A Passionate Deception (West Meets East Book 5) by Merry Farmer

Author:Merry Farmer
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2017-10-22T18:30:00+00:00

CHAPTER 6

A s exhausting as his mother’s party had been, the thing that sapped all energy out of Henry in its wake had nothing to do with dancing and drinking and chatting with his parents’ guests. He couldn’t shake Ellie’s simple question—do you ever wonder what your life would have been like if you’d been born as someone else?

That question kept him up most of the night after the party, wondering how well he’d be sleeping if his head were resting on rough cotton sheets spread across a lumpy mattress in a farmer’s cottage, or if he had spent his evening hauling crates and barrels between ships and warehouses on London’s docks. It distracted him from focusing on the game of snooker he played with Reese in the afternoon the next day as he wondered what sort of games Ellie and her friends had played in Wyoming. It caught him staring out the window and ignoring conversation at luncheon as he pondered what kind of work he was suited to do. The way he was raised had prepared him for nothing besides idleness.

“You’ve been quiet.” Ellie shook him out of his thoughts two days after the party when she found him in the stables, currying his horse, Hector, just to have something to do.

“I could say the same about you,” he replied with a tired smile, avoiding her implied question.

Ellie leaned against the edge of the stall, crossed her arms, and shrugged.

Henry frowned. “Has someone been harassing you?” he asked with a surge of protective energy.

“No,” she answered unconvincingly. “It’s just….” Her eyes remained downcast.

A wry grin tugged at his mouth. “I think I know what you mean.”

She glanced up at him. “Do you?”

It was his turn to shrug as he drew the brush down Hector’s neck. “Our little prank has been an outstanding success so far, but….” He let out a breath, arms dropping, and sent her a guilty look. “It’s not as amusing as I thought it’d be.”

Panic filled her eyes. “Are you saying you want to end it? Do you want me to leave?”

“No!” he answered so fast that Hector snorted and took a step back. He dropped the currying brush and stepped over to Ellie, resting his hands on her arms. “I most certainly do not want you to leave.”

He caught her sudden intake of breath, watched the way her gaze dropped to his lips. A surge of need coursed through him, heating his blood and making his heart pound. He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her, to never let her go.

“Do you want to go for a ride?” he asked instead.

“What?” She blinked, her cheeks going pink. His groin tightened at the thought that “going for a ride” might have meant something entirely different in her former life.

“I haven’t taken you out to show you the extent of Albany Court,” he said, unable to resist a knowing grin.

“Oh.” Her face flushed an even deeper shade of rose, and an impish grin to match his own played across her lips.

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