Be My Lover Read Online Free Page A

us.”
    Relief chased the concern from her face and she nodded. “I’d
like that.”
    Opening the window, Anthony called out her wish to the
coachman. Closing it again, he smiled at her. “There you are,” he said. “Easily
accomplished.”
    They settled into the companionable silence that had been
theirs years ago. Soon enough the carriage began to slow and the horses’ trot
became a walk before coming to a stop. Anthony opened the door, stepped down
and helped Emily to the sidewalk. She slid her hand into the crook of his arm
and smiled at him. For a moment, her warmth kept Anthony from moving and a
tightness spread through his chest as he thought of what was to happen between
them.
    “So,” she said, breaking the silence. “Shall we go inside?”
    * * * * *
    “Will there be anything else, Your Grace?”
    “No, thank you, Davis. I’ll call you in the morning.”
    Anthony’s valet inclined his head. “Very good, sir. Good
night. Good night, ma’am.”
    “Good night, Davis. Thank you.”
    “Your servant, ma’am.” Davis bowed before exiting the room.
When the door clicked behind him, Emily’s gaze drifted back to Anthony.
    “He’s very discreet, isn’t he?”
    Recalling just how much Davis knew about his personal life,
Anthony chuckled. “He should be. I pay him enough.” He poured them each a glass
of wine from the bottle on the table and handed her one. “Did you enjoy
yourself tonight?”
    “Yes,” Emily said, after taking a sip. “But so many people!
And all those girls! They seemed so very young.”
    “Did any make a particular impression on you?”
    “Margaret Stanhope,” Emily said promptly. “The girl seated
next to you at dinner. She was pretty, well-spoken and didn’t seem at all
intimidated by your title.”
    “Two points to you, Mrs. Martin,” Anthony praised. “You
noticed that, did you? But her father is the Earl of Chesterfield so titles are
something she’s known all her life. Anyone else?”
    “Not that I recall,” Emily admitted. “As I said, so many
people were there. I’ll be lucky if I remember even a few of their names.”
    “You have all Season,” he reminded her. “But there is no
doubt you were much admired. Baron Ragsdale certainly was impressed. He
practically undressed you with his eyes.”
    “Do you think they all thought—”
    “That I’m your lover? I don’t know. Perhaps not yet. After
all, you have just arrived in town.”
    “They’ll think you work very fast then, won’t they?”
    Even in the flickering candlelight he could not miss the
humor dancing in her eyes—and he recalled just how very much he had liked her
all those years ago. “I suppose they will.”
    “Then you approve of my idea that we be lovers?”
    He set his untouched glass on a nearby table. “Are you quite
sure about this, Emily?” he asked again.
    “I’ll need a protector, Anthony, to keep the Ragsdales and others
like him away. So before the ton start to suspect we’re lovers,
let’s make it a truth.”
    “And you want to start now?”
    “I’m here, aren’t I? You don’t have a mistress, do you?”
    Recalling the disastrous “audition” with Lily Cabot, Anthony
was relieved to be able to say, “Not at the moment. Indeed not for a long
while.”
    A soft sympathy entered her eyes. “Is that because of your
father?”
    “Yes.” He took the glass from her and put it on the table.
“But let’s not talk about that tonight. Tonight is about us.”
    “Yes,” she whispered, offering her hand. “Yes.”
    He accepted it, turning it over to trace his lips against
her wrist. Beneath his mouth, her pulse skittered and leapt in an erratic
frenzied storm as he tasted the sweetness and warmth of her skin—an invitation
he could not refuse.
    Raising his head, he found a matching invitation in her
eyes. She stood and withdrew her hand only to place both of them behind his
head and gently bring it down until his mouth hovered above hers. He gathered
her into his