Page 25 of A Lady’s Dangerous Secret (Scandalous Secrets #1)

James had said he loved her. Was that what she was experiencing? Was love not wanting to ever let someone go? Was love a deep and inexplicable connection one felt with someone else?

It must be.

But love was not for her. Feelings were fickle and could not be trusted. They would not save her from the gallows.

Only one man could.

And it was not James.

James turned to face Lottie as his breathing slowed.

Her compelling eyes were glazed over, their lids heavy with satisfaction and exhaustion.

His mouth quirked into a smile. He had just had the most magnificent night of his life.

Although he had tried to be careful while in the Royal Navy, he had had his share of women before tonight.

Nothing could equal what he had just shared with her.

All of his other sexual experiences paled in comparison.

Those times were simply the joining of bodies for pleasure.

With Lottie, it was the joining of body, mind, and soul.

James did not know how he could ever let her go.

One night was not enough. He wanted Lottie forever.

He had also just taken her virginity, bastard that he was.

He’d thought her an innocent, but when she got down on her knees to suck his cock, his mind questioned this assumption.

That kernel of doubt was enough to justify his jaded mind he could take her.

And yet, somehow he did not regret it. He thought he had honor, but when it came to Lottie, he could not control his overwhelming need to possess her.

Emotion furled within James to think of any other man ever touching his Lottie. He would never let that happen.

“Come here,” he coaxed. He eased himself onto his back and held out his arm. He scooped Lottie into his body. She rested her head on his chest and snuggled into his side.

“I don’t want this to ever end,” he whispered, and rubbed her back lovingly. She let out a sigh.

“Let’s rest for now,” he said. He kissed the top of her head and inhaled the smell of honeysuckle, jasmine, and sex, hoping to commit it to memory for the rest of his days.

Once he raised his head, he looked down to see that Lottie had already fallen asleep.

He closed his eyes, and within seconds he fell into the deepest slumber he had ever experienced.

Some time later, he awoke to find Lottie with her hands on his chest, looking around the room in a dazed manner. Her silky locks tumbled over her body in the most delightful way. She caught his gaze and averted her eyes while a sheepish smile emerged on her face.

“Hi,” she said in an embarrassed tone. His cock twitched to life while he took in her beauty.

All he wanted to do was repeat their passionate lovemaking, but he had never bedded a virgin before.

He was afraid Lottie would be sore. Plus, there was something he wanted to talk to her about, and he would need all his willpower to focus on the task at hand. She distracted him entirely too much.

“Are you in pain?” he said.

She caught her bottom lip with her teeth and a thoughtful expression crossed her face. “A little, but it’s not too bad. It’s just…different.”

He rubbed her back. “I’m glad.” His brow furrowed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were a virgin.”

“l don’t understand why you thought I wasn’t.”

He ran his hand through his hair nervously. “At first, I was sure of it. You kissed with such na?ve abandon. But then you went on your knees, and I questioned that. No innocent miss should know such things.”

Her mouth opened in the most adorable O . “I have four older brothers. I would always tag along behind them, even though the older ones would ignore me. I overheard a lot.” Lottie’s cheeks flushed. “I thought the kneeling part was what a woman did to a man before they, um, joined.”

He felt the weight of Lottie supporting herself on his chest and chuckled. “It’s something that can be done between a man and woman, but it’s usually a doxy. I would never expect it of a lady.”

The flush now traveled down her neck and her shoulders. “Oh! But you had your mouth…down there.” Lottie sat back on her knees and waved her hands toward the lower portion of her body.

He shrugged. “I suppose I did, but I wanted to pleasure you. And it was not entirely selfless. I dreamed of licking the juices off your cunny.”

“Oh!” she exclaimed again with a slap on his chest. “You scoundrel!”

“But did you like it?” he teased.

She bit her plump, lower lip and released it. He almost exploded with desire. “Well, yes.”

“Then it was entirely worth it.”

She shook her head in disbelief. “You’re incorrigible.”

He rubbed Lottie’s back once more and thought how to broach the subject he had been trying to avoid.

He cleared his throat. “There is something I wanted to talk to you about.”

