Valiant (Gentlemen of the Order #3) - Adele Clee Page 0,86
revealed the truth about whom they could trust.
Lucian Hart’s parting words were about love and friendship, about investing in relationships rather than the bank. And because Evan had married Vivienne Hart out of love, not duty, they received a final letter containing one simple message.
Look for the truth everywhere.
In the words of a morbid poet.
In the arms of a mythical mermaid.
“We found the treasure, love. We found each other.” And they were too busy expressing the depth of their love to concentrate on cryptic messages. “I believe Livingston spoke metaphorically. Meant one might find love in the last place one expects.”
“Shells are said to be a symbol of good fortune. The mermaid in the lake is holding one in her arms. There is no greater truth than what we find in the natural world. And shells connect us to the sea.”
“I thought we were making love, not delving into symbolism.”
She rolled her hips, rubbed against his erection. “Pander to my whims, and I shall pander to yours.”
Evan sighed. “Very well.” His wife was Peitho, a goddess skilled in the art of seductive persuasion. “What are your thoughts on the morbid poet?”
She reached for the book and flicked to Gray’s poem. “I recall reading about gems. Yes, he says that many gems lie in dark caves under the ocean. Like the exceptional deeds of unsung heroes, beauty is often hidden from sight.”
Evan was so busy gawping in awe at his wife, finding her logical deductions so damnably arousing, he missed her sudden command.
“Well? Will you do it?” She stood and attempted to pull him to his feet. “Will you swim to the mermaid statue and see what lies below?”
“Swim across the lake? Madam, I’m likely to catch my death.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“You can swim?”
“My father insisted I learn. When a family is owed a debt from a marauding pirate, it pays to be prepared.” She glanced out at the lake. “It’s not far. The last one there must pay a forfeit.”
Before he could stop her, she was out of her pelisse, tugging off her boots. He’d been in the lake before, knew she could touch the bed in most places.
She hurried to the water’s edge in her shift. He’d known the minx hadn’t bothered with stays, had made it easier for him to fondle her breasts.
She laughed. “Just think, we’ll have to spend the rest of the day lounging before a roaring fire.”
He couldn’t love her any more than he did at that moment.
Like his manhood, his heart was ready to burst.
She excited him on every level.
Giving his weakest performance, he let her win the race. There was nothing he wouldn’t do if she asked, and the forfeit would be to his benefit.
Despite searching the lake’s murky depths, Evan did not find a treasure chest on the bed. But a quick inspection of the mermaid’s shell proved fortuitous.
“Good Lord!” He slipped his hand inside the giant conch shell and removed a leather pouch.
“You see!” Vivienne’s teeth chattered as she gripped the statue. “Did I not say we’d been left a legacy?”
They swam to the bank and headed back to the house. Mrs Elkin fussed about, had hot baths drawn, had the fire stoked in their bedchamber. Once warm and dry, they sat before the fire and Evan emptied the contents of the pouch onto the rug.
The vibrant assortment of gems glittered against the firelight.
Vivienne giggled as she held up a large blood-red ruby and observed the facets. “Imagine if the gardener had gone to clean the fountain and thrust his hand inside the shell.”
“I doubt Livingston cared who found the treasure. Finding each other was the true prize.”
She pushed the gems aside as if they were glass beads of little importance, raised her nightgown to her hips and came to sit astride him. “We should stay in bed for the rest of the day. Lord knows we might catch a fever if we don’t.”
“My skin is already aflame.” He thought of the night she reached into her thigh belt and produced the scroll. What if he’d thrown her out without reading the contract? What if he’d been too blind to see the beauty before him? “And I feel the need to prove I’m not a bore in bed.”
“You’re never a bore in bed.”
“You’re contractually obliged to love me, regardless.”
She arched a coy brow. “And if I fail to abide by the contract?”
“Then I can make a claim against you.” He slipped his hand into her damp hair, cupped her nape and drew her mouth to his. “I can settle between your sweet thighs and take up permanent residence.”
I hope you enjoyed reading Valiant.
What is troubling D’Angelo?
Is he any closer to finding out who murdered his parents?
More so, will he notice the golden-haired beauty employed to watch his every move?
Find out in …
Dark Angel
Gentlemen of the Order - Book 4
Pre-order now!
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. All characters are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
No part of this book may be copied or reproduced in any manner without the author’s permission. Distributing electronic copies of this book constitutes copyright infringement.
Valiant
Copyright © 2020 Adele Clee
All rights reserved.
ISBN-13: 978-1-9162774-7-2
Cover by Dar Albert at Wicked Smart Designs
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