My Earl's Entrapment (Wicked Lords of London Book 3)

by Tammy Andresen

  It was as though her insides exploded from the sensation and she gave a cry as she threaded her fingers through his hair. He turned his attention to the other nipple and she lost track of time, of her surroundings, as he lay her down again and settled himself between her legs.

  A little fear niggled in her belly, but so much stronger was the desire to be his. To complete their relationship through this joining and as he pressed inside her, she held back her cry of pain, instead pulling him closer. “I love you, too,” she whispered in his ear as he began to move inside her.

  He threaded his fingers into her mass of hair as they gently rocked together. The pain subsided and was replaced by an ache that grew into pleasure. He kissed every inch of her face until they were both panting with a need she hadn’t thought possible and finally, as they came together, her pleasure exploded into an array of colors behind her lids that left her limp with satisfaction.

  He groaned his own release as she held him close. If what he’d said was true, and despite her own reservations, she believed him, he would be hers forever.

  That was her last thought as she drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter Twelve

  The next evening, Rose watched the dancers twirl about. This was the final event of the house party, and tomorrow everyone would begin the journey home.

  She’d played croquet with Will and a party of others this afternoon. And they communicated, silently of course, across the table at dinner. But since the men had gone off to smoke, he hadn’t returned to the party. Rose wondered what might be keeping him.

  This time, she wasn’t worried by his absence, only curious. She cared little for dancing but she’d like his company. They had yet to be alone since last night when he’d carried her back to her room in the wee hours of the morning and she longed to touch him again.

  He finally appeared in the doorway. He searched the room until his gaze locked on hers. Though he was a nearly a head taller than many of the guests, she couldn’t see most of him until he approached and then she noticed that he carried a velvet-trimmed box in his hand.

  Once he stood in front of her, he held out his hand to her and pulled Rose to her feet. “My lady,” he rumbled.

  She gave him a smile in return, though most of the party had stopped to watch them. He handed her the box and her fingers trembled as she took it. “What is it?”

  He leaned close and whispered, “Open it.” Then with a grin. “But don’t take it out. Let them wonder.”

  She cracked open the lid, and there, nestled in folds of silk were her mother’s diamonds glinting in the low light. A gasp escaped her lips as tears filled her eyes. She blinked them away and looked up to Will again but found him on one knee before her.

  “Lady Roselyn, your father has consented to allow me to ask for your hand in marriage.” Will gave her a soft grin as he looked to his right.

  She followed his gaze and saw her father grinning back as he gave her a nod of approval. “Oh my,” she murmured her breath catching on the final word. This couldn’t be happening.

  “Oh yes,” his words pulled her back to him and as she looked into his dark eyes, warmth and love spread through her. “Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

  It was so perfect, she could hardly breathe. She’d grown up hearing how her father had retrieved the stones and presented them to her mother when he’d proposed. And now, here was Will, giving her that same experience.

  How had he known? Even as a spy, it was miraculous. Not that it mattered. It connected her to her mother, it brought Will into her family in a way she’d never dreamed possible. “Yes,” she said. “The honor is mine.”

  The room burst into wild applause as Will stood, taking her hands in his as they held the velvet box together.

  “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.

  My Duke’s Desire

  Wicked Lords of London

  Tammy Andresen

  Theo stood on the deck of The Summerset staring into the fog. He bent his neck from side to side, causing it to give several menacing cracks. The sound suited his mood. If he were still in Barbados, he would actually be watching the sun set, a breeze cooling his warm skin. He looked at his hand. It still held the hint of a tan. Not at all desirable for an English Lord, which was one of the reasons he liked having one.

  His navigator and longtime friend, Rex Adelman, muttered next to him, “Damn English weather.”

  His thoughts exactly as they attempted to dock along the Thames. The cold moist air bit at his skin. He hated the cold and the rain. Not for the first time, he wondered what the point was of being a wealthy duke if one could not choose to live on a balmy tropical island. “We’ll be back to Barbados before you know it.”

  “I hope that is true.” Rex clapped him on the shoulder. “But this country is difficult to escape.”

  He grimaced, understanding what his friend meant. Even for Theo, inheriting the title did not leave him entirely in charge of his fortune. He supposed that his folly had been leaving the finances in very able hands of his brothers-in-law. While they had done an admirable job—he got their quarterly reports—they had grown tired of managing his affairs along with their own. “If there is a way, you and I will find it. Though I suspect you’re correct. Leaving won’t be easy.”

  He suspected his mother had a hand in their fatigue. Just as it was she who chartered a ship specially to send him a message. Come home to meet your perspective bride or we will cease managing your affairs or sending you funds.

  Bloody hell, that had taken far less time than he’d supposed. He’d only been gone for two years.

  Theo had seriously considered the possibility of not returning. It would be easy enough to hire a solicitor. He cared little for being the Duke of Waverly and even less for the bonds of matrimony, but in the end, he’d decided to heed the summons. While it was unlikely that he’d marry, his family deserved to hear that from him. He would not leave his sisters or mother without explanation.

  He’d learned, during his time at sea, how to face life as a man, rather than being a puppet under his father’s command. So whatever decision he made, he’d make with full knowledge of the consequences of his actions and the strength to face him. He’d not bend to another’s will again.

  If he married, it would be his choice and no one else’s.

  The ship finally docked and Rex gave him a long, dark look. “I’ll meet you in a few days.”

  Theo gave him a terse nod. “Good luck, my friend.” Rex had his own troubles to solve but would join Theo and his family as soon as he could.

