The Mammoth Book Of Regency Romance Part 59

She breathed through her mouth in order not to take the full brunt of his stale breath. To her shock, he leaned in and kissed her.

Unlike the kiss she'd shared with Roan, this kiss lacked fire and intensity. Worse still, Stephan pressed a little too hard, his teeth biting into her top lip.

She took a step back, but it was too late. Roan had opened the door. He looked stunned to find them there.

Three.

Sweat poured down Roan's face. Jack had always been a worthwhile fencing opponent, but Roan had not remembered him being so fluid with his rapier. Or perhaps his injuries had finally caught up to him, giving his friend the upper hand.

The skin pulled tight on his burned arm with each strike of Jack's sword. Several times Jack had hesitated, and Roan had seen the indecision in his friend's eyes. He was afraid of hurting him. The knowledge was sobering, to say the least.

"What happened during that walk last night? You left so abruptly afterwards," Jack said, coming back with a half-hearted blow that made Roan want to roll his eyes. "Did Seeton say something to offend you? He is young, and quite often does not think before he speaks."

That much was obvious.

Roan was having a difficult time thinking of anything other than Addy. He ran through every memory of their younger days, of the time since he had seen her again. From the first moment he had realized little Adelaide had grown into a stunning woman, to that heart-pounding kiss in the garden. The kiss had been so intensely gratifying that he'd been unable to sleep last night. Instead, he'd spent the hours tossing and turning, the slight pressure of the blankets against his heated loins too much to bear. Finally, he had fallen into a fitful slumber that ended with a nightmare of Addy marrying Stephan.

A nightmare that would soon be a reality.

Especially if they were kissing behind closed doors. And mere minutes after she'd kissed Roan in the gardens. If only he'd stayed put and remained in the parlour with Jack, he wouldn't have seen it.

That kiss had been as effective as a punch to the gut.

Jealousy ate at his insides, which was ridiculous. Seeton was obviously the chosen one. Jack seemed content with his choice.

And why not? Lord Seeton was everything a young woman would desire in a mate.

"You don't like him, do you, Roan?"

Good G.o.d, could his friend read minds now?

Roan cleared his throat. "I think he is a typical young English lord."

"Meaning what, exactly?"

"Meaning he's confident, self-a.s.sured, if not a bit selfish."

Jack's lips quirked.

"What?"

"Do you not recall how we were, Roan? We were all those things and more at the age of two and twenty. I am nearly thirty and the thought of marriage is only now starting to look appealing." He brushed a hand through his hair. "I think the two suit, don't you?"

"If you mean Seeton and Addy, I would say no, I do not think they suit at all."

Jack lowered his sword. "Why ever not?"

"For one she is much too young to marry. She only just had her coming out. Are you really so anxious to be rid of her?"

His friend blinked as though he'd slapped him. "Of course not. Addy has spent the past few years at boarding school, so it has been refreshing to have her back home again. You know how it is with women though if they do not marry soon after their introduction into society, then they're put on the shelf."

"She's just turned eighteen, Jack."

"She likes him."

"Perhaps . . . as a friend. Did you not notice how anxious she was to be free of him last night?"

"She was tired. It was a long day."

Roan counted to ten . . . twice. "I am certain you have her best interest at heart. Far be it from me to tell you who the best man for Addy would be."

"Perhaps you wish to be in the running."

He felt his cheeks turn a little warm. "She is . . . your sister."

"Yes, I know," Jack said with a wolfish grin. "I was only trying to get a rise out of you. Can you imagine you as my brother-in-law?" His eyes went wide, as though he were horrified at the thought. He lifted his rapier. "Come, enough of this marriage talk. On guard."

Frustrated, Roan parried, and lunged away from the blade. He came back with a vengeance, his frustration of the last few days making him more aggressive than he would normally have been with his friend.

He had Jack up against the wall a second later, the blade inches from his throat.

He heard a gasp from behind him.

Both he and Jack turned to find Addy standing in the doorway. She was beautiful, dressed in a cream and blue print day dress with a low neckline that nicely displayed her full round b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Once again his thoughts went the way of the gutter.

Slowly he lowered the blade, and took a step away from Jack, whose brows were furrowed as he looked from Roan to Addy.

Addy's gaze slid from Roan's, down his neck, over his chest, and lower to the planes of his abdomen.

If her brother weren't there, that look would get her more than she bargained for.

Addy's thighs tightened as she stared at Roan. He had a powerful body; olive skin over muscle and sinew, which shifted with each movement. The high bones of his hips cut deep, as though pointing an arrow downwards. Realizing where she was staring, her eyes darted back to his face. His hair was tied back, allowing her to see the entire length of the burn that started beneath his right eye, covered the better part of his cheek, his neck and his arm. The last two fingers on his hand looked almost melded together.

She could only imagine the pain he had endured. Did his wounds still hurt? she wondered. Or was it the internal wounds that pained him more?

"Good morning, Addy. What are you up to today?" Jack asked, taking a seat and wiping his face with his shirt, which he had flung over a chair.

"I don't know. What are the two of you doing?"

Jack frowned. "Well, I was considering going into London. Perhaps take a ride through the park."

"Can I come?"

Roan set his blade aside and quickly donned his shirt. He didn't make eye contact with her and she wondered what it was he was thinking. Had she shocked him with her kiss last night? Did he think her unseemly? Especially after catching her kissing Lord Seeton right after? Something in his expression said he was not entirely pleased with her. She desperately wanted to set things to rights.

