Meddle in a Marquess’s Affairs: How to Reform a Rake Read online

  Somewhere in the back of her mind, she reasoned that she was already ruined. What was the harm?

  A moan caught her ear and she realized that it was her own. He cupped the back of her head, slanting her chin so that he could deepen the kiss further and then she was lost. She doubted she could deny him a single thing.

  He pulled away then and she blinked, trying to focus as he lay his head back down on the pillow. “Sorry, Angel,” he murmured. “I don’t have my usual stamina.”

  She let out a small gasp, as she realized what she’d been doing. Sitting up, Camille looked down at his pale skin. Touching his forehead, she realized that he was far too hot. “Oh dear.”

  He looked up at her. His dark gaze was slightly unfocused. “Will you stay with me?”

  “Of course.” She tucked the blankets about him, her hands still shaky after the passionate kiss. “Though I likely shouldn’t. You’re dangerous even when sick. Remind me to run the other way as soon as you’re well.”

  He closed his eyes, his features tightening. “I’d never hurt you. I’m not worth much but even I know that a woman like yourself deserves a man’s protection.”

  “Bah,” she said as she leaned over to get the cool water. Gently, she wiped his face. “You’re only saying such things to make me think you’re safe. Then, you’ll pounce again as soon as you’re able.”

  One corner of his mouth turned up. “You kissed me, Angel.”

  “You kissed me more,” she replied as she gave him a tiny drink of water. “I didn’t even know kissing could be like that. It was so—” Heat radiated in her cheeks at her words.

  He paused for a moment, his gaze capturing hers. “It can be so much better than that.”

  Her breath caught in her chest. See. This was the problem with rakes. Now she was dreadfully and truly curious.

  * * *

  Rex gritted his teeth. He felt awful. On the one hand, he should be thankful to have been shot. If he hadn’t, Camille would not be pressed against him, mopping his brow and whispering sweet words of encouragement in his ear.

  On the other, he wished he felt better so that he might enjoy the moment a bit more. Would marriage be like this? When he got sick would his wife fuss over and tend to him? No wonder Max had gotten married.

  As a child, Rex had dreamed of such a thing. A mother with her arms about him, cradling him to her chest. She’d sing him a sweet lullaby and he’d burrow deeper into her soft warmth.

  But as he’d grown, he’d shed that dream. It was for fools and men with families. Instead, he’d taken to being as hard as he could. Fighting and stealing, he’d prided himself on his lack of emotional attachment. If he didn’t love anyone, he never risked being hurt.

  Honestly, he’d only happened into his group of friends by accident. They’d shared a love of liquor and quick dalliances with women. They’d taught him to manage his money and move about the elite. He’d studied them just as he had the thieves on the docks at the age of thirteen when he’d ran away from the orphanage.

  Rex hadn’t meant to like any of them. If he were of sounder mind, he would have pushed Camille away too. What she was doing felt too good. Her gentle hands, her soft words, they were a balm on his wounded soul. He liked it. In fact, he could love it, if he allowed himself, but what then? She might leave him just as his parents had—and his uncles too.

  It was too much of a risk. Still, he was too weak to resist now and besides, for a brief moment, he could pretend that this could be his forever.

  She touched his forehead again. “You’re so hot,” she murmured. “Too hot.”

  “After I pound Ralston into a bloody pulp, what will you do?” he asked.

  She gave a tiny shrug. “I don’t know.”

  “Tell me,” he croaked. His throat was growing parched and dry.

  She must have heard it because cool, refreshing water trailed over his lips. It soothed them and his throat as it trickled down his tongue. “My mother politely sent me away. If I’ve been tossed from the family, I’ll have to take a position, I suppose. I can’t continue to impose upon Max and Lily.”

  He growled out a protest. “Like hell you can’t. Longley can provide you with a dowry. See that you are matched—”

  She shook her head, more hair falling about him. “We tried that already. My only suitor was a baron’s son who had a great affection for meat pies and my dowry.”

  Fool, Rex thought as he closed his eyes. “Lay down with me again and keep me warm.”

  She did so without protest, her heat making him shiver but not with cold. The press of her body was delicious. “Maybe I should call the doctor back.”

  “There’s nothing he can do. Stay with me.” He turned to look at her. His mind was a mess of thoughts and feelings. “All I’ve ever wanted was for someone to stay with me.” Had he just said that out loud?

  She brought her palm to his cheek, cupping his face. “I’ll stay.” Then she leaned her forehead against his. “For as long as you need me, I’ll stay.”

  Chapter Five

  Camille woke with the sun streaming through the windows. She cracked open her eyes and wondered why the drapes were not closed. Her eyes ached with the effort. What had she done last night that she made her feel so terrible?

  A movement against her arm caught her attention as she opened her eyes wide. Rex.

  The night’s events came flooding back. Heat filled her cheeks. What if she’d been caught in his bed like this? What would Max do? But then she shook her head, she’d worry about that later, first she needed to check her patient. Quickly, she lifted her hand and lay it against his forehead. It was cool to the touch. Some of his color had returned to his cheeks and his breathing was deep and even. By God, he was going to live.

  Propping up on her elbow, she brushed his hair back from his face. The kiss. It had been heavenly. Which only made her grin. He nicknamed her Angel but he might be the one who was close to heaven. His kiss had been… Then she chastised herself. That was exactly what rakes did and now that he was well, she’d have to remember to stay away from him and she had to get out of his room before she was caught.

