Page 51 of The Seductive Temptress (Fate of the Worthingtons 2)

Noel attempted another apology. “It was wrong of me to tease you.”

He pulled her hand away from his head. “No. I am sorry for making love to you like a barbarian.”

Her lips drew into a smirk. “I quite enjoyed it.”

Ravencroft frowned. “It was still wrong of me, and so was my temper. You may hold feelings for another before we met. I informed you of my past affairs, and I am sure you found those unpleasant to hear. I should’ve been mature enough to listen about yours.”

“But I held no tender regard for any of them. I was a country miss who hadn’t spent time with any gentlemen. Then I learned I enjoyed the art of flirting after my first season.” Noel frowned. “Now that I remember correctly, the gentlemen only found my flirting a nuisance they wished to avoid.”

“I am a selfish bastard who wished you only ever held tender emotion for me and no other gentleman.” He kissed her knuckles.

Noel lifted her other hand and smoothed away the crinkles around his eyes as he frowned. “You are the only soul I have ever fallen in love with.”

She pressed a soft kiss on his lips before snuggling against his chest. She didn’t care how he never returned the sentiment. Gregory expressed his love in the way he treated her. She understood his hesitation to open his heart to her and how he didn’t express his love lightly. Noel would remain patient and wait until the day he would.

They lay there, listening to the pitter-patter of the rain on the cottage’s roof. The storm had yet to begin, but lightning lit the sky, announcing its arrival. Only a sliver of light peeked through the window. She must confess the cottage’s secrets. Before long, their time together must end. Noel only hoped once they returned, Gregory didn’t retreat into the false gentleman he had perfected before Lady L kidnapped her.

“A secret door rests along the back wall. I have unlatched it from the outside. We can escape through it and take the path through the forest to safety.”

Ravencroft stiffened at her news. They could’ve made their escape already, but Noel had kept this information to herself. Why? Was it her lack of trust or for another reason altogether? Did it even matter anymore?

“Where does the path lead to?”

The rumble of his question vibrated against her chest. “The Duke of Theron’s estate.”

“Ralston’s parents?”

Noel nodded, wincing at the news she had shared. She waited for Ravencroft’s fury at her for staying silent about the most important detail of their escape. However, he only released a deep sigh that she couldn’t decipher, and she was a coward by refusing to meet his gaze.

“We need to get dressed and prepare for our escape.” He pulled away from her and donned his clothing.

Noel sat up in bed, drawing the sheet over her body. “Where are you going?”

Ravencroft stopped at the door. “We haven’t been outside all day. I need to show the guard nothing is amiss. This will allow us to escape before they get suspicious.”

“All right.”

Ravencroft walked outside, resisting the urge to make love to Noel one last time with the gentleness she deserved. He wanted to love every inch of her, taste her sweetness, while his hands sank into every soft curve of her tempting body.

The guard barked out a laugh. “Coming up for air, are ye?”

Ravencroft cocked his head to the side. “Excuse me?”

The guard smirked at Ravencroft. “I listened to you swiving the missus quite good. She is a screamer. Should have known with how sweet she acted. The sweet ones always enjoy it a little rough. Wonder if she will scream that loud when I plow between her thighs.”

Ravencroft only saw red. The emotions he had kept in check since Noel’s kidnapping exploded inside him. With a roar, he lunged at the guard and sent them flying to the ground. The punch he threw slipped off the guard’s cheek from the wet rain. But the guard’s punch landed in his gut, taking his breath away. He rolled over, clenching his side. Each breath he drew was a soft hiss of pain. But the guard was far from finished with him. He picked Ravencroft up and delivered a right hook across his cheek, splitting his lip.

Ravencroft tasted blood seeping into his mouth when he took his next swing. He punched the guard in his eye and knocked him back. This only pissed the guard off, and it was no longer a fair fight but a pounding that left Ravencroft swaying on his feet after every punch.

“Stop it! Stop it now!” Noel shrieked over the thunder.

She moved in between them, forcing both of them to drop their arms. The guard picked up Noel with ease and planted her by the door.

Noel issued a warning before the guard finished Ravencroft off. “If you do not stop, Doyle, I will not fulfill the promise I made to you. Or perhaps I should inform your sweetheart of your ability to act violently against another soul.”

Whatever Noel had promised the brute, it was enough to make him stop advancing on Ravencroft. Noel noted this and came to his side, wrapping her arms around his waist and leading him back inside to the bed. He leaned back and closed his eyes, fighting against the pain racking his body.

The mattress dipped when Noel joined him on the bed. A soft cool rag gently brushed over his sores. She whispered soft words of reassurance as her lips followed the path of her tender care. When he opened his eyes, it was to stare into her confusion.

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