Page 2 of Her Sweetest Rogue (The Worthington Legacy #6)

T rey instinctively caught the unconscious woman before she hit the dirt, her limp body pressing against him, a stark reminder she was no longer a child. He closed his eyes and groaned, the weight of the situation sinking in. What had his mother done this time? No, it was his brother, Trevor, who should bear the blame, passing his ward to their mother for safekeeping without a second thought.

Trey looked at Hawthorne’s wide-eyed stare and shook his head. “This cannot be happening.”

A broad grin stretched across his friend’s face, and his eyes twinkled with humor. “What a delightful day it has turned out to be, do you not agree?”

Trey grumbled under his breath, not wishing to voice how he truly felt. “What am I going to do about her now?”

Dominic Lawrence, Marquess of Hawthorne, shrugged. “I suggest you rouse the poor woman. Her search party is getting closer.”

“Don’t you see?” Trey growled. “If they think she has run away, her name will be ruined. In turn, my mother’s reputation will be tarnished for accepting this girl as her ward.”

“So, what do you suppose we do with her? As you want to avoid her search party’s gossip if she’s caught fleeing, I suggest we get her out of here.” Hawthorne glanced at the shelter. “Or hide her in the woodsman’s cottage.”

Confusion swam in Trey’s head. The others couldn’t find her. His mother would have heart palpitations if she ever discovered her ward had run off.

Hawthorne nodded toward the structure. “Let me unlock the door. You can put her in there.” He jumped off his horse and strode to the door. As he located the key above the doorframe, he glanced over his shoulder at Trey. “We cannot leave her in there alone.”

“Why not?”

“Because this is the first place her search party will look.”

Trey adjusted Miss Faraday against his chest as he glanced down at her delicate face, marred by a few scratches. Full lips drew his attention, and then her lush eyelashes as they brushed her cheeks. He couldn’t remember her looking this pretty when she was a child. However, he did recall her stubbornness. The girl had been spoiled beyond reason.

He met his friend’s stare. “So, what do you suggest?”

“You could stay inside with her.”

Trey crinkled his forehead. “Why?”

“In case she comes to and makes a noise. I’ll be out here to direct her searchers away.”

“What if we are caught in the cottage together? You know as well as I how that will ruin her reputation.”

Hawthorne tilted his head and smirked. “You forget, my good man, her reputation will still be intact because they will not know who is inside with you. I certainly will not tell them.”

Trey dropped his jaw. “You must be insane to believe such nonsense…”

The voices and pounding of horses’ hooves grew closer. Hawthorne motioned with his head to go inside. “Make haste. We have no time to argue.”

Grumbling under his breath, Trey carried Miss Faraday to the bed and settled her gently upon the mattress. Hawthorne closed the door behind him with a resounding thud. Panic settled deep in the pit of Trey’s stomach. Hawthorne’s plan had better work, or they’d both be in trouble. Trey had spent the past ten years making certain women couldn’t dig their claws into his life and trap him into marriage. All it would take was for one person to spot him with Judith Faraday, and Trey’s future would be doomed.

He left her on the mattress and searched for a blanket to cover her. Outside, voices called out to Hawthorne in greeting. Trey’s heart sank. What if the searchers wanted to see for themselves who was inside the cottage? Trey must hide under the blanket with her. There was no other way.

Beside the bed, folded on a chair, lay a blanket. He flipped it open as he crawled on the mattress. Adjusting himself, he pulled Miss Faraday closer. Unconscious, she was nothing but dead weight. Yet in his arms, she fit perfectly. He didn’t want to examine why he felt this way, so he yanked the quilt over their heads and cuddled closer, resting his chin on her forehead.

Inhaling her jasmine scent, he smiled. He’d always loved women who smelled like heaven. Mentally, he scolded himself for thinking such a thing. And what made it worse was her warm breath blowing against his skin, creating shivers throughout him.

With much effort, he halted his improper thoughts. Strange she hadn’t moved, other than her steady breathing. Was something wrong with her? His mother wouldn’t be able to handle a sickly ward when the older woman battled with health issues herself.

The crowd of searchers gathered near the window, and Trey tried to pick up bits from their conversation. As he strained to hear, the woman next to him stirred and let out a small moan.

