“Stay . . . right . . . there.”
The hairs on his arms lifted, too.
“Yes,” she breathed. “Just like that.”
Now she had the hairs on his calves involved. Damn it, he had too many hairs. By the end of this they would all be standing at attention.
Along with other parts of him.
“Don’t stir,” she said.
He couldn’t speak for the parrot, but Gabe was doing some stirring. One part of him had a mind of its own, especially when it came to beautiful women in translucent chemises. He hadn’t lain with a woman in some time, but his body hadn’t forgotten how.
He couldn’t help himself. He stole a glance at her face. Just a half-second’s view. Not long enough to pore over every detail of her features. In fact, he didn’t get any further than her lips. Lips as lush as petals, painted in soft, tender pink.
She was so close now. Near enough that he when he breathed, he inhaled a lungful of her scent. She smelled delicious. A faint hunger rose in his chest.
“I know you’re feeling lost. And not a little frightened. You miss her terribly, don’t you? But I’m here, darling. I’m here.”
Her words sent a strange ache spreading from his teeth to his toes. A painful awareness of all his hollow, empty places.
“Come home with me,” she whispered. “And we’ll sort out the rest together.”
He couldn’t take any more of this. “For God’s sake, get the damned thing off me.”
At last, she collected the feathered beast. “There we are.” Cradling it her arms, she carried the parrot to its birdcage and tucked it within.
Gabe exhaled with relief.
“She’d settle more if I covered her cage,” his beautiful intruder said. “I don’t suppose you have a towel?’
He glanced at the linen slung about his hips. “How badly do you want it?”
Her cheeks flushed. “Never mind. I’ll be going.”
“I’m going to walk you.”
“Truly, you needn’t do that. It’s only next door. No more than twenty paces down the street.”
“That’s twenty paces too many.”
Gabe might not operate by polite society’s rules, but he understood them sufficiently to know this situation violated at least seventeen of them. And anything that damaged her reputation would decrease the profit he stood to collect on this house.
Until he sold this property, her worth was intertwined with his.
“You’re no doubt accustomed to having your way, Your Ladyship. But I’ve ruined enough lords, baronets, knights, and gentlemen to fill the whole of Bloom Square.” He arched an eyebrow. “Believe me when I say, you’ve met your match.”
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More Books by Tessa Dare
Girl Meets Duke series
The Duchess Deal
The Governess Game
The Wallflower Wager
The Bride Bet (forthcoming, date TBA)
Castles Ever After series
Romancing the Duke
Say Yes to the Marquess
When a Scot Ties the Knot
Spindle Cove series
A Night to Surrender
Once Upon a Winter’s Eve
A Week to be Wicked
A Lady by Midnight
Beauty and the Blacksmith
Any Duchess Will Do
Lord Dashwood Missed Out
Do You Want to Start a Scandal
Love Letters from a Lord (forthcoming, date TBA)
The Stud Club series
One Dance with a Duke
Twice Tempted by a Rogue
Three Nights with a Scoundrel
The Wanton Dairymaid series
Goddess of the Hunt
Surrender of a Siren
A Lady of Persuasion
Novellas
His Bride for the Taking
“Meet Me in Mayfair”, in How the Dukes Stole Christmas
“When She Was Naughty” (A Christmas short story)
The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Wright
How to Catch a Wild Viscount
About the Author
Tessa Dare is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than twenty historical romances. Blending wit, sensuality, and emotion, Tessa writes Regency-set romance novels that feel relatable to modern readers. Her books have won numerous accolades, including Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA® award (twice) and the RT Book Reviews Seal of Excellence. Booklist magazine named her one of the “new stars of historical romance,” and her books have been translated worldwide.
A librarian by training and a book-lover at heart, Tessa makes her home in Southern California, where she lives with her husband, their two children, and a trio of cosmic kitties.
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