Manor of Pleasure: An Erotic Historical Romance Read Free Page B

"June is not long away, Rebecca. We simply must get started."
    "Wedding plans," Lord Garway said plainly. "Well, I'm afraid that signals my exit. Desmond, shall we leave this business to the ladies?"
    Desmond looked at Rebecca and back to Lord Garway. "Forgive me, sir, but Rebecca and I have plans for an outing. We're to go riding. Isn't that right, darling?"
    "Yes, it is. And the day is wearing thin. We should head out." Rebecca's heart fluttered at the thought of the afternoon's prospects. She had already planned out her strategy and had a precise destination in mind.
    Not an hour later, Rebecca dismounted her ride and tied her horse onto the post of the weathered fence at the edge of the woods. She watched Desmond ride up.
    "You win again, Rebecca. Remind me never to wager you. You'll bankrupt me." He gave her a sidelong glance.
    She laughed, petting the black muzzle of her horse.
    Desmond landed softly on the ground beside her. His horse tethered securely beside hers, Desmond grabbed her hand and Rebecca led him into the forest. The brush around them crackled and snapped as they forced their way.
    "What is this?" Desmond inquired as they came upon a small cottage.
    Rebecca whispered in dramatic fashion, "It is the haunted cottage of Hanging Hollis the Gamekeeper."
    Desmond laughed lightly. "That's ghastly. You're joking, surely." He tried the latch and it didn't budge.
    "I assure you, I'm not. He did hang himself." Rebecca answered. "My sister and I never ventured back here. We were terrified of coming upon his corpse swinging in the trees." She looked about her in a pretense of nervousness.
    Desmond continued to study the problem of the door. "Don't be scared, darling," he rejoined, "I am your fearless protector." He grinned at her.
    Desmond braced to take down the door by force while Rebecca looked on, amused.
    "Step aside, sir." She shifted her hips, shoving him playfully. He stepped back and put his arms about her waist, hugging her to him. He buried his face into the side of her neck. She jiggled the door back and forth while pressing keenly on the rusted fixture with both hands.
    The door sprung ajar. Her eyes flashed at him triumphantly. She stepped forward into the damp and dark structure. Desmond followed her, his hand on her hip.
    Together, they surveyed the state of things. The place smelled faintly of must and there was a thick veneer of dust on the cottage's two windows, making them impassible to a view.
    The room was sparsely furnished. There was a straw-filled mattress in the corner of questionable use. A table and chair had been situated across from the mattress.
    Standing so close to her, Desmond was heady from her scent. He felt his passions rising. He turned her to face him. Rebecca's face was still flush from the ride and tendrils of her hair framed her cheeks and forehead.
    He brushed aside a stray brown tress from her eyes. "You are quite simply the most beautiful creature I've ever beheld," Desmond teased softly. "Why ever did you bring me here?"
    Rebecca turned around to face the room once again. She tried her best to sound detached, "Oh, I don't know. You'll have to learn to hunt now we're to be married. This place could prove useful."
    Rebecca felt abandoned by her usual poise. She walked to the table, taking off her gloves first, then her cape. She draped it on the back of the chair.
    "Just try to imagine it." She turned and smiled at him.
    "Do you know what I think, Rebecca?" he said, striding to her and taking off his gloves in turn. He pulled her to him. His eyes traveled from her green ones, down her throat to the rise and fall of her breasts.
    "I think you mean to seduce me," he whispered into her hair. His hands slid down the curve of her back, to her hips and he pulled her closer still, until she could feel the hardness of his loins against her thigh. "Am I right?" His blue eyes were piercing, his breathing, soft but labored. "Is that what you mean to do?" he whispered into her mouth,