3
" Before Charlotte could utter a syllable, Tristan picked up her gloved hand and kissed her lightly on the
knuckles.
“Good day, Charlotte,” he said.
“Good day,” she answered. She turned to bid farewell to Lady Rosalind, but she seemed to have
disappeared.
Numbly, she descended the front steps toward a waiting Rothbury, who only had eyes for the Devines’
front door, looking quite like he wanted to murder someone.
“Perfection, dear brother,” Rosalind proclaimed, while peeking out the little window next to the door.
“Utter perfection.”
Slipping a finger inside his cravat to loosen it a bit, Tristan craned his neck from side to side, easing the
building tension. “If he kills me, I’ll see to it that you get hanged for murder as well. "
― Olivia Parker , To Wed a Wicked Earl (Devine & Friends, #2)
6
" Are you enjoying yourself this evening, Miss Greene?"
She nodded, thinking it safe now to face him.
"Good," he said, offering her a wicked grin when her eyes lifted to his. "I believe all young women, especially those timid and retiring ones like yourself, should embark on new horizons... try new things, if you will. I undoubtedly approve and, in fact, encourage you to indulge your most wicked fantasies. "
― Olivia Parker , To Wed a Wicked Earl (Devine & Friends, #2)
7
" Splatters of mud stained Rothbury's fine lawn shirt, which clung slickly to the broad expanse of his back like a second skin. Having rolled up his sleeves at the onset of his task, his muscled arms were now streaked with mud and rain as were the tall boots and tight black breeches that hugged the sinewy muscles of his long, undoubtedly strong legs.
Her admiring gaze alighted upon his golden-brown hair, which now looked more brown than golden as it was wet with perspiration and mist. A few locks lay plastered to his neck in wispy whorls.
Charlotte suddenly felt overly warm. Seeing him... wet... somehow embarrassed her. It felt dark, intimate. Truly, if it weren't for the mud- and clothes- she rather thought this would be what he looked like after a bath.
A shiver ran down her arms as her eyes drifted to the dewy trails of rain droplets that ran over his slightly bristled jaw and neck, disappearing in the nest of his loosely tied cravat.
And then her hungry gaze raised... and connected with Rothbury's. All thoughts flew straight out of her head.
Looking at her from over his shoulder, he straightened, his smile twisting with arrogance.
Despite the chill in the air, her cheeks felt as if they were on fire. How long had he been watching her in-depth perusal? Long enough, she supposed, if the heated gleam in his eyes was any indication at all.
She blinked, shaking her head hurriedly, hoping by that action she was silently telling him, "No, I definitely was not looking at you."
He answered her gesture by nodding slowly, telling her he knew exactly what she had been doing and that he had caught her in the act.
She gave her head another insistent shake.
Still looking at her from over his shoulder, he sauntered back to the carriage, his smile broadening. He lifted his shoulder as if to say, "I don't care. Look all you want."
She shook her head again, tightly.
He winked.
She gulped.
And then he set back to work with the other men to free the carriage. "
― Olivia Parker , To Wed a Wicked Earl (Devine & Friends, #2)
8
" Charlotte stood, her gaze instantly connecting with Rothbury's. A zing of awareness tingled down her spine.
Dripping with sensuality, the earl stood with his back to the wall, his stance, as always, exuding a lazy confidence. The damp spring air in the crowded room caused his dark-blond locks to curl slightly where wisps had escaped the velvet queue secured behind his neck. He wore no costume, no mask, which of course wasn't required, therefore catching the eye of every warm-blooded female within a two-hundred-foot radius.
It wasn't an exaggeration. The sighs of feminine appreciation surrounded Charlotte. Though she found it slightly ridiculous, she could not find it in herself to blame them. He was simply that fetching.
His expertly cut dark gray coat hugged his broad shoulders, and his stark white cravat, frothy with elegant folds, emphasized his chiseled chin, gold with faint bristles. And his mouth- oh, that glorious mouth- both haughty and wicked, curving with his ever-present sagacious grin. Lord, what it must feel like to have those lips touch one's own.
Charlotte gave an appreciative sigh, drinking up the sight of him. For a masquerade, his plain evening clothes on any other man would have lent him to fade into the background. But not Rothbury. Dear heavens, no. It only added to his sinful, blush-inducing appeal. "
― Olivia Parker , To Wed a Wicked Earl (Devine & Friends, #2)
9
" There, on a spindle-legged chair positioned against the far wall under the warm glow of the twin sconces, Lord Rothbury, blindfolded with his own cravat, his hands tied together, secured behind the back of the chair.
