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"Were you ever happy?" she whispered

Memory flashed, summoned from God knehere by this wo his secrets "I reiven my first mount, and my father and I rode out to visit the blacksmith" He could have stopped there, but somehow, it was easy to tell the story in the darkness, and once it had begun, he couldn’t stop it "He was ha out horseshoes in his little workshop, which was hot as hell

"My father talked to hi man wants to listen--and I wandered out into the yard, to discover a round and a half-dozen horseshoes wrapped around it"

"It’s a game," she said

"I knew instinctively that whatever it was, it was not for future dukes"

"I shall show you how it is done," she said fervently in the darkness,hi rules for future dukes"

"No need I kno to play"

A pause "The blacksht you?"

"My father did" Silence followed the pronounce added, "I was happy that day"

She shifted, and the sound of her skirts brought hier the boy at the blacksmith’s Now a man who had seen the truth of what his father could do if his expectations weren’t ewanted desperately to be on his curricle, careening up the road hipping around hirow louder as he drew north

As though she heard the thoughts, Sophieto his knee in a thoroughly inappropriate gesture Inappropriate, and desperately welcohts away

He wanted her to chase everything away

Everything but this e, filling the bench next to her and threading his fingers through hers, so had ever te hiht in her throat at the touch, and pleasure shot through him She wanted him as much as he wanted her "Sophie," he whispered, her na around them

"Yes?" she asked, so quietly he barely heard her

"You said you wished to experience the bits and pieces of it" He spoke close to her ear, where she smelled of honey and spice

"The bits and pieces of love"

One of his hands slid up to her jaw, his fingers threading into her hair "Would you like me to show you this bit?" He nipped at the skin on her opposite jaw, scraping his teeth there until she gasped at the pleasure of it "This piece?"

The darknessa heartbeat of a kiss before he moved to worship at her throat "We aren’t supposed to like each other" Her words cah

"Don’t worry We don’t"

What a lie that was

Chapter 12

ROGUE’S REIGN

OF RAVISHMENT RESURGES

She shouldn’t allow it

Theladies And he’d never once been punished for it Perhaps because he was so very good at it It seemed a shame to punish someone for as clearly a remarkable skill

But still, she shouldn’t allow it She should tell hih her hairthe way they played gently over her skin and the too-tight fabric of her dressthe way his lips pressed soft, lingering kisses along her neck as he made his wicked promises to show her the bits and pieces of love