Lady Thief - By Rizzo Rosko Page 0,89
him speak so endearing of her, she pressed him. “And had Blaise accepted me?”
William’s brow came together stubbornly. “I imagine the two of you would have continued to make each other miserable, spoken only when necessary, and even then only in hateful increments. And as you both have only reconciled due to my own words of wisdom with you regarding your temper, such a thing would have been impossible had you not married me.”
He looked at her pleased smile, waiting for her to speak, but she grabbed his ears and pulled his face down for a kiss instead.
William was only beginning to enjoy himself when she pushed him away, the same victorious grin on her face. “And had I married him, our hatred for each other would have naturally prevented our copulating, and I would not currently be with your child.”
William rubbed the area where his child grew lovingly, his other hand reaching around to her back and pulling her closer. “Aye. ‘Tis better for you to have forced me to wed you, and then have your own child to look forward to, than to let yourself be married to a man who would not give you any.”
He looked at her, the small joy leaving his eyes. “You truly have no memory of my claim to love?”
Marianne looked away from him, her cheeks heating. “I thought I had been dreaming.”
“Dreaming!”
She nodded. “Aye.”
He laughed, a full hearty thing that made Marianne’s heart beat faster. “And here I was coming to see you, thinking of throttling you, for claiming to Anne that I had no love for you when you had never returned my love at all.”
The smile abruptly left her face in replacement of bewildered laughter. She touched his cheeks, kissed them, his eyes, his strong jaw, and his lips.
He smiled through their chaste kiss and still did so when she released his mouth. “You wish to heal away my broken heart with your mouth?”
“I wish to apologize for my judgmental behavior. I had been so happy when I thought I dreamed your words that I never bothered to say them, to risk my heart like you had yours, only to be rewarded when I fell asleep.”
The smile would not leave his face. “You do tend to provoke me with your strange actions. ‘Tis apart of your spirit that I love, truly love, and admire.”
She rewarded him with an impish smile, he cut her off before she could speak. “I know you do it purposely. If I had gone through with my plans of making your life hell when you came here you would have only ensure that you made mine doubly hell as well.”
Her eyes widened. “You planned on seeking vengeance on me?”
“Aye.”
“Why did you not?”
He shrugged. “I had meant to, but when you leapt across the bed so dramatically like you did the need for revenge left me with the thought of how my vengeance could possibly destroy you. I could not do it.”
She raised an eyebrow at him, a sinful smirk pressing her lips, knowing what form of revenge he would have used but needing to hear him say it. “What would you have done to me?”
His grin was lecherous, and he pulled her closer and planted kisses on her neck before whispering into her ear.
“You swine!” She shrieked, laughing and slapping his shoulders.
“I see ‘tis not a thing that would bother you much now.”
She took his hand, matching his lusty grin with one of her own. “Nay, but I think we should seek the warmth of our chamber now. ‘Tis too cold to be making love in the snow.”
He nodded, pulling her body to his for the walk back to their chamber when a thought came to him. “Blaise was correct when he called you a thief.”
Knowing better than to be insulted, she eyed him curiously. “Why say that?”
“Because you have stolen my heart.”
THE END
Watch out for Lady Deception, the sequel to Lady Thief! Coming soon to Smashwords!
A poverty stricken lady saves the life of a rich young lord and is taken in for her reward. As she melts his heart, and finds her own melting in return, she becomes more and more determined to hide the fact that she was the one who attempted to kill him.
Warning: The following three chapters are subject to change in the final edit.
Chapter One
Hampshire
Summer, 1318
Elizabeth attempted to halt her rushing feet, slid in the muck, and tripped over them instead. Her body fell flat in the mud which splashed up