"I don't see why not. Perhaps Seeton would like to join us?"

Roan's jaw clenched tight.

"He is busy today," she blurted, wondering why her brother was so keen to have Stephan join them. "What do you say we all meet in the parlour at eleven o'clock sharp?"

"Very well," Roan said, walking past her towards the door. How she yearned to reach out and touch him, to tell him exactly how she felt about him.

She watched Roan's retreating back from the corner of her eye, liking the way the loose shirt hung on his wide shoulders. He looked like he had just come from a tryst, she realized, and her heart quickened, imagining him leaving her chamber after a night of pa.s.sionate lovemaking.

Jack cleared his throat abruptly after Roan disappeared and Addy gave him her full attention.

"What are you playing at, Addy?"

Her stomach clenched into a tight knot. "What do you mean?"

"Roan is my friend."

"He is my friend, too."

Sliding his shirt on, Jack released a deep breath. "He is too old for you."

"Father was fifteen years older than mother. There is only a ten-year age difference between me and Roan."

"Oh dear G.o.d, you are serious."

"Yes, I am."

"b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l," he said, running a hand down his face. "I cannot believe this."

She straightened her spine and lifted her chin a good inch. "I do not understand what is so difficult to comprehend. Roan is a good man. An exceptional man. And need I remind you that he is your best friend?"

"In this we agree, but he is . . . Roan." He stared at her, yet she had the feeling he didn't see her. "Has he touched you?"

The clock on the mantel seemed exceedingly loud all of the sudden. "We kissed."

"Kissed?" He stood slowly and, shaking his head, walked past her. "I'll kill him."

Roan was intensely uncomfortable. Since his accident he rarely ventured out into society, and today was the first time he had walked the streets of London.

He felt the stares of the people they pa.s.sed by, noticed the way many dropped their gaze when he made eye contact. He saw his own reflection in the mirror every morning, so he knew how startling his appearance was. He didn't blame others for their morbid curiosity or astonished stares, but he did resent the way people he had considered friends before the accident now wanted nothing to do with him.

And now his best friend was angry with him. He had felt it from the moment Addy walked into the parlour. The way Jack had watched them both, his eyes shifting between them.

When they had met in the parlour, Jack had said very little, and even still, in London, he remained uncommonly quiet. However, Addy was not. She had been chattering throughout the entire ride, and seemed excited to be in the city. When she hesitated by a shop window where a beautiful scarlet gown was displayed, it had been all Roan could do not to walk in and buy it for her. Jack would hardly approve though.

The very thought that his friend found him unworthy to court Addy was gut-wrenching. He could offer just as much, if not more, than Lord Seeton. The young man had much to learn, and he was still so immature, where Roan had seen a good deal of the world, and understood the importance of surrounding oneself with people who were true friends "Oh, I have heard of this place," Addy said, stopping in front of an art studio. "I want a shadow portrait of all of us together. It will take but a few minutes."

"I think it will take more than a few minutes, sister. Do you remember the portrait Aunt Mildred forced us to sit for just before you left for school?"

"But this is a silhouette. It takes very little time. Lady Kelly was telling me all about it at her ball. There is nowhere else we need to be, right?"

Jack glanced at Roan. He nodded, and Jack shrugged.

An older woman met them at the doorway.

"We would like a shade of the three of us," Addy said, a wide smile on her face.

"How long will it take?" Jack asked, already looking impatient.

"Actually, it takes very little time for a shadow painting, sir. The sitting takes mere minutes, and the picture itself will be ready in an hour's time."

"Very well," Jack agreed.

"Please, come in." The woman motioned for them to follow her into a small parlour. She arranged three chairs in a row, placing Jack in the first, Addy in the middle, and then Roan in the last.

Next she closed the draperies and lit several large candles, placing the waxy pillars in front of a large screen.

The lady repositioned the lighting several times, and then took a seat on the opposite side of the screen. "Now please try to be as still as possible."

Roan was left with no choice but to stare straight ahead at Addy's beautiful auburn curls, the long swan-like neck, the slender shoulders. Gold hoop earrings hung from her ears. He wanted to buy her anything she desired . . . like the dress in the shopfront window. If she belonged to him, he would never stop spoiling her.

An image of her kissing Seeton came to him again, and he wished it far away.

"You on the left, quit fidgeting," the woman said, and Addy laughed under her breath, which made Jack and Roan laugh, too.

He was glad they were there, glad that for a few minutes the tension had been lessened and that they were once again relaxed. Friends whom he trusted and loved more than life.

The entire ride home, Addy stared at the shadow portrait and smiled.

"We cut quite dashing figures, do we not, Roan?" Jack said, surprising him.

Roan looked at his friend, glad he was finally talking to him. "Lucky for them, they captured my good side," he said cheerfully, and Jack grinned.

But Addy frowned at him. "Not everyone sees your scars, Roan. When I look at you, I see . . . you. The same Roan I have always known. The Roan who will always live here," she said, placing a hand over her heart. "You are perfect just as you are. Do not let anyone ever make you feel differently."

He stared at her, shocked by her declaration and sincerity.

Jack's gaze shifted between them.

"Thank you, Addy," Roan said, and she pressed her lips together before looking down at the picture again.

Four.