Bad Boys Ahoy!

vessel, with proper escort and protection. I can make arrangements for you.'

'You would do that?'

He smiled at the softening he saw in her gaze. 'Only one person in my life has ever relied on me for anything- my sister, Julienne-and I'm ashamed to admit I failed her. Miserably. You would be doing me a great honor if you would rely on me and give me the chance to redeem myself. You've carried your burdens for a long time. Why not pass the weight to me for a while?'

'From the moment you arrived, my burdens have felt lighter, even if in truth nothing has changed.'

He kissed the tip of her nose. 'I would appreciate your intimate companionship for the duration of our association, but only if you wish it. If you don't, I still promise to assist you in whatever way I can. This is not about sex, Charlotte. 'Tis important to me that you understand my motives.'

Resting her head against his chest, she laughed. 'I understand, Hugh. And continuing our association would please me as well. It's shameful, really. I've been nothing but a wanton since you arrived.'

'Only when you're not rescuing the entire population of Derbyshire misfits,' he said dryly.

''Ere now!' Artemis complained, stepping out of the study. 'We don't take kindly to that nonsense 'round 'ere!'

Hugh attempted to step away from Charlotte, but she held fast, and after a second he relaxed. Another second more, and he discovered he rather liked holding a female in a nonamorous position. It was soothing.

Looking over the pile of red curls, he locked his eyes with Artemis's one, which had the gall to wink.

Hugh chuckled, realizing he just might like the butler a little after all.

Chapter Seven

'It hasn't snowed in the last two days,' Charlotte said sadly, as she looked out the window. She'd come to love the sight of snow, since the fall of it meant Hugh would stay another day.

Glancing up from the journal, the object of her affection gifted her with a boyish smile. The effect of that smile was so powerful, her breath caught and her hand lifted to shelter her rapidly beating heart.

Hugh ran a careless hand through his golden hair. 'I noticed that this morning.'

He was so achingly beautiful, she could hardly bear it. Thankfully he remained unaware of how he affected her. 'If your carriage is repaired in time, perhaps it will be possible to set off tomorrow.'

'My thoughts were similar.' He closed the book and gestured for her to come closer.

The earl had been in residence for a fortnight, and so far his interest in her showed no signs of waning. He slept in her bed every night and spent every waking moment with her, maintaining his easy charm without any sign of boredom. If she moved to leave the room, he followed. If she wanted to take a nap, he went with her. For the first time in her life, the loneliness that was her constant companion was gone, replaced by the steadfast presence of the dashing Earl of Montrose.

'You seem nervous,' he noted.

'And this surprises you? I haven't left the area in a very long time. My clothes are sadly out of date, and my social deportment is rusty.'

Hugh chuckled, and when she came close enough, he tugged her into his lap. 'No one will pay any mind to those things. Your beauty is so blinding, it outshines everything else.'

'Perhaps you think so,' she muttered.

'I definitely think so,' he corrected, kissing the tip of her nose. 'You have nothing to fear. The company we'll keep are infamous for their eccentricities. My sister and Remington aren't conventional by any means, and Merrick disappeared for years. To this day no one knows where he was. That sort of behavior is odd. My arriving with a gorgeous woman on my arm is positively commonplace, regardless of her attire.'

Charlotte looked away, stung by the knowledge that she was simply one of many. She'd known he would be a temporary pleasure when she met him. Why she'd allowed herself to care for him, she couldn't say. But then, it was most likely inevitable. How could any woman deny him anything, including her heart?

'I have never taken a woman to meet my sister before,' he said softly, and when she turned to look at him, it was clear he knew her thoughts. His dark eyes studied her face, a frown gathering between his brows.

To divert him from his intense perusal, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him close. 'Thank you for helping me, Hugh. I cannot begin to tell you what it means to me.'

'No more, I imagine, than what it means to me that you trust me to do so.' He tucked her against his chest and sighed. 'Are you even a little excited to leave this place and mingle with the rest of the world?'

'Oh, I'm very excited. This will be Gwen's first time away from the district, and I eagerly anticipate meeting Lucien Remington. I've heard some-'

She squealed as she was tackled to the settee.

Hugh loomed over her with narrowed gaze. 'You've been trapped out here for three years, and the most excitement you can muster is for Lucien Remington?'

Charlotte made no attempt to squelch the thrill she felt at his possessiveness. She blinked innocently. 'Well, he's rather legendary among the demimonde. I met his mother once. A delightful woman. She-'

Lowering his head, Hugh bit her bottom lip.

'Ow!' she complained, pouting.

'He's married. To my sister. Very happily, I should point out. It's almost sickening the way they fawn over one another.'

She shrugged. 'I can look.'

'No,' he said gruffly. 'You cannot.'

'You're jealous!' Giggling, she tugged his head down and kissed him. Against her thigh, she felt his cock swell. 'You should know that women like to ogle handsome men. Usually with as much enthusiasm as men like to ogle attractive women.'

'My sister might not approve,' he said, against her lips.

'Oh, you see, women actually like it when the men they escort draw such avid attention. It makes us quite proud to possess something so desired.'

'Hmmm…' Hugh's mouth twitched as he held back a smile. 'I suppose I should round up some admirers. Perhaps then you'll pay more attention to me than to Remington.'

Charlotte's smile wavered. She almost didn't want to leave the estate, preferring instead to remain trapped with Hugh, safe from the forces that would separate them.

'Ah, some women like it,' he noted perceptively, his hands brushing the hair away from her face. 'But you are not one of them.'

The conversation was rapidly moving to areas best left unexplored. 'You're heavy,' she said, trying to create distance between them, even if it was only physical. It was a lie, of course. She relished the feel of his hard, powerful body stretched over hers. She loved how it made her feel cherished and cared for, instead of dominated.

'You bear my weight often. This is the first I've heard you complain.' His gaze burned her with its intensity. 'Am I beginning to bore you, Charlotte?'

'No!' Her hands reached for his face. In the last fortnight, she'd learned many things about her lover, the most important being how deeply he feared being expendable. 'Oh, Hugh, not that. Never that.'

'Never?' He brushed his mouth across hers.

Arching up into his weight, she pulled him close. 'Take me to bed now.'

'Why?'

She offered a seductive smile. 'You know why.'

'Yes.' He lifted away from her. 'I know why.'

Charlotte watched him, confused, as he rose from the settee and moved to the window where she'd stood a moment ago.

'What do you think about when we're making love?' he asked suddenly.

'What do I…?' She shook her head and sat up. 'I don't think about anything.'