would take a fool to not see how utterly dangerous that would be.
She rose to her feet, dodging his touch and his glance as best she could. “So what will we do now?”
He stepped away from her, and his voice was gruff as he said, “Steal time, just as we did at the inn. It will be more challenging here, but I think it will be worthwhile.”
She nodded. “Yes, so do I.”
He moved toward her, and her heart leapt as he slid his fingers into her hair, tilting her face so that he could kiss her deeply, passionately. Her toes curled, her body heated, she melted like ice in an inferno. But he didn’t continue the encounter. Instead, he let her go.
“Your sister will wonder where you are,” he said as he turned her toward the door and pressed her toward it. “You’d best go as to not rouse her suspicions.”
Rosalinde walked away as he was encouraging her to do. He was right, after all. They had taken a risk to make love in a public room like this one. She’d have to be more careful in the future.
But as she reached the door, she stopped and turned toward him. He was rumpled now, his hair tangled by her fingers, his shirt wrinkled from being torn away and tossed aside. He didn’t look like a gentleman anymore. She doubted she looked like a lady.
“Goodnight, Gray,” she whispered, smiling at him one last time before she slipped away toward her bed.
And though nothing had truly been resolved between them, she felt lighter than she had since her arrival. Everything had changed. And she would never again be the same.
Chapter Ten
Gray took a long breath of cold morning air before he urged his horse forward and dashed past Lucien. He heard his brother’s laugh, so rare now, and then Stenfax thundered past him in return. They did this back and forth a few times, playfully racing each other. Of course, Gray knew the competition would get more serious as they neared the lake ahead. That was their traditional finish line.
As predicted, with the lake visible in the distance, both men urged their horses faster, faster. Gray pulled ahead, his heart racing with triumph, as the last hundred yards became the battleground. He would have whooped in victory, but seemingly out of nowhere another horse appeared. It was Felicity, who had been riding behind them, above all their games. Even riding sidesaddle she flew by and reached the water’s edge before her brothers.
Gray patted his horse’s side and muttered, “Next time, boy.”
All three got off their mounts, laughing and panting as they let the horses roam off to drink and rest and graze.
“Do I win something?” Felicity asked as she adjusted her hat over the blonde hair she’d inherited from their mother, rather than the dark tresses her brothers shared. “Or is it just boyish bragging rights, as usual?”
“I could give you a farthing,” Lucien suggested with a bark of laughter. “But it’s all I have. You and Gray have far more money in your coffers between you.”
Gray’s smile fell even though his brother was teasing. It was no secret that the Stenfax reserves had been dwindling for some time. Their brother had inherited gambling debts and the poor management of three generations before him. Lucien was working to recover what the prior earls had so foolishly squandered and he still refused to take help from Gray, who had built his own small inheritance back into a fortune, or Felicity, who had inherited quite a sum herself when her viscount had mercifully breathed his last.
Of course, their brother’s stubborn desire to fix things on his own was exactly why Lucien was poised on the edge of a dangerous precipice with Miss Celia Fitzgilbert. Gray scowled.
“Lucien—” he began.
“Oh Lord, he’s about to start,” Lucien said to Felicity. “Look at his face.”
Felicity smiled softly as she turned to look at Gray. “He does have a certain expression that says he’s going to start acting like the older brother instead of the
She rose to her feet, dodging his touch and his glance as best she could. “So what will we do now?”
He stepped away from her, and his voice was gruff as he said, “Steal time, just as we did at the inn. It will be more challenging here, but I think it will be worthwhile.”
She nodded. “Yes, so do I.”
He moved toward her, and her heart leapt as he slid his fingers into her hair, tilting her face so that he could kiss her deeply, passionately. Her toes curled, her body heated, she melted like ice in an inferno. But he didn’t continue the encounter. Instead, he let her go.
“Your sister will wonder where you are,” he said as he turned her toward the door and pressed her toward it. “You’d best go as to not rouse her suspicions.”
Rosalinde walked away as he was encouraging her to do. He was right, after all. They had taken a risk to make love in a public room like this one. She’d have to be more careful in the future.
But as she reached the door, she stopped and turned toward him. He was rumpled now, his hair tangled by her fingers, his shirt wrinkled from being torn away and tossed aside. He didn’t look like a gentleman anymore. She doubted she looked like a lady.
“Goodnight, Gray,” she whispered, smiling at him one last time before she slipped away toward her bed.
And though nothing had truly been resolved between them, she felt lighter than she had since her arrival. Everything had changed. And she would never again be the same.
Chapter Ten
Gray took a long breath of cold morning air before he urged his horse forward and dashed past Lucien. He heard his brother’s laugh, so rare now, and then Stenfax thundered past him in return. They did this back and forth a few times, playfully racing each other. Of course, Gray knew the competition would get more serious as they neared the lake ahead. That was their traditional finish line.
As predicted, with the lake visible in the distance, both men urged their horses faster, faster. Gray pulled ahead, his heart racing with triumph, as the last hundred yards became the battleground. He would have whooped in victory, but seemingly out of nowhere another horse appeared. It was Felicity, who had been riding behind them, above all their games. Even riding sidesaddle she flew by and reached the water’s edge before her brothers.
Gray patted his horse’s side and muttered, “Next time, boy.”
All three got off their mounts, laughing and panting as they let the horses roam off to drink and rest and graze.
“Do I win something?” Felicity asked as she adjusted her hat over the blonde hair she’d inherited from their mother, rather than the dark tresses her brothers shared. “Or is it just boyish bragging rights, as usual?”
“I could give you a farthing,” Lucien suggested with a bark of laughter. “But it’s all I have. You and Gray have far more money in your coffers between you.”
Gray’s smile fell even though his brother was teasing. It was no secret that the Stenfax reserves had been dwindling for some time. Their brother had inherited gambling debts and the poor management of three generations before him. Lucien was working to recover what the prior earls had so foolishly squandered and he still refused to take help from Gray, who had built his own small inheritance back into a fortune, or Felicity, who had inherited quite a sum herself when her viscount had mercifully breathed his last.
Of course, their brother’s stubborn desire to fix things on his own was exactly why Lucien was poised on the edge of a dangerous precipice with Miss Celia Fitzgilbert. Gray scowled.
“Lucien—” he began.
“Oh Lord, he’s about to start,” Lucien said to Felicity. “Look at his face.”
Felicity smiled softly as she turned to look at Gray. “He does have a certain expression that says he’s going to start acting like the older brother instead of the
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