“You might be right. He seems to fancy the place. I’m always finding him exploring it. Perhaps that’s what I’ll do. Don’t suppose I need to decide today. It’s not going anywhere.”
“Unlike us,” Tristan said. “I suppose we need to return to the manor. I’ve heard your wife has prepared quite the feast to celebrate the night she rescued us.”
“She rescued me twice, once from the tower, and once from myself.”
Rafe felt as though he were still being rescued, every morning when he awoke to find Eve in his bed. It always amazed and humbled him to find her still there, still in his arms, smiling at him, making him laugh, giving him sons—two so far. She told him that the next time she was giving birth to a daughter. He suspected she would. She had a habit of achieving what she set her mind to do.
Using the house she’d obtained from Wortham, she had established a sanctuary for women who had no one, no place for refuge. She saw that they were taught skills, and found them gainful respectable employment. She had convinced him that the women who worked for him should manage his games rather than mattresses. It had created quite a stir the first time a woman had sat down to deal cards at one of his tables. But over the years his memberships had doubled; his earnings had tripled. Seemed a gent paid little attention to how much he was losing when he was receiving smiles and encouragement from a woman.
His brothers were as quiet as he, and he wondered the paths their thoughts traveled. He had yet to tell them that he loved him. He couldn’t voice the words, but Eve assured him they knew. He attended all their little gatherings, had been out on Tristan’s yacht so many times that he no longer dealt with illness when on board. He and his family were always here for Christmas.
He thought if his father knew that, he’d be pleased.
“We’d best get back,” Sebastian said. “They’ll be waiting for us.”
Without hesitation, they wheeled their mounts around as one and galloped down the rise toward the manor. Rafe could see the three women waiting on the front lawn, in spite of the cold. Then his gaze homed in on the one he loved more than life itself.
Her smile was bright, her hand raised in greeting.
His horse had barely slowed when he dismounted, took her into his arms, and kissed her deeply as she wound herself securely around him. He might have been self-conscious if he hadn’t known his brothers were greeting their wives in the same manner. No, he thought. He wouldn’t have given a damn what they were doing. He was too glad for her welcome, yearned too much for her touch.
Sweeping her up into his arms, he began striding toward the manor.
She laughed. “What are you doing?”
“We have a bit of time before dinner. Want you to myself for a while.”
She settled her head against his shoulder. “I love you, Lord Rafe Easton.”
“Not as much as I love you, Lady Eve.”
When she began nibbling on his ear, he laughed. Such a wicked woman. He intended to make love to her before dinner, then after. He would never have enough of her.
For a moment in his mind, all the globes he’d collected over the years spun. More than a hundred, spinning, spinning. He’d been searching for someplace better than where he was.
He’d finally found it, the best place of all—wrapped tightly in Eve’s arms.
About the Author
LORRAINE HEATH always dreamed of being a writer. After graduating from the University of Texas, she wrote training manuals, press releases for a publicist, articles, and computer code, but something was always missing. In 1990, she read a romance novel and not only became hooked on the genre, but quickly realized what her writing lacked: rebels, scoundrels, and rogues. She’s been writing about them ever since. Her work has been recognized with numerous industry awards, including RWA’s RITA®, a HOLT Medallion, and a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. Her novels have appeared on the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists.
www.lorraineheath.com
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Romances by Lorraine Heath
LORD OF WICKED INTENTIONS
LORD OF TEMPTATION
SHE TEMPTS THE DUKE
WAKING UP WITH THE DUKE
PLEASURES OF A NOTORIOUS GENTLEMAN
PASSIONS OF A WICKED EARL
MIDNIGHT PLEASURES WITH A SCOUNDREL
SURRENDER TO THE DEVIL
BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND DESIRE
IN BED WITH THE DEVIL
JUST WICKED ENOUGH
A DUKE OF HER OWN
PROMISE ME FOREVER
A MATTER OF TEMPTATION
AS AN EARL DESIRES
AN INVITATION TO SEDUCTION
LOVE WITH A SCANDALOUS LORD
TO MARRY AN HEIRESS
THE OUTLAW AND THE LADY
NEVER MARRY A COWBOY
NEVER LOVE A COWBOY
A ROGUE IN TEXAS
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
LORD OF WICKED INTENTIONS. Copyright © 2013 by Jan Nowasky. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition MAY 2013 ISBN: 9780062093578
Print Edition ISBN: 9780062100030
FIRST EDITION
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Lorraine Heath - [Lost Lords of Pembrook 03] Page 30
