Page 133 of To Catch A Rogue

Lark's eyes narrowed. "I haven't thought about it, to be honest. This.... What's happening between us right now seems a significant enough step with everything that is occurring." Her voice roughened. "We might not even make it out of Russia alive."

"If we do, then I'm not letting you go." Curling his arms around her waist, he dragged her forward, grateful the sheet was tucked between them. "I'm never going to let you go again," he promised, brushing some of her long, dark hair away from her bare breasts. "If I asked you to marry me, what would you say?"

He heard the abrupt surge in her heartbeat, felt the tension sliding up her spine.

"Are you asking me to marry you?" she blurted.

"Not now." He eased his grip on her, sliding his hands down her waist so she wouldn't feel so trapped. "But one day I might. So fair warning."

The look on her face....

He'd pushed her far enough for one day.

Charlie kissed her chin. "If we survive Russia, we'll speak more of it then. How about you let me distract you some more?"

"I thought I was distracting you?"

With a devious smile, she tugged the sheet over her head and vanished beneath it. Hot breath whispered over his chest, and he sucked in a sharp breath as he felt the wet dart of her tongue against his nipple.

"Lark?"

"Mmmm?" The vibration echoed through her lips as she licked his stomach.

He cleared his throat. "What precisely do you intend to do under there?'

"You didn't let me finish my practical experiment of Miss Jasmine's lessons last night."

His cock gave an enthusiastic leap as her breath stirred the nest of curls at the base of it.

"What's wrong?" Lark purred, pressing a kiss to the hollow where his hip met his upper thigh. Tendrils of her hair dragged over the sensitive tip of his erection.

"Nothing." He lifted the sheet and met her eyes as she gave him a mischievous grin over the swollen length of his shaft. This was the Lark he hadn't seen in years. Carefree. Glorious. Determined to bring him to his knees. "Carry on."

She scowled. "Oh, I shall."

And then she proceeded to pursue her experiment with a rapt attention thatwouldhave brought him to his knees, if he wasn't already flat on his back.

* * *

Lark made her way downstairs,her body aching in several unusual places. She could hear voices coming from the dining room, and headed in that direction.

The servant who'd served her ever since Nadezhda had fled from her rooms that first morning caught her attention on the landing, and gestured for her to follow her into the library.

"What is wrong, Sofia?"she signed, as the woman closed the door behind them swiftly.

Sofia seemed agitated, pacing back and forth."Thank you,"she signed,"forhelping my sister last night at the House of Swans."

Lark blinked. "Your sister?"

Oh. Nadezhda.

"We of the Silent are all sisters and brothers,"Sofia replied."My brother, Anton, came to the house this morning. He works at the House of Swans and wanted to thank you for getting Nadezhda out of that dreadful auction."

"I hardly did anything," Lark murmured.

"You convinced the Crippled King to take her. We all know he will not harm her. That is more than can be expected."

It still felt like it wasn't enough. There'd been other men and women there. An entire household full of filthy blue blood aristocrats who thought they could do anything to anyone. It made her so furious.