Beyond Scandal and Desire by Lorraine Heath

Author:Lorraine Heath
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, Romance, historical, Victorian, General
Publisher: Avon
Published: 2018-01-30T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

She hardly slept at all.

Sitting at a table in the gardens, reflecting on the tossing and turning and tangled mess of her sheets when she’d finally arisen from her bed, all she could surmise was that her body had been in need of . . . fulfillment was the word that came to mind. It was as though spending so much time in the company of Mick Trewlove had wound up her feminine yearnings until they’d felt a need to explode like a host of fireworks.

Guilt surged through her because she couldn’t seem to stop thinking about him. She shouldn’t have gone to see him, shouldn’t have allowed him to get so close, and most certainly should not have succumbed to the temptation of his kiss. How was it that he managed to elicit all these urges when Kip didn’t? Quite possibly because he kissed her with far more enthusiasm than the earl, that he gazed upon her as though she encompassed his entire world. Kip never looked at her with intense heat burning in his eyes, with desire and longing and . . . want. It was the last that unsettled her the most.

Because there was a secretive part of her that yearned for more than casual touches, a gentle press of lips and polite conversation. There was a part that longed for the wickedness.

And Mick provided it. He was a . . .

She didn’t know how to describe him: a scoundrel, a rake, a rogue. A man. A man who made her very much aware she was a woman. Even now memories of his touch, his mouth playing over hers was enough to make her feel as though the sun had dropped from the sky and fallen into her lap.

“Not making any calls today?”

Startled, she looked up to see the duchess standing there. “No, I thought . . . I thought to just enjoy the gardens, some tea . . .” My own company for fear a stray thought of Mick Trewlove might cause me to blush unbecomingly at inappropriate times. “Would you care to join me?”

“You seem lost in thought. I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“You could never intrude. Please.” She began pouring tea into an extra teacup that had been on the tray when the servant brought it to her, as though she couldn’t envision her ladyship not being joined by someone. “I’ve grown quite bored with my own company already.”

The duchess sat, elegantly and delicately, as she always did. A good strong wind would no doubt blow her away. “What were you thinking of? Your wedding?”

“In a manner. Did anyone other than the duke ever take your fancy?”

She smiled softly, as though in remembrance. “I had a swarm of beaux, but they were all pleasant, like a warm summer afternoon. Then I met Hedley, and he ignited a storm within me. With him, I felt alive.” She shook her head. “It’s difficult to explain.” Her gaze zeroed in on Aslyn. “Are you having doubts?”

Aslyn took

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