Lottie moved off him and sat up, awaiting the news. Except she had forgotten she was stark naked. He swallowed and took in her pert nipples and intimate hair. God, he could even see her pearl.

“You distract me.” His eyes swept over her bare form.

“What…oh!” Lottie scrambled underneath the counterpane. She propped a pillow against the headboard and sat against it while tucking the fabric under her armpits to provide coverage. She nodded once she was settled.

“I’m in London, because I work for my childhood friend, Jack Doherty.

He has a business empire in Birmingham, and I oversee shipments at different ports in England and Wales.

One of our flax shipments from Ireland was lost at sea, and I had to come to London to receive the reimbursement from the insurance company.

I stopped in Shrewsbury to talk to the mill owner and to meet with our man of business in the west, Roberts.

” He saw Lottie’s eyes widen in response to his story.

He continued, “I needed to get a copy of the shipping account ledgers to bring to the insurance company.” He paused.

Lottie was a lady. He should not share the next portion of the story, but he felt as if he needed to warn her.

She was made of sterner stuff than other women of the ton .

“The day I went to retrieve the documents, Roberts had been murdered in broad daylight by a woman who said her name was Mrs. Gibson.”

Lottie let out a gasp. He took her hand to reassure her before he went on.

It was ice cold. He had hoped she would be less affected by his story, but it was understandable that she was shocked.

He rubbed her hand. “The magistrate is holding on to Roberts’s ledgers until the murderer is identified and caught.

I need to find out who killed Roberts so I can get the money from the insurance company.

I’m stuck in London until this person can be found.

With the help of Gabe, there are Bow Street Runners working on the case. ”

Lottie would not meet his eyes and instead stared at a spot on the counterpane.

He was not surprised. He had just told her disturbing news.

He continued to rub her frigid hand. “Since the investigation started, I learned that Roberts was an evil man. He managed the affairs of many noble families. When the Runners went through his ledgers, they determined he was skimming money from their accounts. I wanted to warn you, because your family was listed as one of his clients.”

Lottie finally looked at him. Was that shock? Fear? “Thank you for letting me know,” she replied softly.

“I’m sorry to give you such alarming news, but I didn’t want to neglect to tell you what Roberts may have done to your family.”

Her hand still felt cold, but she squeezed his back with what he thought was reassurance.

“There is one more thing. It seems that Roberts went by other names, aliases if you will. The Runners discovered that he previously worked for the Duke of Westcliffe under the name Nott. He’s not a good man, and I don’t know if His Grace is subject to any of his sinister dealings.”

Her hand tightened further around his own as a multitude of emotions flashed across her face. But the final emotion was one James did not expect: anger.

She ripped her hand away from him and tore the counterpane from her body. She jumped out of the bed, still naked, and gathered her clothing before hastily slipping it on.

“Lottie?” he queried, perplexed by her reaction. She ignored him and pulled on her short stays, tying them clumsily.

“What are you doing?”

She marched over to him and pointed her finger at his chest. “Was this all part of your plan to get me into bed with you? Force us to wed and take my dowry? You clearly are in need of money. I bet you wanted my aunt to catch us in the gardens.” He could see her shoulders visibly shaking.

“We just have one night,” she said in a mocking voice.

“One night for you to take my virginity and make me tainted goods for the Duke. Well, guess what? I’ll never marry you.

And no man will ever get their hands on my dowry, because it’s protected.

So find some other virgin to fuck and force her hand. ”

James jumped out of bed without a stitch of clothing, fury rising within him. “Are you mad? I don’t want your dowry. I want you.”

He locked eyes with Charlotte. He had to make her understand.

“Lottie, I love you. I would never do anything to hurt you. Someone is after your life, and you’re accusing me of being the bad man?

” She lifted her head defiantly. “I’m just trying to help.

You won’t tell me who’s trying to kill you. What are you hiding from me?”

“I don’t believe anything you said,” she said. Charlotte tugged on her dress without lacing it.

“I laid bare my heart and soul, and this is what I get for it.”

She threw on her cloak and its hood. Without a word, she turned and left.