Loving Lord Ash Read Free Page A

encountering portions of his anatomy she’d rather avoid. And she did love him. He was the brother she’d never had. He was funny and kind and maddening and sometimes overbearing.
    And he had terrible timing.
    The door flew open right at that moment, and she jerked her head around to see who’d come all the way up to the studio.
    Oh, bloody, bloody hell.
    She stared directly into her husband’s furious eyes.

Chapter Two
     
The angrier the man, the more desperate his love.
—Venus’s Love Notes
     
    Shock, longing, horror, mortification. The emotions flashed through Jess, keeping her frozen where she stood—with her arms around a naked man.
    Oh, damn. This was almost as bad as the scene with Percy. Why did she have such horrendous luck?
    She shoved Roger away as if he’d caught fire. “Ash, what are you doing here?”
    How easily she fell into using Kit’s title. She’d been the only one who’d ever called him by his Christian name, but that was only when they were alone, back when they’d been friends.
    They were not friends now. His face was like granite, his eyes hard gray chips. He looked even harsher than he had that terrible time with Percy.
    Or maybe he looked harsher because he was older. His blond hair had darkened, his face was leaner, and there were lines around his eyes and mouth—likely caused by her and their doomed marriage.
    But she also saw a glimmer of the Kit she’d loved—the shy, intense, brilliant boy with the heart-stopping smile who had befriended her even though she was only the groom’s daughter and had taught her to draw. She saw that boy’s face in her dreams at night and had ached to see him again in person.
    And now she had, in such damning circumstances.
    His lip curled. He probably saw her face in his dreams, too—or rather, his nightmares.
    Roger stepped naked between them. “The door was closed, sir. A gentleman would knock and beg admittance.”
    Kit’s eyes narrowed, his anger so intense Jess would swear he vibrated with it. “A gentleman would not fuck another man’s wife.”
    Jess gasped. She’d never heard Kit utter such an ugly word.
    “Wife?” Roger said. He turned to look at her. “Wife?”
    “Yes, wife.” Kit stepped forward threateningly. “Or didn’t you ask if she was married before you—”
    “That’s enough!” None of this was Roger’s fault. Jess pushed him aside and faced Kit squarely. “Lord Ashton, I’ll thank you to—”
    Her sharp voice alerted her dog that some threat had entered his territory. He started barking, great deep woofs that echoed off the studio’s wooden floor and bare walls, and came over to vanquish the interloper.
    “It’s all right, Kit.” Jess glared at her husband. “Lord Ashton is harmless.”
    “Er, Jess,” Roger said. He’d had the good sense to grab the blanket off the chaise longue and wrap it around his waist. “I wouldn’t say he’s harmless precisely.”
    Kit ignored Roger. His eyes had widened, and he stared at Jess’s pet, which was leaning protectively against her side now, and then up at Jess. “You named your dog after me?”
    “She does like the dog,” Roger said helpfully. “It’s rather a compliment.”
    The look Kit gave Roger could have frozen fire. “You bloody—”
    “My lord, Charlie said you’d arrived.” Dennis Walker appeared in the corridor behind Kit. The poor man’s face was flushed, and he was panting as if he’d run up the stairs. He wrung his hands—and carefully avoided looking at Roger. “What a surprise.” He smiled weakly and cleared his throat. “A wonderful surprise, of course. But you must be hungry and thirsty. Why don’t you retire to the study, and I’ll have some refreshments sent to you?”
    Kit turned his glare from Roger to Dennis. “Refreshments will not be necessary; I am leaving.”
    “But, my lord—”
    “However,”—Kit cut Dennis off, and suddenly Jess could see the duke in him, though His Grace had never been this cold—“I