AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She was marrying Ethan.
Her heart fluttered wildly in her chest. He was a rake, but he was her rake. Would he remain hers?
It was a risk…
He’d disappeared on her when he’d left Upton Falls, and prior to that, he’d blazed a trail of dishonor through all of London. It was not a record that inspired confidence. But somehow, in her heart, she sensed the change in him. Just like she’d found herself with him, he’d found himself too. He’d not had a drink in weeks.
She heard distant male voices echoing through the house, but she couldn’t hear the words and she returned to her thoughts.
He’d had ample opportunity to ruin her. And by ruin, she didn’t only mean her reputation. Actually ruin her. The way he’d touched her in that study, she would have allowed him any liberty he’d wished.
But he’d held back. Preserved her virginity.
The knob of her door began to turn, and her breath caught. “Who’s there?”
She spun to grab the poker in the fireplace, lifting it aloft as the door swung open. “I told you I’d come, Kitten.”
Relief made the hand holding the poker drop as she gave an indelicate snort. “Kitten? You and the nicknames. Honestly.”
Ethan chuckled, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. “Well, I had to come up with a new one, since you don’t like Red.”
She shook her head and started toward him. She needed to touch him; just being near him calmed her nerves. “I don’t not like it. It was just that you used that name to push me away.”
She stepped into his arms, the simple braid in her hair swishing against her back.
“I’ve told you several times that it’s also because I love your hair. I want it wrapped around me, draped over me like a curtain.”
There were a few benefits of being with a rake, and one of them was that he knew the exact words to make her breath stall in her chest and every nerve ending tingle with excitement.
“Ethan,” she said on a rush of air, wrapping her arms about his neck and rising on tiptoe. He leaned down and kissed her lips, the kiss gentle and sweet, before he lifted his head again. Her brows drew together. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he said with a soft smile. “In fact, I was able to find your uncle and he has blessed our marriage.”
A squeak erupted from her lips as her arms tightened about him. “We’re really getting married?”
“We are,” he answered, lifting her in the air and swinging her about. “Fulton witnessed the entire thing and penned a quick note to Rush. It’s the only reason they allowed me in your room.” He gave her a wink. “My reputation precedes me.”
“It does,” she whispered, nipping at her lip.
His gaze held hers as he wrapped her tighter in his arms. “I’m ready to be a good husband, Natalie. Let me prove it to you.”
“You won’t close yourself off again, will you?”
He shook his head. “I won’t.” And then his hands slid down her hips. At her thighs, he gathered fistfuls of her night rail and began pulling the fabric up over her calves and then her knees, cool air tickling her skin. “But I do have some promises to make you.”
“You do?”
The night rail rose higher, and his fingers danced along the back of her thighs. “I do.”
“What are they?” She tilted her head back as his lips began to skim a trail down her neck.
“First”—he let out a warm moist breath on her delicate skin—“I’m done with drinking for good.”
She jerked back, her eyes wide, she was sure. “For good?”
“It’s no good for me.” He winked once more. “And there will be plenty of other pleasures to enjoy when we’re married.”
“Mmm,” she answered. He leaned close again and began gently nipping at the sensitive skin of her neck.
