Her Errant Earl Read Online Free

formerly plain wife had donned a silken
dress that showed off curves he hadn’t realized she possessed, and her breasts
were a luscious temptation against his chest. His cock was rigid in his
trousers, a reminder that despite the vagaries of their situation, he truly did
want his wife.
    He hadn’t been prepared to desire her. Or to feel compassion
for her. It was unsettling, to say the least. She smelled like orris root and
damn if he didn’t like the scent more than Maria’s preferred French rose.
    She had asked him not to lie to her any longer. But if he
told her the real reason for his return, she’d leave him for certain, ruining
any chance he had to produce an heir. He couldn’t afford to lose everything. He
had no doubt his father would leave him destitute. The entail was very
insignificant at this point, a mere few thousand pounds a year and Carrington
House. Thanks to the marriage settlement orchestrated by the old miser duke,
the bulk of Victoria’s substantial dowry had been left in the care of his
father, out of Pembroke’s reach. While a stipulated sum had been set aside
specifically for Carrington House, it was to be kept in trust by the duke,
doled out as he saw fit. Pembroke was at his father’s mercy.
    He kissed her rather than answering her. It seemed easier.
He was good at lovemaking, if little else. She tasted like chocolate. Her mouth
opened for him, and he swept his tongue inside, hungry for more of her. He slid
his palm up her back, the sensation of her fine silk against his traveling hand
tantalizing him. His other hand traced her wasp-like waist before lingering
over her breast.
    Suddenly, his desire accelerated from a flame into a more
uncontrollable fire. He didn’t merely want her. He had to have her, to be
inside her, to claim her. He hadn’t had a woman in weeks. Maria had bored him,
and if he were honest, he’d only been using her as a means of infuriating the
duke. But this all-consuming lust he felt for his wife was something new and
incredibly potent.
    Groaning into her mouth, he led her backward until her
derriere rested on the edge of the breakfast table. He reached around her,
trying but failing to find her bottom in the elaborate bustle at the back of
her skirts. Instead, he lifted her and settled her upon the table. She was
deuced petite compared to him, her head scarcely reaching his chest. Her new
position allowed him better access.
    He dragged his mouth down her throat, finding it soft and creamy
white. A high, stiff collar with a small bow stopped him from exploring her
décolletage as he wanted. Damn women’s peculiar fashions. He cupped her breast,
jealous of her corset. Her bosom was much larger than he’d recalled, high and
firm and begging to be admired.
    “Pembroke.” Victoria’s throaty murmur cut into his
passion-hazed thoughts, an unwanted interruption.
    “What is it, my dear?” He licked a path to her ear, then
caught her lobe in his teeth for a gentle nibble.
    “You cannot erase what’s happened with kisses.” She placed
her palms on his shoulders and pushed.
    He permitted her to put some space between them, even though
his body cried out at the denial. “I don’t seek to erase,” he said with the
most honesty he’d given her since his return. “I seek a new beginning.” Because
he had to win her over or face the consequences. He wisely kept that bit to
himself.
    “I do not think I can let you,” she whispered, her small,
heart-shaped face cast with a stricken expression.
    Why had he never noticed the vivid green of her eyes? It was
like staring into the grass in spring, bright and precious after a cruel
winter. Her lips were red with his kisses, too large for fashion but
nevertheless inviting. Her golden hair had been tricked into an elaborate
coiffure he wanted to undo. Last night, he’d sworn her blonde curls had gone to
her waist. She was stunning.
    He looked at her as if he were seeing her for the first
time, and mayhap he was. She