What to Do with a Duke Read Free Page A

He’d crossed paths with her at a few events, and she’d seemed willing to explore a more intimate acquaintance. He might be the Cursed Duke—the Heartless Duke—but he was also a man, with a man’s needs.
    And I’m lonely.
    There, he’d admitted it. He could not hope for a long, happy marriage, but he craved a woman’s touch, one that he wasn’t paying for.
    He took another large swallow of brandy. But it had turned out the Widow Chesney did have a price—a wedding ring.
    He slammed his fist into the desk. The pain felt good. “Rathbone must have been watching me. I played right into his hands.”
    â€œHe likely just saw an opportunity and jumped on it,” Alex said. “Rathbone’s not the brightest of fellows.”
    Which made his error all the more galling. Maybe he did need a keeper.
    Now Rathbone would spread his version of last night’s affair throughout the ton , and yet another layer of dishonor would attach to Marcus’s title.
    â€œI can’t believe I swallowed his story that his daughter had gone missing.”
    â€œAt least you found her,” Alex said, trying with little success to muffle a snigger.
    Yes, he’d found her. She’d had her hair down her back and her bodice loosened so her breasts were almost spilling out.
    His mouth went dry at the memory, blast it all.
    â€œShe was hiding behind a bush and jumped out at me. I stepped back, stumbled. . . .” He stared at his brandy glass. The situation would be ridiculous if it wasn’t so blasted embarrassing. “We ended up tangled on the ground, which is when Lady Dunlee came upon us.”
    Alex choked back laughter.
    â€œIt is not amusing.”
    â€œNot when you’re the one writhing in Miss Rathbone’s claws,” Alex said. “But when you’re not . . .” He sniggered again.
    â€œYou were very lucky Miss Rathbone didn’t say you raped her,” Nate said.
    â€œIt would be hard for her to make that claim. When Lady Dunlee came upon us, the girl had me pinned to the ground and was kissing me.”
    Nate’s eyebrow rose. “And you couldn’t stop her?”
    Fortunately the study was too dark for his flush to show—he hoped. “It was a good thing I didn’t try. If I’d had my hands on her, it would have looked like I was forcing her.”
    The terrible thing—the deeply mortifying thing—was that he hadn’t been that anxious to remove Miss Rathbone. He’d enjoyed the feeling of the girl’s body on his.
    This must be what had finally driven his ancestors into marriage, this overwhelming need for a woman’s touch. It was a hunger that went beyond the physical. He’d tried to satisfy it with an assortment of creative, talented light-skirts, and while that had worked for a while, now even a thorough, passionate session with one of London’s most skilled courtesans left him feeling unsatisfied.
    Nate was frowning, of course. “The London Misses are shameless. You should leave Town for a while.”
    â€œLet’s go to the Lake District,” Alex said. “You’re far more likely to encounter a sheep than a marriage-hungry female there.”
    â€œIsn’t the Lake District rather cold and damp?” Though the thought of getting away from Town—and temptation—was enticing.
    His gaze settled on the letter from Loves Bridge.
    Hmm. That doesn’t look at all like Emmett’s hand.
    â€œIt’s not so bad this time of year,” Alex said. “What? Are you afraid of a little wetting?”
    â€œOf course not.” He picked up the letter and turned it over. He didn’t recognize the seal, either.
    â€œWhat does Emmett want?” Nate asked.
    â€œThis isn’t from Emmett.” He opened the single sheet. The handwriting was very cramped—illegible, really. At least his correspondent hadn’t felt the need to cross his