Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 82367 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82367 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
“I need my money, Bryn. Friend or no, business always comes first.”
“I get that, I do, but she’s off the table. Rosamunde is mine.” Her whimper shattered him. “I compromised her.”
He cut his gaze to her and found he didn’t much care for her shaking her head ‘no’ at him. Firming his jaw, he frowned at her. “Did you want me to lie, baby? Or do you not remember our time together? My mistake. Times.”
Bryn knew he would pay for that, but he didn’t care. He could take a lifetime of making it up to her as long as she was his.
“But I’m offering her freedom,” Jimmy said. “I’ll pay for her and she can do what she wants.”
“Jimmy, I will kill you,” he rumbled, glaring at him. “Leave my woman alone.”
A heavy sigh before Jimmy angled his horse toward the count, who couldn’t go anywhere. “Let’s you and I have a discussion.”
“Don’t do this.”
Rosamunde’s soft tone hit Bryn square in the gut. He dismounted, knowing one of his guys—Remington, Piers, Henry, or Falcon—would be there to grab the reins. Without hesitation he strode up to Rosamunde and grasped her upper arms.
“Don’t do what?”
“Ruin your life for me.”
The cold had flushed her creamy skin and he wanted to kiss her.
“My life is ruined without you in it, lioness.”
She gulped, paused, and shook her head again. “You feel responsible for me. You’re leaving for America. Go.”
I’m not leaving you, baby. Not ever.
He nodded and settled his gloved hand on the side of her face. “This is my fault, that you don’t feel your worth. I wasn’t ready to accept what was right in front of me.”
Guarded hope lingered in her expression. “Which was?”
“You’re it for me. You blew into my life as an unwanted temptation but damn it, that changed the longer the time I spent with you. You’re everything a man could want. Everything I could ever want.” He ran his thumb along her lower lip.
“I’m engaged.”
“You will be.” He put them nose to nose. “To me.”
“You don’t really want me, Bryn. We know this, both of us do. We had an arrangement. Nothing more.”
There went that fury again. “Nothing more? You think what is between us can just die? Like a candle being snuffed out? There one second and gone the next?”
She blinked a few times.
“It can’t.” His words were a vow. “You are it for me, Rosamunde. No other woman can come close to what you mean to me. I love you.”
“I’m a bad bet.”
He cupped her face in both hands. “Lioness, you’re the only bet.” He kissed her, uncaring of the audience that had grown around them. “Tell me you love me,” he murmured against her lips.
She grasped his wrists but didn’t pull away.
His heart didn’t handle waiting well and he demanded it again. “Tell me.” He didn’t close his eyes, needing to see her, see she was here, with him. Safe.
“You need to step away from my daughter until we discuss payment.”
“There will be no payment. You tried to sell your daughter to a man who has been accused of killing his previous three wives because of his proclivities.” He didn’t look at her father, keeping his attention on her. “You didn’t want her so you don’t get anything for her. I will marry your daughter and she will never want for a single thing. We will travel, love and have lots of babies. She’s found her home, her family. And it’s not with you.”
He brushed his lips over hers, still desperate to hear the words. But she hadn’t said them. In fact, she didn’t say a word. He took solace in that she watched him. He went to step back and leave to get his horse, and she tightened her hold on his wrists.
Cocking an eyebrow, he waited.
Rosamunde slid her feet closer to him, taking up the space he’d given her. She pushed up on her toes and kissed him, tenderly, hesitantly, lovingly.
“I love you, Bryn. I have since the beginning.”
He was complete. “Let’s go.”
Henry held the reins of Bryn’s mount as he lifted Rosamunde into the saddle.
“Welcome to the family, sister,” Henry said.
“Rosamunde! You tell him to take care of us. We’re family.” Harriet’s screech almost had her cringing.
Bryn snorted and leaped easily up behind her, curving his arm protectively against her. “Falcon, bring her trunks. She’s staying at the townhouse. I’ll sleep at your house.” The man nodded and hopped into the carriage driver’s seat after tossing his reins to Remington.
“Jimmy,” Bryn said with a nod. “Thanks for the heads-up.”
“I expect an invite to the wedding.”
And he’d get one. The man had given him a heads-up on what had transpired with the count at his establishment. Jimmy Mac knew the man had been planning on escaping his debts by taking his bride to be and running for the sea. He’d not counted on Jimmy’s connections from the docks and the loyalty of the men who worked for him to rat out the plans the count had thought he’d made in secret.