Rapturous Rakes Bundle (39 page)

take
nothing
from
you
unless
you
take
something
of
mine.’

Lady Sally’s breath caught in her throat. She looked

at the incriminating bottle of brandy. ‘I assumed that

you meant I should take nothing of yours when I left

your house.’

‘Assumptions are dangerous things.’

‘Then—’

He took hold of her wrist again, this time in a feath-

erlight touch. ‘I want you out of this house,’ he said,

drawing her inexorably towards him. ‘Out of this

house and into mine—and into my bed.’

Lady Sally put out her free hand and caught his arm,

pulling him against her hard. ‘In mine first.’

‘If you insist.’

Their kiss was explosive, unleashing the passion of

years.

When they broke apart, Lady Sally said a little hes-

itantly, ‘It is a very long time since I did this.’

‘For me too. It will be fine. In fact, it will be very

good...’

His arms were hard about her. His touch on her skin

left no doubt of where this would end, and soon. There

would be no escape. They kissed again, demanding,

hungry, desperate for fulfillment.

‘Justin,’ Lady Sally said, taking his hand and draw-

ing him towards the staircase, ‘do you think we could

elope?’

‘Of course,’ Justin said. His arm was about her

296

The
Rake’s
Mistress

waist now and the anticipation ran scalding hot be-

tween them. ‘If that is what you would like to do.’

‘I do not think I could bear to confess to everyone

that I had made a mistake and should have married

you years ago, so...I would rather they knew
after
the

event.’

Justin laughed. ‘So you would like to marry me?’

‘Please.’

‘Excellent. We shall elope immediately.’

They kissed for a third time, sweet and longing.

‘Almost immediately,’ Lady Sally corrected. ‘For

now there is a more pressing matter on hand.’

Justin scooped her up in his arms and took the stairs

two at a time, kicking the bedroom door closed behind

them and dropping her into the middle of the big dou-

ble bed, where he joined her a second later.

The lost fifteen years fled away then as she looked

at him. He was the Justin Kestrel she had known when

she had been a laughing de´butante of eighteen, too

fearful and flighty to accept the fate that was hers. And

then he drew her to him very gently and there was

nothing but warmth and light—and the promise of the

future.

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