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Chapter 19
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The League of Rogues Chapter 20
The day was exceedingly fine with sunny skies and a light breeze. Emily leaned down to let the knee-high silky grass brush under her palms. Cedric and Charles walked on either side of her, carrying on a conversation while Emily listened. Penelope, not tethered by a leash, moved about several yards ahead. The small puppy worked to jump through grass, a good five inches above her head. Emily smiled at the pup's black nose trained to the ground. She sniffed and then bounded over the grass only to resume sniffing again."So then," said Cedric, "I said to the sheikh, 'Bet you eight hundred pounds I can win this hand,' and the sheikh, the haughty bastard, replied, 'Let us make the wager on something more valuable. How would a pair of Arabian mares suit you?' And I told him I would accept that wager.""Are these the mares you mean to breed with Anne Chessley's stallion?""The very pair!" Cedric laughed."You won the horses from the sheikh then?" Emily asked in amazement. "Wasn't he angry?
The League of Rogues Chapter 21
Once Godric concluded his meeting with his solicitor, he and Ashton walked to the little jeweler's shop on Regent Street he'd frequented in his earlier years. Godric examined the glittering trinkets from the window displaymulling, picking, debating. After an intense study, he chose a gold comb adorned with a butterfly, with an opal-colored body and mother-of-pearl wings.Emily reminded him of a butterfly. She flew to her freedom each time he sought to capture her, but when he sat very, very still, she rewarded him with the most enchanting kisses meant for him alone.Godric brushed his thumb over the smooth opal and pearl, imagining it nestled in the waves of auburn gold hair. He would savor the moment of removing it at night when she climbed into his bed. Her hair would cascade down in a waterfall of color.He was acting like a young man again, uncertain as to how to win a woman. How many years had passed since he and his friends had schemed about the best way to capture a girl's he
The League of Rogues Chapter 22
Emily turned from the window. "When will Ashton and Godric return from London?""Sometime late tonight," Lucien said. "He guessed they would miss dinner."Emily's heart pitched south in disappointment.She missed Godric, missed the heated glances, the tenderness of his lips, the rough weight of his body, those hands that drove her to madness. But she also missed the rich timbre of his voice, the way he saw to her every need. She even missed his desire to sleep beside her, just to hear her breathe."Looking forward to his return?"Emily nodded. A dark, vast emptiness had rooted itself inside her heart. Despite the pleasant time these men were providing her, the same darkness to her future remained. A tremor shook her body as panic and dread threatened to overtake her."Cheer up, my sweet." Lucien brushed a hand on her waist, tickling her just a little.Unable to help it, a little laugh escaped her. She glowered. "It is ungentlemanly to use my weaknesses against me like that.""T
The League of Rogues Chapter 23
Godric had never been so anxious to return home.He rode his gelding so hard that twice Ashton shouted out to him over the thunder of hooves to slow down or his horse would throw a shoe. Then they would really be delayed. The trip had taken longer than they planned and they wouldn't arrive at the estate until an hour past midnight.Emily's gifts were tucked away in his riding coat pocket, and he was desperate to see her, to hold her in his arms, to kiss her, to tickle her just to hear that breathless laugh. He hungered to taste her lips, to watch her eyes sparkle with delight or sear with the first blush of passion. He wanted to speak to her in Greek, to see how much she really knew. He longed to test her mind and taste her lips. She was an enigma to him, a woman unlike any other he'd ever met before.The pearly moonlight broke over the distant manor's pale stones, taunting him like a mirage in the desert. Would Emily wait up for him? He hoped so. He wanted to tuck her into his bed
The League of Rogues Chapter 24
The gilded grandfather clock in the upstairs hallway chimed seven, waking Godric. The fire crackled, twigs and bits of logs snapping. He lay on his back with Emily, still asleep, curled up against his side. The feel of her in his arms was wonderful. A perfect fit. He wanted to hold her more often, keep her close so he could smell the flowery scent in her hair, relish her satiny skin beneath his palms.They could always be like this, he realized. He and Emily could grow old this way, spending years exploring each other. He craved that elusive, impossible future. To want something, to know you could have it, and once you had it, lose it. He wasn't ready for that, might never be ready. But what could it hurt to pretend, for at least a few days, to have what he wanted? Godric slid a hand under the covers, seeking the edge of her night rail. His fingers met bare skin near her calves, and he slid the fabric up to expose her hips to his hand. Emily's head twisted a little. She nuzzled his ch
The League of Rogues Chapter 25
Rather than Godric, Ashton waited outside Emily's door to escort her to breakfast. Today the baron looked exceedingly fashionable in a dark blue coat, biscuit-colored breeches and an immaculately tied cravat.He smiled and took her arm. "Emily.""Good morning, Ashton." She couldn't resist the urge to smile back.With Ashton alone she felt like a queen. It was a pity Charles lacked his subtle charm. He'd be truly dangerous to every woman in the ton if he accomplished that skill.She proceeded with Ashton down to the dining room, with only Cedric present. He rose, bowed and sat back down as she took her seat."Lucien and Charles left for London about ten minutes ago. I believe they'll return tonight," Ashton said."Is Godric coming down?" She couldn't forget the tension that had passed between them. Emily had the jarring sense that he might try to avoid her."Yes, he's trying to find an old hunting coat.""A hunting coat? He doesn't have one?" Every sensible man had at least one
The League of Rogues Chapter 26
Thomas Blankenship stood in the parlor of Evangeline Mirabeau's townhouse, admiring the woman. She reclined on a chaise and watched him through hooded eyes painted an unusual, rich, honey-colored hazel. Her curveslarge breasts and shapely legs, revealed through a dampened muslin gown in thin bluecould easily harden a man. Her pale blonde hair curled in perfect ringlets down her neck and back.Blankenship smiled. It was no surprise that this courtesan had been the Duke of Essex's lover for a year and then some. If Blankenship didn't contain such a hatred for whores, he would be tempted to sate his desires between this woman's thighs. Evangeline had the body of a siren, one that beckoned men to perish upon the rocks at sea, but she lacked Emily's innocence and sweet nature. He craved that, needed to bathe in it, let it soothe the beast which rampaged in his head."Monsieur Blankenship, we have not met, have we?" A lilting, sultry French, Evangeline's accent alone would have swayed most
The League of Rogues Chapter 27
Emily was stretched out on her stomach, reading a collection of essays about philosophy when Godric entered. Her eyes lifted from the pages as he shut his door and leaned back on it, arms crossed. One dark brow rose, as did one corner of his mouth. Her heart leapt. She had the urge to bolt and hide in the underbrush like a startled fawn. The embers between them had smoldered beneath the surface far too long, and would finally be tended to. There would be no going back. Did she trust him?Yes. Far more than she ought to, but it was too late to question that part of her heart that gave itself over to him."Come to me, darling." Like the serpent offering her an apple, his tone promised to educate her with all of the things an innocent young woman shouldn't know.The book fell from her hands and she eased up into a sitting position. Her mind was clouding with heady desire. He had to be as desperate for this as she was. Emily let her legs dangle over the side of the bed and leaned back,
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