Silently, he grumbled. He knew exactly what she’d do when she regained her bearings. He tightened his arms around her body to keep her from lashing out. Although he had her arms pinned, he worried what he’d do if she screamed. And, most assuredly, she would.

Her eyelids fluttered open. A grimace pulled on her lips as she tried to move her arms. Blinking the haze of unconsciousness from her eyes, she looked at the blanket covering their heads before turning to meet his stare. Her eyes widened. Recognition must have struck, because panic lit her gaze, and she opened her mouth. Without thinking of the consequences, he covered her mouth with his, silencing the scream he knew was forthcoming. He couldn’t let her go. Her reputation was at stake—not to mention his cherished bachelorhood.

“Shh,” he mumbled against her mouth. “I’m not going to hurt you. We must be quiet.” She jerked her head away and pummeled his chest with her fists. He yanked her hands above her head and held them with a strong grip. “A search party is after you. Please, I’m trying to hide you and save your reputation.”

“I don’t think kissing—”

“Now is not the time to think !” Using his free hand, Trey held her face while his mouth took over again. Though he only kissed her to shut her up, warmth spread throughout him this time, and he found he quite enjoyed this intimate embrace. Soon her lips softened, and he sensed her surrender. The kiss turned into something more tender.

Her mouth responded, the touch tentative and so sweetly na?ve he was consumed by the need to show her his gentle side—a side he didn’t normally show to women. As her lips matched his kisses, he slowly released her hands. Hesitantly, her palms slid over his arms to his shoulders and settled there.

What was he doing? And why, pray tell, was he enjoying it? He was more than enjoying it—thunder roared in his ears and pounded in his head. No woman had ever affected him thus.

Slowly, he realized the thunder he’d heard was the sound of the riders leaving. Nic’s plan had worked. Judith was undiscovered. Trey stilled, hesitant to pull away, but nevertheless, he broke the kiss and lifted his head. Her glazed emerald eyes met his. Quick breaths fanned his face, but no words were spoken.

Trey swallowed the cotton collecting in his throat. “Miss Faraday, I hope you understand—”

“Augh!” She shoved him in the chest then glanced around the tent he’d made for them with the covers. “What do you think you are doing? Get off me, you big oaf!”

He hoped the riders were a good distance away as he threw off their cover and began to slip out of bed, but he didn’t expect her foot to help him to the floor. He thought she’d be mad, but not enough to kick him.

She shrieked and leapt off the mattress. “I cannot believe you took such liberties. What in heaven’s name were you thinking?”

Tilting his head, he met her eyes, waiting for her to shrivel under his intent glare. The stubborn woman didn’t. “Well, obviously I wasn’t doing what you thought I was doing.”

Brilliant color stained her cheeks as she stood before him with fists on her hips. Her breaths released from her mouth at a fascinating speed. “How dare you speak to me in such a way?”

“Miss Faraday, if you’ll be silent long enough, I can explain why we were lying on the mattress and under the blanket.” He lifted himself off the floor and stood in front of her.

She pressed her mouth into a thin line. Her tirade stopped. Only the fire shooting from her eyes coupled with her heavy breathing betrayed her anger.

“After you swooned in my arms—”

“I did not swoon in your arms,” she interrupted. “I hadn’t eaten this morning, and I was weak from lack of nourishment.”

“After you swooned in my arms,” he repeated stubbornly, “I thought it best if we didn’t let your searchers find you. Gossip alone can ruin a reputation, you know. Hawthorne suggested I bring you in here to hide. I didn’t want them to spread rumors that you had fled from my mother’s guardianship.”

She gasped. “Instead, you would rather they think I was…was…” She pointed to the bed. “You know…compromised?”

“No, Miss Faraday. That’s why we were both under the blanket. In case your searchers decided to peek in the window, they would not be able to see you. Or me, for that matter.”

She lifted her chin. “They are unaware it was me?”

“I’m not certain what Hawthorne told them. However, I know he kept your name out of it. Your reputation won’t be tarnished in any way.”

Nodding, she wrung her hands against her middle. Her gaze darted around the room, and then rested upon him.

“Then why…why did you kiss me?” she asked softly.