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)
“The guys I know aren’t like a lot of the men in society, lioness. They’ll want to strip you naked.” Her pulse kicked up. “Lick your soft skin. Bit it. Mark you. Everywhere.”
Rosamunde whimpered.
He stepped closer, bringing her palm more firmly against his torso. She didn’t pull it away.
“Nip. Suck. Stroke.”
“I don’t need lies, my lord.”
He dipped his head. “Bryn.”
She firmed her lips and furrowed her brow. “My lord.”
“I wonder what I have to do in order to have you call out my name.” He picked up her hand and turned it over in his so her palm was up. “Don’t forget to make sure you always have your thumb on the outside.” He curled her fingers over, making the fist. “If you have it inside, you’re likely going to break it.”
“Got it.” Her voice was low and shaky.
He could be a right bastard, but he did know when to push and when to retreat. Right now, pushing on the thing that had hurt her was fine. Pushing her sexually? Not a wise idea.
“Now, who hurt you this morning?”
“Why? Going to punch them?”
He stroked his fingers over her fist as they stood close to each other, breath mingling.
“What else would people expect from The Mutt?”
She struck him on the chest, using her other hand with a perfect punch.
He stumbled back. “Ouch. What was that for?”
“I told you not to call yourself that in front of me.” Her eyes shot fire.
“But it gets you to touch me.” He inched closer. If anyone were to walk in, they would be ruined. Well, she would. Bryn found he didn’t care so much.
Taking pity on her, and himself, he cupped her cheek. “Tell me so I can fix it, lioness.”
“You can’t. No one can. I’m going to have to figure it out myself.”
He respected that. Stepping back and severing all physical connection with her, he nodded. “You still have anger inside, so let’s work it out.”
Her withdrawal was more than just on the surface level. He could damn well see the walls she ducked behind. And it pissed him off. He didn’t want her to hide from him but damn it, he wasn’t the one for her.
Am I sure?
Losing himself in boxing, he sparred with her, and was continually impressed by how quick she picked it up. At one point, he glanced to the left and found his sister there.
Her lips quirked as she lifted her left eyebrow.
“Hang on, lioness.” He walked toward his sister. “What are you doing here, Kels?”
“Came to get you for dinner. Well, I came to get Rose so she can get cleaned up.”
Yeah, that wasn’t a visual he needed. He gazed over his shoulder and found Rosamunde standing there, brushing some of her hair from her face as she watched him with his sister.
“Give me five.” He walked off without waiting for a response.
Back in front of Rosamunde he tried, really hard, not to look at how her breasts rose and fell with each deep breath she took.
I’m an aroused male. One who’s been around a woman I want nothing more than to toss her skirts up over her head.
“One more set. Then it’s time to get cleaned up for dinner.”
“I don’t have anything here.”
“Then strip. I’m happy to box with you in nothing but your undergarments.”
She flushed and sent a punch at him. One he barely dodged.
Keely whistled and cheered her on. “Get him, Rose. Knock him out.”
He winked at her. “Come on, lioness. Show my sister what you’ve learned.”
Chapter Eight
Rosamunde made her way down the smooth wooden stairs of the Heartstone townhouse. The storm had picked up in fervor and the wind was relentless in its pursuit of finding entrance to the building. She padded silently down the hall to the sitting room.
Her mind was too busy to allow her to settle and she felt restless. Way beyond the time when people were awake. If she were home, she would sit close as she dared by the fire in their sitting room and squint at the words in the books she loved so much.
This sitting room wasn’t warm but she didn’t care, she could just turn around and head back upstairs. Her goal was to ease the restlessness within her.
A maid stood behind her when she turned and she barely stopped her scream.
“Did you need something, miss?”
“No. I was merely walking around.”
“There is a fire going in the library and I would be happy to bring you some chocolate to help warm you, if that pleases you.”
She would love to go there. A library and no accusing eyes judging what she was looking at? Heaven.
Still… Years of being berated wasn’t easy to ignore.
The maid nudged her down the hall two doors and opened a door for her. The warmth from inside reached out and wrapped around her like a warm blanket. As her gaze moved around the softly lit interior, Rosamunde drank in the shelves upon shelves of spines, calling to her.