The Lady's Bargain

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“My lord?” A shout came up from the ground. “Are you ready to descend?”

William waved his hand at the servants. He needed more time with this intriguing woman.

Her cheeks paled. “How is it possible that the employment I found to keep myself hidden is with the father of the man I am running from?”

“It does seem like an evil twist of irony. But perhaps fate has other plans for you.”

“It’s not to marry him!” She bit her lip then looked at him with dark, imploring eyes. “I’ve only one more month. You can’t tell him. Please.”

He felt sorry for her. Sorry for her predicament. Yet, in a way he was excited. He’d love nothing more than to dupe his brother, to keep the one thing he wanted most away from him. For his entire life, William was always second best. As the second son, his father did not approve of his carefree lifestyle although he was given little responsibility. No, it seemed he could never please his father. Long ago, he’d given up trying and set out to enjoy life with all of its gifts.

His brother did not love Lady Claybourne; he wanted her inheritance, the rich fields attached to her manor. Marriage to her was a business arrangement. It was the only reason John would forgo the rumors and agree to marry an eccentric spinster.

“I’ll do it.” Her voice had strengthened.

“Do what?”

“I’ll trade you my body for your promise.”

His arousal leaped, but his chest constricted. No matter how he longed to have her beneath him, he was not a heartless cad. He’d not use her this way. “I can’t accept such a bargain. Even a rake such as myself has some honor.”

“I am desperate, my lord. I’m ready to do what it takes to keep my home.”

“You think by me taking you as a lover, it will keep my lips sealed?”

“William!” It was Ellie. She stood at the bottom of the tree with her hands on her hips. “Aren’t you coming down with Miss Archer?”

“A moment, my love, a moment.” Not until he had this situation clear with Christine. He turned his attention back to the woman beside him. The woman he’d very much like to have as his lover. The woman who should be John’s wife. “As tempting as your offer is, I find I cannot—”

Her hand came off the branch and rested on his leg. She moved it upward, as he had done to her. William watched, unable to stop her. Those slender fingers trailed over his thigh, then walked between his legs. Her nail brushed across the rise in his trousers. A shudder rolled through him.

“Don’t you see?” Her voice was soft, mysteriously sexy. “By taking you as my lover, I guarantee your brother will not have me. So even if you do tell him, I still win. You cannot say no.”

He held his breath, unable to move, unable to answer. Her finger swirled around his arousal, stroking it with torturously light pressure.

Fire blazed through his veins. “How…how could I resist such an offer?”

* * *

There were names for women like her. Names she’d not say out loud. But desperation made her do things she never dreamed. Wanton desire made her lust for something she’d gone without for nearly a decade.