her close to his chest. “I love you, Juliette,” he murmured against her temple. “Always.”

  And he knew it with utter certainty.

  This was where he was meant to be.

  It was who he was meant to be.

  * * *

  “How is your research progressing?” Sam poured hot tea into Alistair’s cup before filling his own and sitting at the breakfast table, glad to have a few moments alone with him. Juliette must have fallen asleep again after she returned to her own bedchamber in the wee hours of the morning.

  “My findings are hardly groundbreaking,” the older man admitted. “But I’ve amassed quite a bit of evidence pointing to the adverse effects of dumping human waste and animal carcasses into the Thames. The sturgeon, salmon, and trout populations have all declined according to fishermen. And you don’t need a scientist’s powers of observation to smell the stench drifting off the mud banks.”

  Sam managed to swallow a mouthful of egg, then pushed his plate away. “Will you present your findings to the Royal Society? Your records could prove valuable.” Besides, Julie desperately wanted her uncle to gain acceptance in the scientific community. Perhaps more than Alistair wanted it for himself.

  “I’m not certain.” He pushed his ham around with his fork, looking wistful. “Maybe once I’m settled … somewhere. I’m feeling rather at loose ends since yesterday. But I know Juliette would like me to pursue membership, and I do like to make her happy.”

  Sam smiled. “That’s something we have in common. I adore making your niece happy. In fact, there’s something important I need to ask you.”

  The older man leaned forward. “Oh? What is it?”

  Uncharacteristically nervous, Sam swallowed. “I’d like to humbly ask you for your niece’s hand in marriage.”

  Alistair’s fork clattered to his plate. “You wish to … to marry Juliette?”

  Footsteps sounded in the corridor. Not the patter of dainty slippers, but the thud of large boots.

  “Marry Juliette?” A masculine voice repeated, incredulous. “What the hell has been going on in my bloody house?”

  Shit. Sam adjusted his sling, which suddenly had him in a stranglehold.

  “Welcome home, William,” Alistair beamed. “This is Cousin Samuel—and he wants to marry Juliette!”

  More footsteps. This time of the dainty slipper variety. Julie appeared in the doorway of the dining room wearing a sunny yellow frock and blushing to the roots of her hair. “Good morning, everyone.” Her eyes welled as she hugged her brother-in-law, the earl. “Thank you for coming. I’m so sorry to take you away from Meg, but I didn’t know where else to turn.”

  “You should have sent for me earlier. I come back to town to find Alistair’s been kicked out of his home and you’re almost engaged to…”

  “Samuel Travis.” Sam stood and inclined his head since his sling didn’t allow him to properly shake hands.

  “He tried to help us,” Julie explained. “But some dockworkers broke his arm.”

  The earl arched a brow, skeptical. “You can tell me the entire story over breakfast. But first I’m going to need coffee.” Turning to Sam, he said, “Travis, I think it would be best if you left.”

  “Will!” Julie cried.

  But Sam understood the earl’s need to talk to his family privately and assess the situation from all angles—it’s what he would have done too. He shot Julie an encouraging smile. “I’ll go for now. I must stop by the office anyway. But I shall see you soon. I promise.” On his way out, he scooped up her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it.

  “I say, Samuel,” Alistair called after him. “Come back for dinner tonight. We’ll toast your and Juliette’s engagement.”

  “There is no engagement yet,” Will said through gritted teeth. Unable to ignore Julie’s pleading eyes, he added, “But do join us for dinner this evening.”

  Sam grinned. “I can’t wait.”

  * * *

  When Sam returned to the earl’s townhouse that evening, the butler escorted him directly to Castleton’s study.

  As Sam entered the room, the earl, who sat with his boots propped on the corner of his massive desk, scowled. Without preamble, he said, “Why in God’s name should I allow you to marry my sister-in-law?”

  Not intimidated in the least, Sam looked him in the eye. “Because I love her—and she loves me.”