  Bidding Theo and his crew a temporary farewell, he found a hack to take him to his London town home. In the morning, he’d choose from any number of horses to make the two-day ride to his childhood home.

  It would be nice to see his mother and sisters again. He’d sincerely missed them. Tricia and Tabbie, his older sisters, had done their best to protect him from his father’s tyranny, to give him love and support, rather than the harsh rule his father had provided.

  Their husbands supported him still, in their own way. They had seemed to understand that he needed to take some time to learn to be his own man.

  Reaching his home, his valet helped him undress. “Would you like a shave, Your Grace?

  He nearly chuckled aloud. He knew what he looked like. Tan with a scruffy beard and long hair, he did not look very lordly. A fact that he delighted in. “No, that will be all.”

  His mother would near faint when she saw him. Serve her right, for trying to strongarm him.

  He had missed sleeping on land and as he collapsed into bed, the soft mattress enveloping him, he realized there would be a few perks to returning to England.

  The next morning, he rose and chose a stunning stallion to make the journey. As a duke, he likely should have ridden in a carriage. It was safer, far more conservative.

  But he set out, loving the animal beneath him. Another benefit to being home. This quality of animal couldn’t be found anywhere else in the world. “You’re a good boy.” He’d patted the horse’s neck and kicked him into a brisk pace.

  But as the day went on, the fog turned to mist and then the mist to rain. The road began to rut and Theo cursed the English weather once again. He’d forgotten to factor in the rain.

  As his horse sidestepped a puddle, he landed his front hoof on the banking and let out a whiny. Theo gave a curse as he climbed off the animal to check his leg. “There’s a good lad.” He soothed the animal as he checked the leg. It didn’t appear to be broken but to be safe, he’d couldn’t ride him. With a grimace, he realized he was walking in the rain until he reached the next town.

  Bloody England.

  Lady Violette Chase attempted to look out the rain-soaked window and let out a small sigh. Her mother glanced over at her, her eyebrows drawn together. Sighing was not ladylike. But under the circumstances, she believed that she was entitled to one tiny breach in behavior.

  She smoothed her skirts and sat up straighter and her mother’s brow relaxed. “When you meet His Grace,” her mother began. She held in her sigh this time. Many of their conversations had started exactly so. “Make sure to be the picture of ladylike decorum.”

  The lecture went on and Violette nodded attentively, though she barely paid attention. In her defense she’d heard it so many times, she could nearly recite it verbatim.

  Violette was now the sister of an Earl, her father having passed a year prior. And while her dowry was intact, the family’s funds were so diminished that she wouldn’t be able to participate in the upcoming season.

  She needed to marry, there was no question about that. Without a match, her family wouldn’t survive financially. So her mother had leveraged her social connections to secure several invitations. The goal being to find a husband before they were forced to use her dowry just to live. That would be the beginning of the end.

  With a proper husband, her mother would be provided for. She hoped to convince her new husband to provide a modest dowry for her sister and help her brother to learn to manage his funds far better than their father had done.

  Her mother finally ended her lecture. “If he doesn’t wish to make a match, we will simply move on. The Marquess of Dunstable and the Earl of Rumsford have also sent invitations.”

  That was supposed to make her feel better. If this man didn’t want her, another would. But somehow, it only made her insides twist into knots. She resembled a side of beef at the market. One of them would want her for his table.

  She pushed the thought aside. She’d given up lamenting her fate some time ago. She understood the alternative and she wouldn’t allow her sister to become a spinster, her brother to sink under the weight of their debt.

  Her father had loved them. He’d been attentive and kind. Loving and present. He simply was a poor manager of money.

  The carriage slowed and Violette peered out the window again. The blurry figure of a man and his horse huddled under a tree caught her notice as the driver pulled to a stop. She could hear her driver’s muffled voice and she watched the man straighten.

  The carriage bounced as the driver climbed down and then a rap on the door echoed through the interior.

  “Yes,” her mother called.

  “Stranded traveler, my lady.” He replied as she mother
opened the door and climbed out of the carriage.

  Violette swallowed a lump. Her father should be here. Her mother should not be stepping out into the rain to greet strange men. What if he was a highwayman intent upon robbing them?

  Her heart beat faster even as her mother climbed back into the carriage. “Move onto my seat, dear,” her mother stated matter-of-factly. “We’re taking on a passenger.”

  “Mother,” she gasped. “You can’t. What if he’s a—”

  But she stopped as the door opened again. She might have yelped but she’d already gotten a lecture this day and so she simply moved over. The man climbed into the buggy and shed his wet coat. Silently, he handed over a coin purse to her mother. “Thank you,” he said as she took it in her gloved hand.

  Violette caught her breath as she watched him sit. He did indeed look like a highwayman. Tall, broad, and well-muscled, he moved with the grace of a predator and she shivered, having nothing to do with the cold blast of air that had entered the carriage. His dark, wet hair had fallen into his piercing blue eyes and he pushed it back in a careless gesture that made her heart beat faster.

  His skin was a rich brown, which only lent to his air of danger, and she watched as he rubbed at the growth of hair on his face. It wasn’t just stubble, but it also hadn’t grown enough or been groomed in such a way to be considered a beard.

  She had to admit that his features were classically handsome though it mattered little if he chose to rob them or even kill them for their valuables. Not that they had many. But still.

  She noted how large his hand was, and for a moment, she thought to clutch her mother in fear. But that would only lead to a lecture, and so she clasped her fingers together instead.

  Her mother had allowed this man into their carriage because he’d paid her to do so. Who was to say he hadn’t stolen coin from the last traveler he’d met? Gads, their financial woes would lead them to their death.