Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 83053 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83053 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Though his parents had been in love, and he had seen the emotion between them. The looks of affection from across the room. The subtle touches they shared, even though such outward affection was frowned upon.
Damn it all! Thomas wished he had taken Tricia to bed.
He wished he were bound to marry her.
Not one woman he danced with this evening could hold a candle to Tricia.
Without thinking, he reached out one gloved hand and with one of his fingers traced the perfectly sculpted cheekbone of her face.
She closed her eyes.
“I shouldn’t touch you,” he said softly, “but I find, when you are near, it’s impossible not to.”
“I never asked you not to touch me.”
“I know, Tricia, but again I have to wonder if you know what you’re asking for.”
They continued walking, and soon they had walked halfway around the mansion on the estate, and they came to the broken wooden railing that had fallen.
Thomas’s heart stampeded when he saw it. “My God, what if you’d fallen?”
Tricia surveyed the mess with wide eyes and swallowed. “I prefer not to think about that.”
“Thank God I was there.” He looked up at the parapet. “You must never go up to the fourth floor alone again.”
“The fourth floor wasn’t the problem. It was the parapet, Thomas.”
“Yes, and it will be repaired tomorrow. As early as possible. And I will make sure of its safety before anyone is allowed up there again.”
“Won’t you be joining the gentlemen on the hunt tomorrow?” Tricia asked.
“Alas, no. I have business to attend to in the morning.”
“Perhaps I shall see you then.”
“Won’t you be joining my mother and yours at the lawn party?”
“Yes.” She sighed. “And I can’t think of anything more frightfully boring than hobnobbing with a bunch of ladies of the peerage.”
Thomas chuckled again.
She was something.
She turned to him then and let out a small and ladylike yawn. “I believe I’ve had quite enough of this evening,” she said. “Please escort me inside, since I’m sure I’m not allowed to go in by myself. I believe I should like to retire to my bedchamber.”
THE RUBY
THE PERILS OF PORTIA
Episode Six
In Which Confessions Are Made
Donovan’s eyes widened at Portia’s revelation, and for a moment, he seemed lost for words. However, he recovered quickly, an amused grin curling his lips. “Ah, Nigel. Why am I not surprised?”
He gazed at Portia, the moonlight casting a soft glow on his rugged features. His hand still held hers where it rested against him, a bold move that had her heart pounding with anticipation. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Donovan finally spoke again.
“Intriguing,” he said softly. “It is an audacious proposition indeed. But not unwelcome.” He offered her a slow grin. “So Lady Portia dares to dream of two lovers.”
“Yes.” His acceptance of her confession relieved her more than she cared to admit. “It’s just a fantasy, really. I—”
She stopped herself abruptly. Why should she defend this desire?
“A fantasy,” Donovan said. “Yet you’ve been bold enough to voice it out loud to me.” He squeezed her hand gently, his gaze still locked on hers. “So it is not just a fleeting thought.”
“No,” she admitted, warming under his intense gaze. “It is not just a fleeting thought. It’s more. It’s…a desire.”
He was silent a moment. With his thumb, he traced gentle circles on her hand that rested against him, sending sparks of anticipation through her body.
“Tell me more about this desire,” he said, a note of interest in his voice. “How do you imagine it to be?”
“Well…” It was one thing to have such scandalous thoughts in the privacy of her mind. It was quite another to voice them out loud to someone else. Yet Donovan seemed genuinely interested and completely non-judgmental in encouraging her to share her desires with him. She took a deep breath and plunged ahead.
“I imagine…” Portia began, her voice barely above a whisper. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Donovan as she spoke, so she fixed her gaze on their intertwined hands. “I imagine being loved by two men who adore me. To be desired by both of you, in all ways possible.”
Donovan drew in a sharp breath at her words, and she looked up to find his eyes burning into hers with an intensity that made her breath hitch.
“Go on,” he urged, his voice low and husky.
“In public we would play our roles perfectly, the dutiful wife and adoring husbands. But behind closed doors…” Her body felt like an inferno as explicit images flooded her mind.
“And behind closed doors?” Donovan prodded gently, his eyes glittering.
Portia took a deep and shuddering breath. “Behind closed doors there would be no limits, no boundaries. Just us. I would satisfy your desires, and you… You both would awaken my senses—pleasure me in ways that I have never experienced before.”
Donovan’s breath quickened, his grip on her hand tightening ever so slightly.