The rake of last resort, p.4
The Rake of Last Resort,
p.4
For Sidney, love was Edith.
He kissed her brow, her cheek, and then the curve of her ear. “My dear, sweet Edith,” he whispered. “Could I ever hope to make you mine?”
A frown had appeared on her face when he drew back. A delightful confusion that made his heart skip a beat. She had no idea of the profound change she’d started in him with her correspondence.
“I think so,” she whispered.
He leaned his forehead against hers. “From the first letter from you, I felt compelled to save you from the neglect of your brother.”
“I did not mean for that to happen,” she whispered.
“Well, it did. I kept writing. You were alone and worried, and I was concerned. I looked forward to each and every missive you sent, and worried when they did not come quickly enough.” He caught her eye. “I need to confess something.”
“What is it?”
“Deep down, I suspected nothing would change,” he whispered. “Loftus cares little for the welfare of women.”
She drew back a little. “You did not think to warn me?”
“I did not know the depths of his indifference.” He sighed. “I know you counted on him taking up his responsibilities.”
“I came on a fool’s errand.”
“I don’t believe that now,” he said, holding her hand a little tighter. “At the time you broached the subject of coming to London, I was thinking of arranging a visit to you.”
Her eyes widened. “Why did you want to meet me? Did you want me to be humiliated?”
“No. Your words had captivated me from the first and as we got to know each other, the wanting only increased. I know writing to a rake was your last resort, but it was the right decision. I would have visited you myself if you had not been a woman whose good reputation had to be protected.”
“My visit here has gone the way you initially warned me it would. And now, I’m ruined and homeless, too.”
“Yes, but perhaps not entirely so. You see, I cannot be sorry anymore that you came to me for help, or that you are left for me to look after. I wanted to so badly before, but propriety dictates only family had that right.”
“Well, my only family washed his hands of me. Of all of us.”
“Edith,” he said and then swallowed. “There is a great good that could come out of this horrible situation you find yourself in.” He drew her hands tightly against his chest. “You wished I could be your brother, but I am not like him at all. I take care of those I love. I protect those I love. I want to marry the woman I love.”
He observed her face. Waiting for her to realize who he meant.
Her eyes suddenly widened.
“You are of an age where your brother’s permission is not actually required to make a marriage to me,” he said, reminding her of the rules.
“I’ve no dowry,” she whispered, appearing shocked. “No connections.”
“A dowry is not a requirement for a man with any sense. I have more than enough money and friends for both of us.”
“But…”
Sidney stared at a face so new to him and yet so dear. “Miss Edith Dean, would you do me the honor of marrying me?”
She tried to silence him. “You don’t have to ask that. I was ready to be your—”
He put a finger over her lips before she could offer herself for a lesser role. “Edith, a gentleman does not toy with the affections of a woman of virtue lightly. When he falls in love with one, he marries her, and as quickly as he can so he can debauch her at his leisure later.”
Edith sputtered. “Oh!”
He laughed at her shock. “Have I ever pretended to be anything but a rake?”
“No, but…”
“If you marry me, you will have your very own rake to scold as he chases you round and round the town house. I plan to expedite your education in the carnal arts—but only after you sign the marriage contract that’s waiting in the next room.”
She put her hand to her head as if overwhelmed. “A marriage contract already?”
He quickly recaptured her fingers and kissed them. “I’m not without honor, Edith. There are provisions in there to provide dowries for any children we might have, and for your sisters. And you shall have pin money to spend as you like from tomorrow morning. Let me spoil you, Edith, my dear friend. Be my wife, too.”
She shook her head. “I never imagined…”
“Imagine and it will be all yours. An estate in the country, this town house in London, servants to do your bidding, and a man who will never abandon you. We might have been opposites in the beginning, but you are my match. Did you not realize it?”
Edith threw her arms about his neck and sobbed into his cravat. Sidney wobbled and nearly fell over, but he kept hold of Edith for dear life.
“My match!” she whispered in awe.
“What else could we be?” He said, kissing her temple hard. He held her close and sighed at how good it felt to hold her and know they’d never be parted. “Rakes and spinsters always end up together.”
Epilogue
One year later
* * *
Edith swept into the front hall, shaking the snow from her cloak and laughing. “Is the master at home?”
“He’s in the library with his friends,” the butler noted with a frown of disapproval for that room.
“Please let him know I wish to speak with him?”
“I’d be happy to, madam,” the butler said and disappeared quickly to do her bidding.
Edith went to the nearest mirror and made sure her hair was still respectably arranged after her jaunt to Bond Street to collect a special gift for her husband. There had been the most dreadful wind outside. The horses had even been spooked.
Suddenly, a pair of arms were wrapped about her waist, and she was hoisted into the air and carried into the nearest chamber. The dining room door shut with a loud crash and then her back was pressed against the wall and her husband of one year was kissing her witless.
Again.
She tilted her head to encourage kisses along her neck, so she might actually talk to him. “I missed you, too.”
“You send for me, and I’m instantly desperate to have you in my arms,” Sidney whispered. “Why did I invite my friends to visit during this holiday when I could have been spending all my time alone with you?”
“Because you like them, and so do I,” she answered.
