Free The Redemption of a Dissolute Earl by Julie Johnstone Page B

towards her.
    Setting the pillow and blanket on the chair
beside her, she glanced down, her breath catching. Her hand shook
as she brought the paper towards her, but she managed to control
her nerves enough to pick up the parchment and make sure she had
seen the words correctly. “This appears to be a list of
occupations.” She did not want to assume, though it did seem
forthright.
    “You always have been clever, Char.”
    Good God . Drew had actually been
sitting here making a list of occupations well below an earl’s
expectations.
    “Is this for you?”
    “Surprised?”
    That was putting it rather mildly. Dare she
believe what her mind suggested? Fear made her mouth dry. She
licked her lips. “Earls do not work.”
    He nodded. “Precisely.”
    Her mind raced through the facts. Drew had
not known she would come down here to give him a pillow and
blanket. He had thought her in bed, and no doubt he had assumed he
would not see her until the morning. This could be no ruse―no
game.
    He had been serious earlier . He
had actually been serious . Her heart hammered in her ears. The
pounding blocked all other sound but the noise of her emotions that
released, welled and broke through the careful barrier she had put
them behind.
    Tears flowed freely down her face. She
blinked them away, then looked at the man she loved, had never
stopped loving. “You really meant what you said earlier
tonight?”
    Drew nodded, his gaze burning bright. He
reached over and stopped just short of grabbing her hands. “I love
you. I want to marry you, and I’ll gladly give up everything down
to my trousers to get you back.”
    Charlotte sniffed. “Not your trousers,
darling. People would be scandalized.”
    “Who cares?” Drew stared at her
intently.
    She knew what he wanted. Or she thought she
did. That was the problem. She could not know for sure. Without
certainty could she risk it all once again for love? What was the
other choice―risk nothing and attain nothing? She glanced at the
paper and chose the first occupation Drew had listed. “Surely a
solicitor can afford trousers?”
    Drew smiled ruefully. “I might be aiming too
high for a position as a solicitor. I’m not terribly good with
following rules or getting others to follow them. I might end up a
coachman.”
    Her heart ached with his words. She loved
him, and she did not think she would ever love another as she loved
Drew. She had to risk her heart once again. “That’s all right,
darling.” She smiled at Drew, tears of joy filling her eyes. “I’m a
terribly famous actress, and I need another good coachman.”
    Drew leaned towards her, his lips almost
brushing hers. “What about a husband?” he whispered with an
intensity that made her tingle.
    “I suppose, though you’ll be poor, you’ll
do.”
    “Char?”
    “Yes?”
    “I think I’m going to have to break my
promise.”
    With a chuckle, she reached out and twined
her hands into his hair, pulling his lips against hers, helping him
break his promise not to touch her. One of his hands came to the
back of her neck to cup it. His other hand slid into her hair, and
his fingers twined into the silky strands. “God, Char. I’ve had so
many dreams about touching you this way once again that a part of
me fears I’m still dreaming.”
    “You’re not,” she whispered as his mouth
descended upon hers. His lips brushed hers reverently, exploring,
licking, and nipping ever so gently. The longing she had kept pent
up for over a year poured through her, and she let out a moan as
his lips became more demanding. She could feel, by the increasing
assault of his lips, the need he had bottled up releasing inside of
him. He let out his own ragged moan just as his tongue delved
inside her mouth and incited her own need and hunger for him to a
frenzied level. She wanted more of him. She needed more of him.
    “Drew,” she panted as she pulled back. “I
need you.”
    “I need you too. So badly in fact, I’ll
probably lie on