  Castleton snorted. “Forgive my skepticism, but you’re a notorious rake. What do you hope to gain out of this match? Money? Status?”

  “No. Just the chance to make Juliette happy and…”

  “And?” The earl arched a brow, impatient.

  “A family,” Sam said simply. “I want to be part of a true family.”

  “Christ.” Castleton raked a hand through his hair, stood, and paced behind his desk. “Julie wants to marry you too, though for the life of me, I can’t imagine why. How will you provide for her?”

  “I’ve taken a position in my friend’s business. I may not have much to offer yet, but I will. I just never had anything worth working for … until now.”

  “I see,” the earl said dryly. “So after meeting Julie, you’re suddenly reformed?”

  It wasn’t far from the truth, damn it. “She made me believe I was more than a collection of salacious stories in the gossip rags—and for her, I want to be.” He shrugged. “For myself too.”

  Castleton leveled a stare at him for several moments, thoughtful. “If you break her heart, Travis, you shall rue the day, so help me, God.”

  “I would sooner die than hurt her.”

  The earl snorted again. “Then we are of a like mind.” He stalked to his sideboard, poured a couple of glasses of brandy, and handed one to Sam. “Welcome to the family. You should know that the Lacey sisters keep few secrets from each other. They’re loyal and stubborn and passionate. And marrying into their unconventional, close-knit family makes you one of the luckiest bastards in the world.”

  Sam nodded soberly. “Trust me—I already know.”

  Chapter FORTY-FOUR

  “How long have they been in Will’s study?” Uncle Alistair asked.

  Julie glanced at the clock perched on the mantel in the earl’s drawing room, where they waited for Sam and Will to join them before going through to dinner. “A half hour.” She paced in front of the scores of trunks and boxes from Uncle Alistair’s house stacked neatly against one wall. She hadn’t even begun to unpack all their things. “What could they be talking about?”

  “I think it’s safe to assume they’re talking about you,” her uncle said with a smi
le.

  “I do hope Will’s not being too hard on Sam.”

  “He looks well enough,” Uncle Alistair replied with a chuckle. “Save the sling on his arm.”

  Julie looked up to see Sam and Will walking into the drawing room, shoulder to shoulder. The sight of Sam in a tailored dark-green jacket and snug trousers nearly took her breath away, and when a slow smile spread across his handsome face, she positively ached.

  “Well?” she asked Will, perhaps a bit impatiently.

  “If Alistair gives his blessing, then I give mine as well.” He planted a congratulatory kiss on her cheek.

  “I approve, wholeheartedly.” Uncle Alistair slapped his knee for added emphasis. “I believe this calls for champagne at dinner.”

  Sam sat on the sofa beside him. “Thank you, sir. I don’t yet know where Julie and I will live, but it will be your home too. We’ll see that you have a fine study with plenty of shelves for books, river-water samples, and whatever else you wish.”

  “Thank you, Samuel,” her uncle said, his voice more gravelly than usual.

  Julie’s heart squeezed in her chest. “But in the meantime, I wanted to make you feel more at home here.” She scurried to the hall and waved a pair of footmen in.

  “Oh, that’s not necessary. I am fine. If I seem a bit ruffled, it’s only because I miss … what’s this?”

  “Until we find a more permanent spot for it, Will agreed we could hang Aunt Elspeth’s portrait in here.” Julie hoped he’d feel less at sea with the portrait nearby. She helped the footmen navigate the room while holding the large painting, directing them away from small tables and vases that could easily topple.

  “How thoughtful,” Alistair murmured, lifting his spectacles to swipe at his eyes.

  “I think the painting will look very nice here,” Julie said, pointing to a spot beside the window, “and you’ll be able to see it from either the sofa or the armchair.”

  “Wait,” Sam said.

  Julie blinked. “What’s the matter?”

  “Nothing. That is, there’s something on the back of the picture—a small paper tucked into the upper-right corner.”

  The footmen set the portrait down and Julie went to look. “Have you any idea what this could be, Uncle Alistair?”