As You Desire Read Online Free

his native cohorts. Kidnapping young Englishwomen is bad for business. So he sent for me. This money is merely a gratuity of sorts.”
    “So why,” she asked coldly, “did Abdul kidnap me in the first place?”
    “He didn’t. Rabi did. By mistake. And he is, by the way, very angry at you for your deception.”
    “My
deception?”
    Harry nodded sententiously. Abdul kept muttering. “Rabi says you fooled him into thinking you were a poor unattended slave. He thought of himself as rather a knight errant, saving you from the clutches of a negligent owner. And after he’d picked you up, his suspicions that you were badly mistreated were confirmed. Skinny, bony, weak—”
    “Oh, for heaven’s sake!”
    “Rabi’s words, not mine. He feels very poorly used. He had, he claims, only the highest principles in mind.”
    “Rabi must be related to you.”
    “Why would you say that?” Harry cocked his head.
    “No reason.” She glanced again at Abdul. With his swollen cheeks and purplish hue, he looked as ifany moment his skin would split “Are we going to stand here talking all night?”
    Harry let out a
whoosh
of relieved air. “Of course not.” Without a glance at Abdul, he led the way to where his Arabian mare waited. He swung up lightly onto her back. Desdemona had to admit it; Harry was graceful. He nudged the horse forward and held out his hand. She took it.
    Without further ceremony, Harry pulled her up, lifting her sideways across his lap.
    He looped one arm around her waist, settling her closer. “Are you sure you wouldn’t be more comfortable if I took whatever it is you stuck under your waistband?” he murmured against the nape of her neck, his lips velvety-soft and warm.
    She shivered from the feel of his mouth on her skin and shook her head. “I am absolutely certain, Harry.” Her voice sounded too high. “Thank you for your concern.”
    She must be more exhausted than she had realized because now, with the cool night breeze ruffling her hair and Harry’s hard thighs bracketing her own to keep her from falling, she was feeling very drowsy, very … content. The world that had for the past few days seemed surreal and unfocused and—yes, she could admit it now—frightening, was beginning to feel safe and familiar once again.
    She closed her eyes and let her head roll against Harry’s shoulder. Harry might be lean, but his shoulders were broad. Comfortable. Far more comfortable than the dusty, sweaty tent in which she’d spent the past three nights.
    “Diz?”
    “Hm?”
    “What did Rabi give you?”
    “Love letters,” she murmured.
    He laughed and kicked the mare into a canter.
    Sir Robert Carlisle looked up from the book he was reading as Desdemona straggled through the front door. He peered over the edge of the glasses perched on his nose. “Oh. Hello, Desdemona.”
    Hello?
She’d been kidnapped, spent four days and three nights in a sweaty tent, and nearly been sold into slavery. She was tired and filthy and her head felt like it was being used as an anvil by a blacksmith demon, and all her doting grandfather could say was “hello”?
    “Grandfather, do you realize—”
    “Hello, sir.”
    Her grandfather looked up and squinted. His expression sharpened. “Oh, it’s you, Braxton. What are you doing here?”
    “I met Dizzy on the way in.” Her grandfather closed his eyes. He disliked Harry’s nickname for her almost as much as she. “I thought I’d take the opportunity to pay my respects.”
    Her grandfather snorted. So did she.
    “Grandfather, I have been—”
    “Dizzy has been telling me what a lovely time she had visiting the Comptons.”
    “She has, has she?” her grandfather said. “Well, next time you go visiting, Desdemona, please tell meof your plans in person rather than leaving a note with the housekeeper.”
    Note? With Magi?
A surreptitious glance at Harry’s innocent expression told her who’d authored her “note.” She gave an unhappy inner sigh. As much