The Redemption of a Dissolute Earl by Julie Johnstone Page B

shrugged away from him. “I’ve my own
coach.”
    “That thing back there?”
    “It’s a perfectly acceptable coach,” she
said tartly. Maybe it wasn’t as expensive as his coach, but
it was quite nice―when all the wheels were working.
    “Don’t be foolish. Even if your coach were
not in disrepair, Edgeworth’s coach is superior―”
    “Ah, words spoken by the pompous earl who
would never dream of parting with his money.” Damnation ! She
bit her lip. She’d never meant to say so much. To appear
wounded.
    The corners of Drew’s mouth turned down.
“What I was going to say―before you interrupted me―is that
Edgeworth’s coach is built for speed. Your coach is built for
comfort. It is a simple matter of their purposes. Not a matter of
any superiority of my cousin’s coach.”
    She clenched her jaw together against
apologizing or accepting his offer. He may sound changed, but he
was bad for her. Her head knew it, even if her heart and her body
wanted to believe something else. She needed to get away from him
as soon as possible.
    “You surprise me, Char,” Drew said, his tone
mildly disapproving, his look even more so.
    “How do I surprise you? Because I am not
falling at your feet? Asking you to step inside the carriage with
me and have a quick romp?”
    Drew took in a long, audible breath. “No. I
never expected either of those things from you. I’m surprised you
would delay reaching your father for the sake of your pride.”
    He thought this was all about pride ?
She rubbed the back of her stiff neck. Thank God he didn’t suspect
just how much she wanted to throw herself into his arms and feel
his lips on her body. It wasn’t simply pride, though she did need
to keep what little she had left. She feared she would crumble
under her desire when in such cramped quarters with him and end up
back in his bed. But he had a point. She wanted to reach her father
as soon as possible. “I’ll ride with you.”
    “Excellent. Then we’ll sleep at the Queen’s
Head tonight and leave together at first light tomorrow for
Danby.”
    She wanted to argue that they should ride
through tonight, but in light of how bad the weather had turned it
was a ridiculous proposition. “Fine,” she murmured, trying
desperately to ignore the burgeoning giddiness the thought of being
so near him for an entire day brought to her. She couldn’t be weak
or stupid. “You will sit on the opposite side of the coach
tomorrow.”
    “Whatever you demand.”
    “How surprising,” she said churlishly. “I
knew you were one who did as commanded, I just had no idea money
didn’t have to be involved.”
    “You’ve every right to be cruel. I deserve
it. But know this—I’d rather be penniless than spend one more
second without you, and I’m going to prove myself to you.”
    “Just how do you plan to do that?” She was
tired of his declarations. Declarations without actions were so
easy to make. “Do you mean to face your father and tell him you’re
going to marry me? Or better yet,” she taunted as she strode toward
his carriage, unleashing all the pain she had stored inside her for
a year, “perhaps you plan to actually marry me this time. I’ll tell
you this—” she poked him in the chest— “I’d never be so stupid as
to fall for your lies again and let you bed me and leave
me twice.”
    “I wouldn’t want you to,” Drew said simply.
“I’ll not lay one finger on you until you’re my wife. That’s a
promise.” Instantly, his warm lips covered hers, sucking, kneading,
and leaving her knees weak when he drew back.
    She pressed her fingers to her swollen lips.
“You touched me,” she accused in desperation against the chaos he
had caused inside her.
    “Not with my fingers,” he said with a wink
and a wicked grin before motioning for her to climb into the
carriage unassisted.

 

    Half a mile down the road, they found
Charlotte’s coachman limping through the deep snow at a pace Drew
suspected would