Secluded with the Rogue

Chapter 15

Fifteen

A s the early morning sunshine crept through a few gaps in the curtains, Drew woke up with his arms twined around…Charlie.

One particularly pesky beam slanted across his face. He yawned, leaning up on one elbow to both block the light from Charlie's eyes and give him sufficient vision to study her. The room had a dim glow that he took advantage of to study the lovely and very fiery woman in his bed.

She had been amazing last night. The way she responded to his touch, the way she sought what she wanted, even when she couldn't fully articulate her desires, was so arousing. Even now, his cock twitched as he remembered waking in the night to her mouth on his cock. The way she had eagerly, if inexpertly, licked and tasted him until he couldn't stand it another moment and pulled her up his body to have her sink down on his length in a long, slow slide. She’d ridden him, slowly and with mewls of pleasure, as Drew had been able to do nothing but grip onto the bed and pray for mercy. By the time they'd both come again, he'd been lost in her every sound. Her whimpers of need, moans of desire, and screams of pure pleasure as her body clamped down on him.

Drew’s heart thudded in his chest with a painful roll. Charlene looked so peaceful in sleep. No anger etching lines in her forehead, no displeasure flattening her so kissable lips.

A sound, down the hall. He refused to be drawn from this cocoon they had created during the night. He just wanted to lie there and memorize her face, memorize how this moment felt. He feared he might experience nothing like it again in his life, and wanted to have this memory to pull up when he was alone. To remember what it was like to love someone so fully.

He inhaled softly. Fuck! When had he fallen in love with her?

Charlie shifted, her eyelashes fluttering a moment before rising to reveal her brown eyes. He moved slightly and the light fell across her face, making the golden flecks in her brown irises dance like dust motes in a beam of light.

Her tongue slipped from between her pink lips to slick across the plump flesh. “Good morning,” she said shyly as her lashes dipped down to shield her eyes for a moment.

“Good morning, Charlie.” Drew’s voice came out rougher than he would have expected as he fought to stuff down the urge to declare how he felt to her.

Declarations now? He knew this was too new, for her and for him, for any such declarations.

The soft smile Charlene graced him with at the use of the nickname he preferred for her was possibly the biggest indicator of the monumental shift which had occurred during the night. She sighed softly and stretched, causing the covers to slip down her chest, catching on her nipples as he watched and wished it would slide lower. Determined to help the covers along, he reached down and tugged them.

Immediately Charlene clapped a hand to her chest to impede his efforts as she chastised, “Drew!”

He grinned mischievously. “What?”

He couldn't be completely sure in the dim light, but he thought her cheeks had turned a rosy pink.

“We can't.”

“Why ever not?”

“It's morning. We need to get up and get dressed before everyone notices what we've done.”

Drew’s brow furrowed at that. “You can't be serious?” he chuckled softly. “I'm quite certain that Polly and Billy heard you over the stables.”

Charlene was definitely blushing now. “I-I can't believe you said that.” She lifted the sheets and climbed out of the bed, away from him.

He sighed, but understood her desire to at least pretend that everyone was unaware of what they'd been doing. Going to the window, he opened the drapes and allowed the sunlight to stream fully into the room.

Behind him, he heard her moving around.

“Ah ha!”

Drew turned to find Charlene brandishing one of her stockings, then plucking her trousers from the hearth where Polly had thoughtfully lain them to dry. With all of her clothing acquired, she laid them on the bed and started to dress. Suddenly, there was a loud clatter downstairs.

They both stopped and stared at the other. He bit back the curse that had wanted to escape his lips.

Charlene paled. “Oh, no.” She began throwing her clothing on as quickly as she could and he followed suit, knowing there would be a knock sooner than either of them would prefer. Two heartbeats later, though he suspected it was minutes, the fated knock came.

“Mr. Wentworth, apologies for interrupting, but…but Lord and Lady Brookhaven are here and they are looking for their daughter.” Polly's voice passed through the door and landed like an icy bucket of water.

Charlie's eyes widened in pure panic as she froze.

Silence stretched as all the things he wanted to say to her rushed to the forefront. He'd been a bloody fool, thinking he had time.

A strangled noise came from her throat and she swallowed with an audible gulp. “Thank you, Polly,” she said as she pulled her gown over her head. “Please…please tell my parents I shall be down momentarily.”

“Of course, my lady.” Polly responded with a calm Drew was certain neither he nor Charlie felt at that moment.