“But only in small doses,” he quipped, and then lightly bit her neck. “I appreciate your sacrifices.”
“There’s no sacrifice great enough for the man who saved my life,” she whispered, and then moaned as quietly as she could while he nibbled on her throat and drove her wild. She ripped off her gloves to thread her fingers through her husband’s silky hair and hold on to him even closer.
Sidney made her wanton. Made her crave him each and every day they were together. Never once had she felt he would stray into another, more experienced woman’s arms, as so many of his friends had done to their wives.
Sidney was all hers, as he’d promised on the day he’d proposed. And she was his in every naughty way imaginable.
She felt the pressure of his hard cock against her sex and reached down to raise her skirts above her knees. They were always like this, ravenous, eager, and uncaring about who they ignored until they were both satisfied by each other again. And then they would talk for hours about everything and nothing at all.
And he was so good with her sisters that they never asked about Loftus anymore. Loftus was currently a guest of the Marshalsea Debtors Prison and would be for some time to come given the debts he’d run up everywhere.
Outside of the house, Sidney’s friends teased that he’d been tamed, but that wasn’t the case behind closed doors.
She gasped as Sidney slowly entered her. He was the perfect lover, and a few moments was usually all she needed for her climax. But not today.
She pressed her head against the wall and caught his eye. Sidney slowed and met her gaze. She waited a beat and then squeezed her inner muscles around him as strongly as she could.
Sidney’s eyes widened, and she did it again and again.
Suddenly they were spinning away from the wall and somehow, Sidney was on the floor with her still attached to him. She was on top, which was unusual.
He reached for her hands. “My love, you’ll unman me with tricks like that. I never taught you that.”
“I wanted to please you, and one of the wives mentioned this drove her husband wild once,” she whispered. “Did you like?”
“I love it,” he answered, and then slipped his fingers between her legs. “You’re so wet.”
“I thought of you while I was out, and of being with you like this all the way home.” She waggled her eyebrows and started to rise and fall upon his cock. She did not take charge of their passions often, but when she did, it was a remarkable climax for both of them.
She was feeling particularly amorous today. It was the anniversary of their first meeting.
But it was not the day she’d fallen in love with him, of course. That day had occurred somewhere between his first letter and his first kiss.
She twined her fingers with Sidney’s, let herself be steadied by him as she’d often had to do this past year of remarkable change. Never once had she doubted his love since his proposal, and sometimes she had to pinch herself that she’d gotten so lucky to have captivated such a wicked but decent man.
She hadn’t tried to change him. He had done it all by himself. Turning his life toward respectability for her sake, and for her sisters as well.
As her climax approached, she gave thanks that fate had brought him into his life.
When Sidney groaned, her world shuddered into perfect alignment once more. She was exactly where she’d always hoped to be. Loved like she’d hoped was possible but never dared imagine she could be.
Sidney drew her down and kissed her cheek. He held her close and whispered endearments that she would forever belong in her rake’s arms.
He suddenly held her away from him. “What was it you wanted to see me about?”
“It’s the anniversary of our first meeting.”
“Our first meeting was out in the hall,” he whispered, and ran his finger along her jaw. “When my friends have gone, we’ll meet there at that exact moment and who knows what might happen.”
Edith knew what would happen. Wickedness! Something she’d grown to love. Tonight, she would fall more deeply in love with her handsome husband. Something she did every single day.
Also by Heather Boyd
Explore my series! You’ll find lots of steamy historical romances listed below:
* * *
DISTINGUISHED ROGUES SERIES
Chills
Broken
Charity
An Accidental Affair
Keepsake
An Improper Proposal
Reason to Wed
The Trouble with Love
Married by Moonlight
Lord of Sin
The Duke’s Heart
Romancing the Earl
One Enchanted Christmas
Desire by Design
His Perfect Bride
Pleasures of the Night
Silver Bells
Seduced in Secret
Yours Until Dawn
No Ordinary Lady
* * *
Miss Kimble Bites Back
* * *
SCANDALOUS BRIDES
Wicked with Him
Desperately Seeking Seduction
Love and Other Disasters
Surrender Becomes Her
No Duke of Mine
* * *
SAINTS AND SINNERS SERIES
The Duke and I
A Gentleman’s Vow
An Earl of Her Own
The Lady Tamed
* * *
WILD RANDALLS SERIES
Engaging the Enemy
Forsaking the Prize
Guarding the Spoils
Hunting the Hero
* * *
REBEL HEARTS SERIES
The Wedding Affair
An Affair of Honor
The Christmas Affair
An Affair so Right
If that’s not enough, there’s more!
* * *
See Heather’s full book list on the website…
About Heather
USA Today Bestselling Author Heather Boyd believes every character she creates deserves their own happily-ever-after—no matter how much trouble she puts them through. With that goal in mind, she writes steamy romances that skirt the boundaries of propriety to keep readers enthralled until the wee hours of the morning. Heather has published over sixty regency romance novels and shorter works full of daring seductions and distinguished rogues. She lives north of Sydney, Australia, with her husband, sons, and a four-legged overlord.
* * *
Learn more about Heather at:
www.Heather-Boyd.com
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Heather Boyd, The Rake of Last Resort
