Free Ravishing Ruby by Lavinia Kent Page A

seem like a woman to give up.”
    She brought her arm down, and his along with it, laying the sword between them on the bed. “I always wanted to make my father proud. I thought he was infallible. He was like a god to me. He would appear and the whole house would change. One minute it would be cold and dreary, and the next the sun would be shining, my mother would be laughing, and Cook would appear with every treat imaginable. I lived for those days.”
    “Your father was not with you always? I know you told me some before, but…” he asked.
    What had she told him of her past? She knew she’d shared far too much on that memorable night, but it was hard to remember the specifics. “No, he did not live with my mother.”
    “Did he keep you in the country? I know several men who believe it is healthier for children in the country.”
    A bitter laugh, brittle and sad, escaped her lips. “No, hardly the country. I grew up in London, halfway between here and Mayfair—in more ways than one.”
    “Ahh.” His thumb brushed across her hand.
    “I am sure I told you before that my mother was my father’s mistress. He had another family that lived two streets over from us. Of course, I didn’t know that back then. I didn’t know that most fathers spend more than a day or two a week with their families. Although, from what I know now, I may actually have seen more of him than his legitimate children. I was never sent to the nursery or away to school. I had hours of his time when he was with us—and for those hours he was the best father imaginable. I’ve never felt so loved in all my life.”
    “I sense there is more to that story.” Derek’s voice had taken on a strange note, one she could not quite define.
    “I’ve already said too much. You did not come here to hear of my sad past. Tell me something of you. Were you successful in Manchester?”
    “Yes. I managed to procure everything I was sent for.” He sounded even stranger.
    “And what might that be?”
    He paused for a moment and she was unsure he would answer. “Several weaving machines. I am bringing them back to Rhode Island.”
    “I’ve heard they can be hard to purchase. The mills like to hold on to their secrets.”
    “I managed to reach agreement with them.”
    He was not a man of many words, but something in his extreme brevity warned her that this was not a road to tread lightly. Perhaps his deal had not gone as well as he pretended. He was a proud man and might not admit if there had been some failure. Well, if there was one thing Madame Rouge knew it was how to distract a man from his worries. She rolled on her side toward him and, easing her fingers from his, reached forward to run a single finger down his naked belly. “And is there anything else you have under way?” Her fingers moved lower.
    He caught her hand and held it, his chin tilting down until he looked deep into her eyes. “We can just sleep if you’d rather.”
    Hmm, sleep, not talk. He was definitely avoiding something—and she would let him, she certainly had her own issues she wished to put away for another day. “Are you too tired, my dear captain? I know a man of your age begins to grow weary earlier.”
    He pulled her hand down, pressing it against his hard and straining cock. Oh, perhaps he was not tired at all. It had been his stamina that she had noticed first about him. Well, that and the dragon.
    She wrapped her fingers tight and began a rhythmic stroke, his hand still clasped around hers helping to set the pace.
    “I think I might still have another round or two left in me, my pirate queen. That is if you don’t mind a simple hard fast one. I am rather in the mood for simplicity.”
    “I’d hate to disappoint you,” she replied, speeding the stroke.
    “Somehow I don’t think that’s possible,” he answered, bringing his lips down on hers, covering her with his body as he rose above her.
    —
    What time was it? Ruby opened her eyes and peered out into the