In vain, she tried to swallow, only it felt as if her throat had been doused with sand.
Good Lord! Why on earth was he tied up?
His shirt lay open, displaying the tawny skin of his broad chest, his flat nipples, and the sparse golden hairs that brushed the plane of his muscled stomach. Her greedy eyes remained fastened on that sleek, bare stomach, mesmerized by the rise and fall of each breath he took.
A voice in the back of her mind told her she should look away. After all, he was sin embodied. But what a sight he was for her starved eyes.
His dark blond locks lay in splendid disarray and he gave his head a quick jerk, tossing away the hair that fell across his forehead. He was unsuccessful, the silky strands sliding back into their former position. He blew out his frustration with a low growl. "
― Olivia Parker , To Wed a Wicked Earl (Devine & Friends, #2)
11
" Dropping to his knees before her, he loved her, worshiped her with his mouth, kissing her stomach, her hips, her thighs, and finally reaching her moist, intimate center.
She cried out his name and he knew she was shocked at his behavior, but he didn't care.
He devoured her, holding her tightly against his mouth as he drank her.
Alternating between swirls of his tongue and long, languid licks, he let her moans and sighs be his guide to pleasuring her. Her body shook and he knew she was close. He quickened his movements.
He slid his hands from her bottom around to her waist, and to her rib cage. Reaching her breasts, he plucked at her nipples while he suckled the tiny nubbin of flesh hidden in her folds.
She screamed. And he continued his sweet torture until her knees buckled.
He caught her to him. Holding her close he carried her to his bed, his cock so fiendishly hard he thought he'd go mad if he didn't take her at that moment.
In a stunningly short amount of time, he rid himself of his clothes and joined her on the bed. Her legs spread for him and he sank himself between her thighs.
Her limbs shaking, Charlotte wrapped her legs around his waist and eagerly met her husband's lips for a kiss.
His body was simply magnificent, she thought, running her hands down his muscled back, over the hard muscles of his arms and chest. "
― Olivia Parker , To Wed a Wicked Earl (Devine & Friends, #2)
12
" Rothbury inhaled the familiar lemon-tinged air wafting before him. He remained silent, ignoring the zing of awareness thrumming through him, and listened for the sound of footfalls instead.
Whoever had entered the room, it was definitely a young woman. He'd bet one of his prized Arabians on it, but it wasn't Cordelia. She smelled perpetually of pungent roses, which he had been partial to in the beginning of their short love affair, but which now merely reminded him that the woman connected to it was just as clingy and thorny as the flower itself.
But this scent- he inhaled deeply as it now surrounded him- inspired contentment, which was a miracle in itself, considering all he wanted to do presently was break free, find Lady Gilton, and throttle her elegant neck.
"Who's there?" Rothbury demanded, his tone firm but quiet. He pulled at the twisted silk binds holding his wrists together behind him, noting they were finally starting to tear. "Come now," he said in a tone he used on skittish horses. "Tell me who's there. "
― Olivia Parker , To Wed a Wicked Earl (Devine & Friends, #2)
13
" Do you know what I think?"she asked, rearranging the blanket to wear around her shoulders like a shawl.
"Not this again."
"I think there's more to you than you let people believe. I think you actually do care what people think. Oh sure, it's fun having everyone think you're dangerous and cold, but inside, where it matters, you're just warm pudding."
"Warm pudding?"
"Quite," she uttered confidently, with a firm nod.
The things that came out of that woman's mouth never failed to astound him. "Well, I'm going to... to leave now," he said slowly, as if he thought her the strangest creature on earth- just to tease her. When she laughed at herself, he smiled and muttered, "Good night, my sweet Charlotte." Fists on the edge of the couch, he made to push himself up.
"Wait," she said. And he froze.
Slowly, she sat up more fully, swinging her legs down. Which put her knees between his planted fists.
He couldn't help but give a low chuckle. "Charlotte, if I didn't know you better, I would venture to say that you are deliberately tempting me."
"Tempting you to what?" she asked, her tone utterly oblivious.
