Free The Earl's Outrageous Lover by Elizabeth Lennox Page A

patience in dealing with people she suspected he didn’t really like.
    But she also knew that, if she were married to Edward, she wouldn’t be excited when he was gone.  She thought back to the shooting range only hours ago, the way he held his arms around her and how it made her feel.  She shivered at the memory, wondering what it would be like to have his arms around her for other reasons, personal and intimate reasons.  If anything, she would resent his time away from her, the times when he wouldn’t come home and put his arms around her or hold her at night while they slept.
    She sighed, despondent that she had so little time and only one man who attracted her.  And that man’s personality was just….wrong for her.  Completely right for some woman, but not in her case.
    By the following evening, her sentiments were completely different.  Jessica wished she’d never even heard of Edward Livingston.  As she descended the stairs in her black evening gown, her eyes searched for and found him at the bottom of the staircase.  But instead of the look of admiration she was hoping to find on his handsome features, all she saw was…irritation?
    She wanted to run back up the stairs, or run down them and kick him in the shins for his reaction.  What was wrong with her dress?  The simple, black crepe was perfectly appropriate for the evening.
    She’d tried so hard to look nice tonight and all he did was glare at her as she continued to approach.  She’d thought the black crepe dress with the unadorned neckline was exactly what he would prefer, something that made her look respectable and, hopefully, elegant.  So why was he staring at her like she’d just slapped him across the face.
    “What the hell are you wearing?”  he demanded when she reached the bottom stair.
    Jessica looked down at the black dress and glared right back at him, refusing to be intimidated by him any longer.  She crossed her arms over her chest, leaning forward slightly to emphasize her anger at his reaction to her wardrobe choice.  “I thought we were attending a charity ball tonight.”
    With his hands on his hips, he glared down at her.  “We are.  So why are you dressed for a funeral?”
    That infuriated her.  “What’s wrong with my dress?”
    He stepped forward and shook his head.  “Are you the same woman who showed up in red cowboy boots just a few days ago?”  he demanded.
    She gasped and leaned back, her anger increasing to fury at the possibility that he might be insulting her favorite shoes.  “What’s wrong with my cowboy boots?”  she growled back at him.  Her arms were no longer crossed over her body, they were by her sides, her hands fisted beside her while she tried to control her anger.
    “Nothing is wrong with them.  They fit your personality perfectly.  So go put them on!”  he snapped right back at her.
    Jessica was so stunned by his command that she simply looked up at him for a long moment before she burst out laughing.  “Red cowboy boots with a black crepe dress?  Seriously?”
    He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.  “You know what I mean,” he replied.  A moment later, he grabbed her hand and pulled her back up the stairs.  It took him several tries but he finally located her bedroom.  “Why aren’t you sleeping in the master bedroom?’ he demanded when he finally opened the door where she obviously was sleeping.
    “That’s my parents’ room,” she said softly, standing in the middle of her bedroom, afraid of what he might deduce from the crazy riot of colors all over every available surface in her bedroom.  “What are you doing?”  she asked when he started picking up one dress after another.  She’d had so much trouble trying to decide what to wear tonight, afraid of being too brash, but not wanting to look dowdy either.  She wanted so badly to impress Edward and now he was staring at the results of her angst.
    “I’m trying to find something that is more