Free Larken by S.G. Rogers Page A

years, she feared that day would be a long time in the future—unless she filled it with something else. What wouldn’t she give for a baby of her own!
    Brandon glanced at her, and Larken realized she’d been caught staring. Embarrassed, she turned her head and watched the ripples on the water instead. Although she realized her husband’s emotions were cooler than the depths of the lake itself, she had to admit she found him dangerously attractive. She would have been far better off married to a kindly octogenarian than a man who made her heart beat faster just by meeting her gaze. Well if she felt compelled to stare, she might as well visit his portrait in the attic for all the good it would do her. At least she could pretend the oil painting returned her admiration.
    “Have dinner tonight with me,” Brandon said.
    “Me too?” Myles asked.
    “Of course. We’ll see how your manners are coming along.”
    So Brandon meant to judge for himself whether or not she was acting properly in her duties as nanny? On that score, at least, she had nothing to fear.
    “We’d be delighted, wouldn’t we Myles?” she prompted.
    “Yes, we’d be delighted,” he echoed. “Thank you.”

    Brandon rowed back toward the dock, wondering what strange, masochistic impulse had made him ask Larken to dinner again. Almost as soon as he’d spoken, he wondered what he expected to gain. For good or for ill, she was already his wife, and since she thought him abhorrent on a number of levels, what was the point? Among other things, she’d probably concluded the boy was his illegitimate son. Certainly the assumption was a logical one, given the totality of circumstances. Although he didn’t owe Larken an explanation, he still felt compelled to offer one. He’d planned to disclose the truth before, on the night they’d quarreled. After Myles retired tonight, he’d lay out the details of the lad’s birth.
    After Brandon secured the boat to the dock, Myles scrambled out immediately. Brandon followed suit and extended his hand to Larken. As she stepped onto the dock, he marveled at her delicate bone structure. She’d been no heavier than a feather when he lifted her down from her mare. The form-fitting riding habit revealed every curve of her body, and his hands had spanned her waist nicely. Her figure was not his business, of course, but he’d have to be a blind eunuch not to notice. Perhaps he should have been more specific as to looks in his advertisement, or left enough time to send the girl back if she proved to be too attractive. The last thing he’d wanted was a wife whose feminine beauty was a distraction. It was good Larken held him in such complete disdain, otherwise he might be tempted to see how she felt in his embrace.
    As he followed her from the lake to where the horses were tethered, his gaze fell to the sway of her hips. With a monumental effort, he loosened his collar and forced himself to look away. No good could come from the thoughts racing through his mind, nor did he wish Larken to suspect he found her comely. In fact, if he didn’t think about something else quickly, he’d be obliged to dive into the lake to quell his desire.
    Larken glanced at Brandon when she reached her mare. “Can you help me up?”
    “Certainly.”
    He laced his fingers together to form a stirrup, and Larken mounted Juniper successfully. When she smoothed down her skirts afterward, however, she inadvertently flashed him a broad expanse of her shapely lower extremity. Sweat broke out on his upper lip, and he blotted it away with a handkerchief. Larken really was a beauty, but lust was not love and a bargain was a bargain. She’d agreed to be his wife in name only, and he mustn’t go back on his word.

    Larken dressed for dinner that night in an eye-catching sapphire blue gown. She’d shied away from the strong color in the shop, but Nell and the clerks had been so enthusiastic, she was persuaded to buy it. As she examined her reflection,