He had had enough. "Remember that little problem I forewarned you about? The one about a man and a woman never being able to become friends because lust gets in the way? That eventually, one or both of us would end up wanting something very intimate from the other?"
She nodded jerkily.
"Well, I'm there. I've been there. For years. "
― Olivia Parker , To Wed a Wicked Earl (Devine & Friends, #2)
15
" Rothbury's admiration had grown gradually, steadily, despite his efforts to ignore her. Never quick to judge, she was kind, she was sincere, she was secretly funny, and quite observant. She was the only woman of his acquaintance, the only person really, to whom he had ever revealed even the smallest hint of what he was truly feeling. "
― Olivia Parker , To Wed a Wicked Earl (Devine & Friends, #2)
17
" I cannot dance with you because I... well..." She cleared her throat. "... That is to say..."
"Miss Greene cannot dance with you," a deep, smooth voice rumbled behind her, "because she has already promised the next to me."
She swallowed a lurch of dread, instantly recognizing to whom the sultry, lazy drawl belonged.
Witherby recoiled from the intrusion. "I say," he replied, looking up at Rothbury with distrust, "no wonder the young lady hesitated over my offer. I know for a fact Miss Greene is not permitted to dance with you."
Rothbury only chortled, low and deep. Charlotte could feel it thrum through her spine and down to the soles of her slippered feet.
Turning, she stole a sidelong glance at him. He stood with his feet braced firmly on the floor, his hands behind his back. His burnished gold hair was swept back into place but for a thick lock that hung low on one side of his forehead.
His hooded eyes stared down Witherby as he gave a lopsided grin that on any other man, she supposed, would appear utterly charming in a boyish sort of way. On Rothbury's handsome face, however, it looked watchful, lethal. Quite like he was silently daring Witherby to touch her just so Rothbury could have the pleasure of breaking his fingers. "
― Olivia Parker , To Wed a Wicked Earl (Devine & Friends, #2)
18
" It was about time he opened his eyes to see just to whom he was speaking.
After several quick blinks, he managed to do just that, gazing up into a small, heart-shaped face. A pretty face. Not one of a curvy seductress or a cool-hearted courtesan, but a feminine, delicately featured face. He knew this face. He adored this face.
"Miss Charlotte Greene," he stated finally, taking a risk and raising his head to get a better look.
Sitting at his side, the white skirt of her thick night rail tucked around her legs, she smiled down at him with concerned eyes of deep blue. Gorgeous sapphire eyes often hidden behind the rims of small, round spectacles.
Truthfully, she happened to be the complete opposite of what he was usually attracted to. She was a bit too thin, too short, and too quiet for his tastes, which had always leaned toward the voluptuous, the tall, and the spirited. Normally, she wasn't one to stand out. And he rather suspected she preferred it that way.
However, while most young bucks readily discounted her merits and furtively joked about her quirky behavior behind her back, Rothbury had always sensed a subtle undercurrent of passion in her dark blue gaze. Unlike the "diamonds" of the ton and demimonde, who slinked across assembly rooms completely aware of their beauty and the power that accompanied it, Miss Greene moved like a woman who hadn't yet realized how utterly fetching she truly was. She clung to the walls, sometimes barely raising her eyes from the floor, rarely spoke but to her closest friends, and shied away from situations that demanded she converse with the opposite sex.
Strange it was for him to notice those facets in such an unassuming woman. Strange it was he should have noticed her at all. But he always did. The second she walked into a room. "
― Olivia Parker , To Wed a Wicked Earl (Devine & Friends, #2)
20
" Oh, thank you! Thank you," she chirped, surprising him by bounding across the room and clasping him tight for a quick hug.
His arms hung heavy and loose at his sides during her gentle siege.
Rothbury had enchanted exotic opera singers into returning to his bed time and again. He had warmed coldhearted courtesans into confessing their undying love and he had seduced a number of beautiful, feisty women who were just as fickle in picking their lovers as he was. But Charlotte's hug unsettled him, knocked him off balance, one might say.
He didn't want her to let go. But he wouldn't dare bring up his arms to hold her either. Without a doubt he knew if he indulged himself, all he felt, all he thought, would be exposed in the warmth of his embrace. And then there would be no turning back. He would be bared, revealed, humiliated. "
― Olivia Parker , To Wed a Wicked Earl (Devine & Friends, #2)
