An Affair So Right (Rebel Hearts #4)(69)

She slapped her hand over her mouth, staring at Quinn’s grinning face as he moved to cover her. “Now that was a shriek worth waiting for,” he promised as he joined with her.

Her body pulsed around him and he ground down on her as another burst of pleasure swamped her. He was moving when she opened her eyes; his were fierce as he loved her hard.

She grasped his upper arms tightly and lifted her knees high to bracket his body.

Quinn came to a stop, pressed deep inside her body.

“Don’t stop,” she whispered.

“I never want to,” he confessed, and closed his eyes. “You’ve always felt so good in my arms.”

The last was whispered, and Theodora thrilled to hear it. “I’m yours, Quinn. Don’t stop loving me.”

“Never,” he promised.





Chapter 27





Quinn devoted himself to the business of being an earl over the next few days, keeping those who would seek his company for their own gain at a distance, and his friends close. The gossip that he was off the market spread quickly and was met with considerable shock, much to his amusement.

There were a great many he met who claimed an acquaintance that had never existed, in a futile attempt to catch a glimpse of Theodora, who remained hard at work in the study and unavailable to meet with any callers.

Her reticence to socialize had the opposite effect than intended, though.

Their engagement became something of a quest for many matrons, who covertly attempted to determine if it was real or not by rather obvious means. A great many unmarried daughters were suddenly being introduced to him when he went out. He tried to keep his errands to a minimum to avoid the inevitable questioning.

Being at home had advantages he enjoyed.

Theodora was always there.

He could kiss her during the day, which she barely protested if he made it clear they wouldn’t be interrupted. He attuned his hours of work to align with hers, and rejoiced when the secretaries he’d inherited left them alone.

But his sister and new husband remained in London and expected his company, too. They believed Mama’s explanation that the engagement was false. Little did they know he was all too ready to make Theodora his wife, and if they suspected, they kept their thoughts well hidden.

“How did we bear it?” he asked of Felix Hastings as they rode through Hyde Park together early one morning, skirting women with no sense of self-preservation as they boldly approached on foot, waving handkerchiefs to get his attention. “How did we avoid marriage-minded misses for so long?”

“We were at sea, and the rakish reputations we encouraged made mothers rather protective of their offspring. I would say your carefully cultivated reputation as a rogue has been utterly discarded by all and sundry now.”

He grunted at that, casting a sour eye on Hastings, who rode through the park with a welcoming smile for everyone they met. Despite his marriage to Sally, Hastings continued to draw attention wherever he went, too. He seemed to relish his notoriety, while still revealing how much he adored his wife in every conversation.

“Are we going to ride, or talk about why you felt the need to drag me from my wife’s arms so early?” Hastings reined in, looking around them. “There’s no one in sight to hear us now. You look like a man with the weight of the world on your shoulders. Has there been any news of that man you thought you saw?”

“None yet.” He sighed. “Maybe I imagined it.”

Banks reported daily that he had no new information about Dennis Small. Quinn was starting to feel foolish. Thank heavens he’d never spoken of his suspicions to Theodora. Revealing his doubts had been decidedly unnecessary.

“Then what?”

He needed a friend to unburden himself too, and Hastings seemed the most qualified, having recently braved the alter. “It is about Theodora.”

“Miss Dalton?”

“I need your counsel.” He nodded. “She could be perfect.”

Hastings laughed. “There is no such thing as a perfect woman, unless you are speaking of my own darling wife.”

“You know what Mother has done to me.”

“Bound you to a sticky situation to help her save face.” Quinn nodded. “Very awkward, too. Sally is livid with Mother, and quite worried that you agreed to such a scheme. A false engagement could become an embarrassment.”

Quinn adjusted his grip on the reins. “I’m not upset with Mother. Not really. It suits me very well to be engaged right now. But I must admit, I am worried about Theodora’s motives for agreeing to it.”

Hastings sat forward, resting his hand on one knee. He looked very comfortable in the saddle now, when he’d never been born to it like Quinn, or even Sally. “This is all your mother’s doing. I’ve had some experience with her ways. A little tear here and there, and everyone bends over backward to make her happy. She convinced Miss Dalton to play along, and you must never let her forget it, or next time it could be a permanent marriage you face.”

“I am taking full advantage of Mother’s actions.”

Hastings laughed. “Helping to spread the rumors of your engagement, are you?”

“Yes. This situation with Theodora is vastly more complicated than even Mother knows.”

Hastings frowned. “How so?”