His to Keep (Regency Scoundrels Book 2) Read Free Page B

hadn’t cared less about something in all of her years. No. She had to remain steadfast. She couldn’t go running off with the first handsome rogue who crossed her path, could she?   
    “Bold words for a liar like you. You can keep weaving your Banbury stories, and they shan’t affect me. I shall have my freedom with Duxford. He has scads of money so my brother will not have to support me for the rest of my life, and he has…”
    “Why don’t we cut the civil whiskers? I want you to put your left foot on my toe, and then I shall help you up so you are setting behind me. Then, you can wrap your arms around me and snuggle into me like I know you want to do.”
    She pursed her lips, and then, bit her bottom lip. Damnation. He was too irresistible. She couldn’t fight it. She gave into her wants and did as he bid.
    Once she was up behind him, she did as he had predicted. She wrapped her arms around him and leaned in close. She had taken one step closer to becoming a thoroughly ruined young miss.
    Devil take it, if she could be ruined in this man’s arms, she wouldn’t care about the consequences of her actions.
    “Aye, and what shall your bloody earl give you, eh?” She had an odd thought. He smelled far too good to be a highwayman living on the fringes of society. He smelled like lavender, bergamot, oranges and lemon. He smelled glorious. This was definitely a man who bathed at least once a week.
    “He shall give me a life that I can count on. He won’t do anything rash. He is as predictable as they come.”
    “Ah, I see. You are a trifle high spirited and yet you want a boring humdrum life. I dinnae ken that,” there it was again, he kept going between using his refined accent and the rough yet beguiling accent of a rugged highlander. “You obviously do not crave the adventurous life the way that your brother did.” She felt sleepy. Why how would he know anything about her brother? Distantly, in the back of her mind, she thought she should be asking him more questions, and yet she didn’t want to. “Well, that fits, since you’re settling for the bastard in the first place. I can’t believe you haven’t had other offers by men far above his station.”
    “He is an earl. There are few men who are above his station.”
    “You know of what I speak, lassie.”
    She did. In her heart of hearts she knew exactly what he spoke of, and yet she liked to live in denial. It was a comfortable homey place for her. “Most of the men on the marriage mart are shall we say—” She cleared her throat. “Why do you want to know so much about me?” She lowered her voice to a mere whisper.
    “I have an innately curious nature.” He directed Midnight toward the castle. If he was a highwayman, why was he going back to her brother’s Estate? What was going on?
    Why was she allowing him to take control of the situation? This couldn’t end well for her. He was drawing her in—he was bewitching her.
    God help her…she was lost. He had completely undone her…he had rattled her senses, and set her world on fire.
    “Tell me, what exactly are your objections against the men on the marriage mart?”
    “They are, shall we say, intimidated by my brother. He has a certain effect on other males when he meets them, and he is terribly protective of my sisters and me. He can be quite the thorn in a young lady’s side when it comes to catching a proper husband.”
    “I can imagine. And then, there is your rather unconventional ways to consider.”
    “I beg your pardon?” She lost herself in considering what he’d said.
    Midnight went into an easy canter, as he directed her back into the forest. What was this man playing at? Didn’t he know her brother would be arriving soon? 
    “Well, first off, no sensible, gently bred young lady would ride astride on horseback. You must give your insanely sensible brother a fit whenever you go out riding. Strange men might think you have loose morals.”
    “Loose? Well, go ahead. You