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Chapter 127
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The League of Rogues Chapter 128
Jonathan leaned over a billiard table and prepared to take a shot. "It's a damned good thing Cedric wasn't home when I brought Audrey back from Fives Court."Ashton idly rubbed the tip of his cue against his booted foot, not missing the way Jonathan's face was intense as he talked."You are planning to marry that woman, aren't you?" Ashton asked as he waited for his turn.He'd been relieved to have his friends arrive this evening after dinner. He'd spent the entire meal trying not to give poor Miss Merton the impression she was to receive a marriage proposal. Between his friends' wives and his mother's schemes, it was getting damned hard to stay a bachelor these days."I intend to propose once I've had time to settle into the new townhouse and get everything prepared. No sense in rushing." Jonathan smacked a red ball into a corner pocket."Nicely done," Charles said. "But let's be honest, Jon. That little sprite is too much for any man to handle and still keep a grip on his sanity
The League of Rogues Chapter 129
"How did I" Rosalind glanced down at herself, and Ashton saw every one of her muscles tense.He could almost hear her thoughts trying to catch up with her panic. She was all but naked and sitting in a tub of warm bathwater with Ashton just inches away. A hot blush flamed her face."I found you on my doorstep. Unconscious." He couldn't help that his tone sounded gruff. The image of her passed out at his feet was difficult to look back on."Oh." She ducked her head, but he could still see the wheels turning as she tried to piece together what series of events had led her to this tub."Did you walk all the way from London?" he asked, drawing her attention back to him.Rosalind's shoulders dropped, and she covered her breasts with her arms, all too aware of where his focus was drifting. "What? No, of course not. Don't be foolish.""Then how in blazes did you end up at my house in such a muddy mess?" Ashton sat on his backside by the tub and continued to regard her, now with amusement
The League of Rogues Chapter 130
Rosalind couldn't believe the mess she was in. Marry Ashton? Was he serious? She wasn't repulsed at the thought of pretendingtruth be told, a part of her secretly enjoyed itbut now he was asking her why she wouldn't actually marry him.She shivered, even though the dressing gown she wore was warm against her. Her wet hair still lay thick and heavy on her shoulders. She felt vulnerable, too exposed physically and emotionally. Given the intense gleam in Ashton's eyes, she knew he was aware of this vulnerability, and no doubt planned to use it to his advantage.Yet she sensed in him a practiced restraint that always amazed her. She'd never met a man with so much control. Any other man would be pressing his advantage to slake his lust, but not Ashton. If it hadn't been for that moment in the theater, she'd wonder if he even desired her. Was it all a game to him, even his passions?"Is the thought of marrying me so dreadful to contemplate that it turns your stomach? What do you find dist
The League of Rogues Chapter 131
Poor creature.Ashton paused in the doorway between his bedchamber and the dressing room, a full jug of water in his hand. From where he stood, he could see Rosalind fast asleep in the chair by the fire.After tonight's events, she was worn out. It was a miracle she'd held out as long as she had. He set the jug of water down on the dresser and walked over to her chair. She did not stir as he cradled her in his arms and carried her to his bed. He set her down long enough to pull back the covers on one side, then picked her up again and placed her under them.When he tried to tuck her hands under to keep them warm, she grasped his fingers and wouldn't let go. The connection sent soft warmth through his chest. He didn't want to let go of her hand. He pulled off his boots, then scooted her over in the bed so he could lie down beside her, still holding her hand in his. He lay there, watching the firelight play across her face and the shadows under her eyes.He had learned much about his
The League of Rogues Chapter 132
Rosalind had the most peculiar dream.She was lying in bed with a man, held close against his long, lean muscled body, his warm breath stirring her hair as he breathed deep and slow. It was a strange and wondrous feeling to lie so close to a man she'd been battling in business for months and feel so protected.Her husband had always kept a separate chamber for sleeping and only visited her bed once a week; then after a sweet kiss goodnight, he'd leave her to sleep alone. It was an older custom, one more suited to noble classes, but she understood that Henry wished to let her have her privacy when they weren't together. It had been sweet, but then again, Henry had been a wonderful man. A safe harbor from the storms of her past.But thisthis was a lovely dream. She'd heard Emily and her friends speak about the joys of sleeping so close to a man for the entire night.I mustn't let such stories fill my mind before sleep.Sure enough, when she opened her eyes, there was no man beside h
The League of Rogues Chapter 133
Lord, I can't let him kiss me again. I seem to lose all good sense when I do.Rosalind stepped back from Ashton and attempted to start a conversation."It is kind of you to let the tenants stay here." She hadn't told him that before, but she'd wanted to.He stared at her intently. "I'm not a brute, Rosalind." She had the impression he was attempting to convey something about how he intended to deal with her."Are you a mind reader as well?" She kept her tone light, doing her best to tease him back. Outside of her brothers, teasing remarks had always gotten her ears soundly boxed.His lips twitched again. "A mind reader?"Rosalind had the sudden desire to see him smile more fully. "Ashton, you are far too serious. Why don't you smile more often?"He curled an arm around her waist and guided her into a room on the right of the hall. She peered around curiously at the room, taking in walnut wood bookshelves brimming with everything from books containing folded maps of the world to
The League of Rogues Chapter 134
"You're serious about this marriage business?" Charles asked as he, Jonathan and Ashton lifted yet another charred beam away from the foundations where the Higgins farmhouse had once been. They set the beam in the back of a large cart. Several other men from the village and surrounding lands were busy assisting in the clearing away of the destroyed houses."Yes, I am." Ashton paused to wipe his sleeve across his brow. It was too damned hot for this sort of work. If anything, he should be supervising the others. It was not fitting for a man of his station to perform manual labor, but he could not sit idly by, not when he was flooded with frustrated sexual energy. If he couldn't take Rosalind to bed, he needed to use that pent-up passion for something productive."But why?" Charles repeated. "I thought you swore off marriage.""It's complicated, Charles. Mother is pushing me to marry for Joanna's sake, and I am tired of fighting her. If she believes Rosalind and I are courting, it wil
The League of Rogues Chapter 135
Mr. Pevensly took pride in being Lady Melbourne's butler and seeing to the duties which helped him care for Her Ladyship's residence. Holding his head high, he descended the stairs, white gloves running the length of the banister. When he reached the bottom stair he lifted his gloved fingers, examining them for dust. They came away clean. With a satisfied smile, he proceeded through the rest of the house, checking on each room. The last door he came to before he was to join the staff downstairs for supper was Her Ladyship's study.Pevensly opened the door and glanced inside, assuming all would be in order. But before he closed the door a breeze drifted through the room from an open window facing the mew below. Papers on the desk rustled, and the curtains slowly lifted and fell.Frowning, Pevensly walked over to the window and slid it shut. A maid must have left it open, for what purpose he could not fathom, but he would speak to the maids and remind them not to leave open windows in
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