What A Rogue Wants Read Free

they’d been shooting all their
lives.
    “ There. That fair ghel with the sun on her
head.”
    “ The fair what with what
on her head?” Grey reached into his coat and brought out a bag of
coin.
    “ Come, I’ll show you.” The
gypsy eyed Grey’s coin and then wound through the throng of people.
“You going to wager?”
    Was he ever. No need to go showing his
excitement and get taken advantage of. “Yes, but I’ll see the lady
before I decide for or against.”
    “ And your
friend?”
    Gravenhurst shook his head. “I’ll keep
my funds in my pocket where they belong.”
    Leave it to Gravenhurst to try to
spoil the fun. Nothing could spoil this novelty though. Grey
shrugged. “Sorry―?”
    “ Romany.” The gypsy stuck
out his hand. Grey shook the man’s hand with enthusiasm. His wasted
trip was just about to become profitable and entertaining. Toward
the inner circle the man stopped behind a woman whose waves of
flaxen hair tumbled invitingly down her back and marked her as the
woman with the sun on her head. He chortled at the description.
What a preposterous idea to imagine the petite creature standing in
front of him had the strength to wield the bow and shoot the arrow
true enough to split the one already lodged in the
target.
    She had a right lovely round backside,
he’d give her that, but he’d not give her his confidence. He
jingled the bag of money with a grin and held it toward Romany
who’d begun taking bets again from the people around him. “I’ll put
the whole lot on the lady’s failure.”
    With a gasp, the woman whirled around
and speared him with a dark look as well as nearly stabbing him
with her arrow. “You’re mistaken to wager against me,
sir.”
    There was something invitingly erotic
about the pale-skinned, bronze-eyed beauty wrapped in delicate,
lilac silk. She looked dainty and helpless yet she wielded a weapon
that could kill and boasted of skills no proper lady would dream of
admitting. His lust awoke in a heartbeat. This was the woman he
needed to prickle his father and push him toward agreeing to secure
a commission. “I’ll be happy if you prove me wrong, yet your
stature does make me question your abilities, Lady…?”
    “ Miss Prattle,” she
responded with a conspiratorial look at the curly-headed
brunette.
    “ What an unusual name.” He
winked to prod her and was rewarded when her eyes
rounded.
    “ Yes, well,
Lord…?”
    “ Drivel.” He could barely
contain his amusement.
    She burst out laughing,
the merry sound making him smile. “Your laugh is lovely,” he said.
Instantly, she sobered, eyed him warily and turned her attention
downward on her arrow. She was right to be guarded. His blood
hummed in his ears with his desire. Forget his parent’s boring
dinner. By tonight he’d have this chit in his bed. The
contradiction she presented was irresistible. “I’ll put my money on
you and give you
all my winnings to make up for offending you, but if you lose, you
must accompany me to my townhouse.”
    “ She’ll not!” her friend
exclaimed before the lady herself could reply. When the lady gave
her friend a cool look, Grey had to work not to show his
satisfaction. She was just as interested in him as he was in her.
Today was turning out to be splendid, indeed.
    “ I’ll take your
offer.”
    “ Excellent.” He ignored
her friend’s outraged huff and Gravenhurst’s indiscreet snickering
into his hands. “There’s much I want to show you.” Grey imagined
her excited expression when she saw his collection of archery sets.
Her mouth dropped open. By God, the chit thought he was referring
to something sexual. Her expression of barely contained outrage was
priceless and intrigued him all the more.
    “ What precisely do you
think to show me? Are you a collector of art?”
    Her tone was brittle as glass. The
challenge of making her pliable in his hands was going to be quite
enjoyable. For now, it might do her good to wonder what he was
about. “I only have