Bad Boys Ahoy!

cat under his touch, wanting to stretch and purr and soak up his affection.

Fierce and primitive in bed, he took her body as if it belonged to him, as if it existed only for his pleasure. The tiny glimpses of vulnerability she'd seen in him certainly didn't extend to the bedroom. His lovemaking was breathtaking, his stamina impressive. Twice she'd begged him to leave her alone, only to find that she craved him again within moments. He knew it, too, the arrogant man. It was rather like an addiction to chocolate, she supposed. She only hoped she would have her fill before the storm blew over and he went away.

Charlotte picked up her brush and ran it through her hair. 'I told him about the map and Glenmoore.'

'That sounds promising. What did he say?'

'He offered to help, actually.' She thought of his reactions to everything he'd witnessed so far and had to admire his aplomb. Nothing seemed to catch him off guard. And the way he'd soothed Katie and offered to buy a dozen pitchers for her… Charlotte had been touched. She didn't trust people easily, but Hugh's flashes of kindness for her, for his footman, and for her servants made her believe he was someone who genuinely cared for her welfare.

'Do you think he can? Help, that is?'

She shrugged. 'I'm not certain, but I don't see how it can hurt anything for him to try, and it will keep us occupied during the storm.'

Laughter greeted that statement. 'I didn't think you needed any outside influences to keep you two occupied.'

Charlotte set the brush down with a firm click. 'Now that, I'm certain, isn't proper at all!'

Chapter Five

Hugh stared into Artemis's single eye and refused to give ground. To cave in to a servant… Why, the thought was abominable!

'Listen, old chap,' he said curtly. ''Tis a simple enough question.'

Artemis set his hands on his hips. 'And one ye need be askin' 'er Grace!'

'You answer the door, for Christ's sake! You know as well as anyone if Lord Glenmoore comes calling here.'

'O' course I know! Doesn't mean I'll be tellin' you!' The bulbous eye protruded further as the butler narrowed his gaze. 'You can ask from 'ere to perdition, gov'na, and I-'

'Hang it all!! The proper address for a peer is 'my lord.' Is that so bloody difficult?'

Artemis gasped. ''Ere now! Are ye complainin' 'bout the way I perform my duties?'

'Complaining?' Hugh snorted. 'Good God, I'm astounded. Amazed. Stunned.'

Artemis nodded in agreement. 'And so you should be, gov'na.'

''Tis not every day one finds service of your caliber,' Hugh muttered, running a hand through his hair.

'Are ye bein' sarcastic?' Artemis asked suspiciously.

'Who, me? Never.'

'What are you two arguing about?' Charlotte asked as she descended the staircase. Dressed in soft floral muslin that was a few seasons out of style, she looked fresh and young, a vision of ripe innocence that belied her sensual past.

'You can ask 'er!' The butler turned to leave without being dismissed. 'A man shouldn't 'ave to deal with this sort of treatment in 'is place of employment,' he grumbled as he shuffled away.

Hugh gaped after him.

Charlotte laughed, a raw, husky sound that made his cock hard.

Damnation! He scowled. He couldn't go around sporting a constant erection, which is precisely what he'd been doing since he arrived.

Coming to a stop before him, she brushed his frown away with the soft touch of her fingers. 'Artemis is a good man, and whatever you asked, you shouldn't have asked him. You know as well as I that no respectable upper servants would ever divulge information about their employers.'

Not accustomed to admitting he was wrong, Hugh stewed for a moment before nodding.

Charlotte's green eyes sparkled with amusement. 'Now, what did you want to ask?'

Hugh released a deep breath. 'I'd like to know if Glenmoore still comes to visit you.'

A dark red brow rose. 'In what capacity?'

He snorted. 'In any capacity.'

'He stops by occasionally,' she said carefully. 'But I no longer share my bed with him, if that is what you're inquiring.'

The relief that flooded him was profound and, because of that, disturbing. 'Why does he come, then?'

'I suspect he simply wishes to assure himself that the duchess remains here and poses no threat to his precious reputation.' She laced her arm with his and steered him toward the drawing room, where tempting aromas made his stomach growl.

He was ravenously hungry, and once they were seated, he tucked into the delectable meal with gusto. Consisting of kidney and eggs, honey cakes and plum cakes, the food was delicious. Despite the rather frightening specter the cook presented, Hugh had no trouble admitting that her talent in the kitchen was impressive. She was much better than the resident chef at Montrose Hall.

When Katie came in a few moments later, bearing a pitcher of wildly sloshing water and favoring a bandaged hand, he simply smiled, unalarmed. Everything seemed different today. The candlelight that bolstered the dreary morning light seemed more golden, the food more appetizing, Charlotte more beautiful.

Suspecting it was contentment he was feeling, Hugh grinned, savoring the moment. He wanted to feel this way more often, and he knew Charlotte was the cause. Therefore a stratagem was required to convince his lover that having him around could benefit her in more ways than orgasms. Since she'd provided the solution already, he had only to take advantage of it.

'You're in a fine mood,' Charlotte noted, smiling against the rim of her cup. Hugh La Coeur was also in fine form. Dressed in warm shades of brown, he made her mouth water, the handsomeness of his features intensified by a boyish smile.

'I am. More's the pity for you.' He waggled his brows suggestively.

She laughed. 'A girl could become accustomed to having you around.'

'I hope you do.' He pushed away his empty plate and stood, moving to her chair. 'Shall we retire to my room and study your map?'

Charlotte rose, a sharp tingle of awareness coursing through her veins. She glanced at Hugh over her shoulder and batted her lashes. 'I thought studying the map came later?' Her eyes dropped to his trousers, and she watched, fascinated, as his cock swelled before her eyes.

'Stop that.' He grabbed her elbow and led her to the stairs.

'Stop what?' she asked innocently, biting back a smile.

'You know very well what,' he said, his voice a slow drawl that made her toes curl in her slippers. 'Drooling while staring at my cock.'

'I did no such thing!' she protested, choking back a giggle as they ascended the stairs.

He shot her an arch glance. 'You did, too, insatiable minx. A man can hardly get any rest around here.'

She choked. 'Horrid man! You wouldn't leave me alone. How many times did I roll over and attempt sleep?'

'Several,' he said smoothly. 'But it wasn't long before you reached for me again.'

Charlotte paused on the middle stair. 'Only because your erection was poking me in the spine!'

Hugh shrugged in exquisite nonchalance. 'You were wiggling.'

She stared at him, fighting back laughter, her entire body warming to the sensual amusement she found in his dark gaze. He was so devastatingly handsome, full of vigor and mischief. He was a man who lived life, while she'd spent the last few years in a daze. She was drawn to that energy, to that zest, wanting to absorb the thrill of it into