Page 85 of Teach a Rogue New Tricks

“Cassius!” his mother cried behind him.

He toppled a column of some sort and dared not look back at the destruction in his wake.

“He’s gone rogue,” Willow quipped.

“I’ll get him,” Bax grumbled.

Still, Cass pressed forward. Almost to the doors now.

Ada struggled against the man who held her arm. Cass planned to rip that man’s arm from his body. A new chapter for his book occurred to him—Men who touched women who do not wish to be touched should bloody well be impaled on a candelabra or any other vaguely sharp implement within arm’s reach.

“Cass.” Behind him, his brother’s voice demanded obedience.

To hell with that.

He needed to court the approval of his family. He needed to be forgiven.

To hell with that, too.

In that moment, he needed most to be what the woman he loved needed. Nothing else.

Cass pushed through the doors and out onto the balcony. He threw the man up against the wall, pressed his forearm into his jugular.

“Lord Albee!” Soft fingers on his shoulder. “Lord Albee!” Not Ada’s voice.

He loosened his hold, looked over his shoulder. Her sister. “Miss Cavendish?” Relief washed through him, short-lived though. He turned back to the man, pressed harder against his throat. “Who are you? And where is Ada?” He threw the second question over his shoulder, keeping pressure on the man’s throat.

“He can’t answer you, Lord Albee. He can’tbreathe. Let Lucas go.”

Lucas. Did he know that name? He’d heard it lately, hadn’t he?

“He’s a friend of sorts,” Nora snapped.

“Did you want him grabbing you?”

“No, but I can take care of myself.”

Lucas’s flailing arms contacted against Cass’s chest, and he thrust forward, dislodging Cass just as Cass considered letting thisLucasgo. Cass stepped to the side, and the man’s weight fell forward. He landed on knees and palms then jumped to his feet.

Lucas blazed with fury. “Touch me again and I’ll—”

“You’ll what? Let me throttle you?”

Nora stepped between them, her hand creeping toward her pocket. “Gentlemen! You both have the same question. Let me answer it for you.”

“Where is your sister,” Lucas demanded.

“Why are you looking for Ada?” Nora countered.

“Because she’s supposed to marry me.”

“Lucas,” Nora said with a groan. “She told you no.”

“She wrote a letter. That’s not the same. Why areyoulooking for Ada?” Lucas glared at Cass.

Because he wanted to dance her through the ballroom, out the door, and into the world. Because he wanted to buy her libraries’ worth of books and watch her discover new corners of new cities. Because he loved her, and he wanted to give her everything she needed and desired.

But those were words he would say to Ada or to no one. “She doesn’t have to marry anyone,” Cass said.