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I moaned against his lips and sighed.
Then the door slammed open, and three deputies stormed in. I shrieked, and the quivering returned.
The lawmen surrounded the bed, and I grabbed at the covers and held them to my chin.
Rye seemed completely unconcerned. "May I help you, gentlemen?" he asked, climbing from the bed and rising to his full height. I stared at him, unable to turn away from the length of his erect manhood creating an unmistakable tent in his pants.
The lawmen were a bit distracted as well. "We ... um... we are searching for a woman who assaulted and robbed one of our most venerable citizens, Mr. Richard Garner."
Robbed? I gasped, but Rye cut me a quick look, and I kept my mouth closed. Keane stood behind the intruders and gave me a reassuring smile and nod along with a finger to his lips to remind me to allow them to do the speaking.
"Well, I wish you good luck with that, but as you can see, there are no thieves here."
"Would you mind identifying yourself, sir, and the ... um... lady with you," one of the deputies as
ked, the implication of his words not lost on me. Anger flashed over Keane's face.
Rye moved to stand before the lawmen, an almost imperceptible change coming over him as he addressed them, his accent becoming more pronounced and his tone imperious.
"I am Lord Hiram Rye. You may call me 'your lordship.'" He paused dramatically to allow that to sink in. I had nearly bitten through my lip to keep from crying out. What madness had this evening brought? From the corner of my eye, I saw Keane give another encouraging nod.
"And this"—he turned and gestured to me, his manhood still fully erect and not unnoticed by the deputies—"is Lady Rye."
I forced a calm expression to my face.
"As you can see," he continued, "we have been occupied for quite some time, and there are no thieves here. Now, if you will excuse us—"
"Then who is he?" The boldest of the deputies pointed a thumb at Keane.
"Why, he is my gentleman's gentleman. Keane, please see these deputies out."
KEANE
* * *
Usually, it really pissed me off when Rye turned all English lord on me, and calling me his gentleman’s gentleman was a new low. In other circumstances, I’d have given him an earful, at minimum. But I knew this was all part of the charade to protect Lily. Beautiful, sweet, and unmarried, Lily.
And for her, I would endure anything. No hardship was too great. No task too daunting.
It was all I could do not to kick up my heels as I walked the deputies out of the suite, but I managed to keep my wits about me.
"Good luck finding the thief," I said as they exited, my fingers itching to slam the door behind them and throw the bolt.
The last deputy lingered a bit and, when the others were a few paces down the hall, he turned back to me. "A word to the wise," he said. "Mr. Garner has many connections in this city. It would be smart if his lordship"—he nodded toward Rye’s room—"and his ‘wife’ got out of town swiftly, if you know what I mean." He turned and walked away before I could respond.
Well, if he said we ought to take Lily and go back to Bridgewater, who was I to argue?
4
KEANE
* * *
When I entered Rye's room, I found Lily huddled under the covers, her face pale and her brown eyes seemingly even larger and wider than I'd ever seen them before. Clearly, she was not accustomed to close encounters with the law.
Rye, unperturbed as usual, had rejoined her in the bed, holding her close against his body.
Had it been any other man, I'd have punched him in a fit of jealousy and offense at his touching my woman. But, not Rye. No, never Rye. Lily was our woman. We would see to her care and happiness all the days of our lives. Rye had her tucked up under his arm, her head resting against his chest, though she still clutched the bedclothes in her fingers. So tightly, her knuckles were white.
