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Chapter 1
Richard Lewis, Viscount Gage, lay on his side, caressing the lovely lady next to him. Her skin was soft and milky white. Her dark brown hair lay haphazardly on her back. He ran his finger across her shoulder, then down to her rounded bottom.
The first rays of sunlight glinted from between the drapes, illuminating her beautiful curves. Richard pinched her rounded cheek, and she whimpered.
“How dare you?” she moaned into a pillow. “If you are to wake me, the least you could do is do it gently.”
“You do not like it gently if I remember correctly from last night,” Richard noted. “Besides, I can see your beautifully shaped bottom glow in the morning light, which means you, my dear, need to leave.”
Justine—better known as Lady Supe—turned on her side, baring her rounded breasts, flat stomach, and the lovely patch of hair between her legs. Richard’s cock stirred to attention. “Do I?” she asked lazily.
Richard reluctantly raised his gaze to her plump, pink lips. “Well, perhaps not right this moment,” he said hoarsely.
He reached for her, his fingers grazing her soft, curvy thigh, but a dreadful sound that was loud enough to be mistaken for a herd of horses barreling down the hall interrupted Richard’s amorous mood.
He frowned at the door. The loud barking preceded a child’s scream and unsuccessful pleas for the dog to calm down.
“Button, come! Come!” the girl implored, and Richard let out a sigh.
There would be no coming this morning. At least, not for Richard. He snatched his hand back and rolled off the bed.
He could feel his erection deflating as if to the tune of a low-pitched musical instrument. There was no greater way to defeat a man’s sexual appetite than have a dog barrel down the hall and then have a child yell things that would probably not sound arousing to Richard for the rest of his life.
“Wait, Richard,” Justine pouted, an adorable pucker between her brows. “Come back to bed.”
Richard put on his breeches hastily. “I am afraid not today.”
He hastily got dressed and waited for Justine to throw on her husband’s banyan. She wasn’t in any hurry, slowly, sensually covering her curves with a dark blue robe. She came closer to him, her lips in a sensual pout, and leaned in for the kiss.
Richard straightened and slightly pulled away. He didn’t do kisses.
At least, not after intercourse.
Kisses and touches had their purpose.
To seduce.
Once the deed was done, there was no need for unnecessary intimacy.
“Goodbye, Justine,” he said emotionlessly.
She let out a pained sigh. “Someday you will have to open your stony heart to someone,” she whined as she moved toward the door.
“I don’t think so,” Richard retorted. “I am looking to marry soon. Respectably. I told you that. Any entanglement will just lead to complications.”
“Yes, yes, I know.” Justine let out another sigh before exiting Richard’s chamber.
Richard walked to the window in his disheveled state and raked a hand through his wild hair.
He was not just looking to marry. He already had a bride picked out. In fact, right at this moment, she was on her way to join the house party. He hadn’t told anyone about this yet. Not even his sister Isabel—the hostess of the house party. The only person who knew about this decision aside from himself was the bride’s father. And, he assumed, the lady herself.
Richard needed to tell his family. He knew this. But Isabel had had enough to deal with in the past few days.
This was her first house party as the Marchioness of Vane. She had married only a few weeks ago and had countless troubles while she had tried to settle into her role as a hostess. Aside from running a new household, she’d had to deal with her rude and arrogant husband, his unmannered daughter, and their untrained dog.
He could have told his other siblings, of course. His younger brother, Adam, had been with him at the Gage estate when he came up with the candidate for his next betrothed. Richard had been affianced once before, and then lost his bride to a major scandal involving Isabel. Regardless of Isabel’s subsequent marriage and the fact that things had settled down, Richard now felt vulnerable announcing his new choice prematurely. Surely, this was the main reason why he hadn’t made his decision public yet.
But if Richard was going to announce his betrothal to his family, now would be a perfect time. Their youngest brother, Alan, had arrived from his three-year jaunt to the Continent, and the entire family was complete and present in one place for the first time in years. Even his younger sister Samantha had arrived with her tiny babe.