The woman he cared for deeply looked at him and offered a sad smile. “I had better go put myself together before I head downstairs. It wouldn't do for my parents to see me in—well, in such a state.” She gestured, waving her hand down her body.

“Agreed.” Drew nearly choked on the one word.

He wanted to tell her he would marry her. That, though they had anticipated the wedding night a bit, all would be fine. Her parents would understand. They would support their marriage. But the words never came as he watched her turn and slip from his room, leaving him utterly alone.

With a sigh of resignation, Drew finished dressing and headed downstairs. He would greet her parents and attempt to occupy them while she pulled herself together. How hard could it be?

Drew entered the drawing room and found Charlie’s parents waiting not so patiently. “Good morning, Lord and Lady Brookhaven.” He bowed as they turned to look at him. They had not been sitting.

“Mr. Wentworth.” Lord Brookhaven looked displeased, to put it mildly. “Why is my daughter staying in your home unchaperoned?”

Drew stared at the man for a moment. Was he seriously asking him that? He drew in a breath and cleared his throat. “I'm afraid that by the time she appeared on my doorstep—in the midst of a snowstorm—I had sent all of my staff home to their families, with the exception of my housekeeper and stable master. Short of turning your half frozen daughter and her servant out on their ears, I had no choice but to take them in despite the—” he cleared his throat again “—uh, less than desirable circumstances.”

The man stared suspiciously for a long, silent moment. “Who else is aware of her presence here for the last few days?”

Drew blinked, confused for a moment. “As I said, by the time she arrived, my staff was all gone. Polly and Billy, my married housekeeper and stable master, remained here. Other than those two, your driver John has been here recuperating from his injuries sustained when the coach went off the road. That is all.”

Lord Brookhaven grunted but before he could say a word?—

“Mother, Father!” Charlie rushed into the room looking fresh and placid, not as though she'd spent the night in his bed and in his arms being thoroughly debauched.

Drew much preferred her tousled appearance this morning as he'd watched her sleep. This prim and proper version of his wanton little rogue was not the woman he'd fallen in love with.

Oh hell, there it was again.

Her parents embraced her then looked her over critically.

Her mother cupped her face with one hand. “Are you well, Charlene?”

“I am, Mother, thanks to Drew. He not only gave me shelter, but he and Billy rescued John in the middle of the snowstorm.” She looked back at him, offering him a grateful smile.

“Honestly, all we did was collect him. Ch—Lady Charlene had done the rescuing, ensuring he was safe until we arrived to transport him here,” Drew offered.

Lord Brookhaven glared until he wanted to squirm. He ended up tugging at his necktie for a moment. Was this thing slowly strangling him?

In an effort to distract himself, or maybe her parents, Drew motioned to the seating in the middle of the room. “Please, sit. I'm sure Polly is preparing breakfast for everyone.”

“That won't be necessary.” Lord Brookhaven's words fell like chips of ice. Nothing about his demeanor was thankful or warm.

He clearly did not trust that Drew had remained a gentleman—and honestly, Drew could not think poorly of him for such suspicions since he had not, in fact, behaved as a gentleman should. He had lusted after Charlie from the moment she'd landed on his doorstep, a veritable icicle. He had proceeded to take her maidenhead, making love to her not once, but multiple times over the last few days.

Still, he had to say something. “I see.”

“In fact,” her father drew up to his full height, however shy of Drew's own six feet he was, “we should leave for Brookhaven immediately. The sooner we arrive there with our daughter in tow, the sooner we can dispel any distasteful rumors that may result from this debacle.”

Drew stilled for a moment, as did Charlie.

“Father,” she whispered, horrified.

“My lord, I can assure you there will be no rumors to worry about from this quarter. I would do nothing to harm your daughter's reputation.” Drew's words came out rougher than he'd intended, but he was insulted by the man's suggestion that he might do or say anything harmful to Charlie.

What he had done to Charlie certainly hadn’t been harmful.

“Yes, well, be sure that neither you nor your servants should do such a thing. I would hate to see your budding shipping business fail when it is just beginning to do so well.” He narrowed his gaze at Drew as the man's brown eyes hardened.

Drew once might have thought those eyes were like Charlie's, but he couldn't remember hers ever looking so hard and unyielding. Perhaps they had snapped with fire, glittered with flames to retaliate against him for some perceived slight, but never so coldly or ruthlessly. It seemed, even without any obvious evidence, that her father suspected all was not as they presented. And once again, how could he blame the man?

He nodded listlessly. What more could he really say?