  With that thought, she began to rise, gently pushing off the bed.

  “Where are you going?” he rumbled out. “I thought you said you’d stay with me?”

  She let out a short breath. “Your ability to wake at the exact moment you shouldn’t is uncanny,” she muttered, slumping back down.

  He opened his eyes and looked at her. “I lived on the streets for three years. You learn to sleep very lightly and wake when what is happening concerns you.”

  A shiver ran down her spine. He’d slept on the streets. Here she was, worried about her problems, when this magnificent man had been through much worse than she ever had. “You lived on the streets for three years? Why?”

  He rubbed his eyes. “I was orphaned at a young age. I ran away from the orphanage at the age of thirteen.”

  “Orphaned?” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “That is terrible, my lord.”

  “You are to call me Rex. We’ve slept in the same bed, it seems appropriate.”

  This was getting worse by the tick of the clock. “I’ve little reputation left to save, but still, I’d appreciate if we kept that fact strictly between the two of us.”

  “If you wish.” He jerked his chin. “I don’t spend a great deal of time in polite society anyhow so you needn’t worry.”

  “I’d ask where you do spend your time, but I’m not sure I want to know. Still, thank you for your discretion. The last thing I need is other men thinking that I am available to be his mistress or—”

  He tried to sit up and then grunted in pain. As he lay back down his eyes gleamed with danger. “If anyone suggests that, I will personally tear him from limb to limb.”

  Camille looked down at him. What a ridiculous thing to say. Mostly, because it implied he was her guardian or her protector. She knew that he was the sort of man who would not stay for long. Hadn’t Max warne
d her of that? “Please don’t attempt to defend my honor anymore. You’ve enough extra holes in your body and I can’t keep nursing you back to health.”

  He narrowed his gaze. “I’ll have you know that I underestimated Ralston. It won’t happen again.” He propped himself on his elbow as well. It took him several seconds and a great deal of grunting. “I am a man who is feared and if I say I’ll defend your honor then know that I’ll see it done.”

  She bit back a smile. If there was one emotion that she didn’t feel in this man’s company, it was fear. “I can see why you’re so scary. Your hair is so long, it sticks up dreadfully in the morning.”

  He stared at her, his jaw slack. “How dare you, woman!”

  “How dare she what?” another deep voice rumbled from the door.

  Camille nearly jumped back and then spun about to see Max assessing her with narrowed eyes. “I was teasing him about his hair.” She took a step forward. “He spiked a fever in the night but it’s receded now.”

  Max walked into the room. “Excellent. Does this mean you’ll cease your vigil?”

  She clasped her hands one on top of the other, curling her fingers together. “Of course.” She looked back at Rex, his dark glower in stark contrast to the white sheets that covered him.

  “What is the matter with you?” Rex grumbled from the bed.

  Max walked past her, stopping at the foot of the mattress. “You’re in no condition to argue,” he said to Rex. “Unless you’ve changed your mind on the subject of marriage?”

  “You know why I’m not marriage material.”

  She turned her face away as she caught her breath. Not that she hadn’t known that Lord Reginald Balster would never be hers, but for a moment, she’d allowed herself to imagine the possibilities.

  Her shoulders hunched as she walked out the door.

  * * *

  Rex watched her leave and then scowled at Max. “You frightened her away.”

  “Good. It was my intent.” Max took the chair that Camille had occupied—when she wasn’t in bed with him, that is.

  “What the bloody hell is wrong with you?”

  “What’s wrong with me?” Max gave him a glower to rival all glowers as he tipped back his chair. “You’re the one who stuffed the card in a drawer. You don’t want anything to do with this girl, remember?”

  Rex grimaced. The tarot card from the gypsy. He ran his hand through his hair. He’d nearly forgotten it with all that had happened. It occurred to him that he’d fulfilled the terms of the bet. He’d collected his kiss. He shifted himself in the bed so that he sat up more. Knowing that the terms were fulfilled left him feeling…hollow. “I didn’t want anything to do with the bet. With the gypsy. But with Camille…”

  Max leaned forward in his chair. “I am sorry you were hurt yesterday. Camille was right to attempt to correct that wrong.” Max scrubbed his face with his hands. “But listen to me, Rex. Camille has been deeply wounded by a man who was supposed to protect her. You have to be exceptionally careful that you don’t inadvertently do the same. As it is now, I fear she may never be able to open her heart again. Between what Michael did and her mother—”

  “What did her mother do?” He heard the low guttural tone in his voice. “Wait. Camille told me. She sent her here to live with you.”

  Max nodded. “She’s cast Camille out.”

  Rex scrubbed his scalp. His hair was sticking up and he began to smooth it back down. “She talked about getting a position.”

  “What?” Max snorted. “I’m a bloody duke. Like I couldn’t just support her myself.”

  Rex relaxed a little knowing Camille would be taken care of. “That’s what I said.” But then a new thought made him stiffen again. He didn’t like the idea of Max taking care of Camille. It should be someone else. Someone she could care for in return. He attempted to suss out why, but his eyes grew heavy. All he could think about was a blonde little angel curled up against his side, tucked safely under his arm.

  Chapter Six

  Camille paced her room, walking back and forth with her hands clasped together. A creak in the floor made her stop, her ears trained to the room next door. Was that Rex? Did he need her?

  She gave her head a shake and then began to pace again. Dear lord, she needed help. Why was she always so fixated on aiding others?

  It had always been her way, try as she might to stay out of other people’s business. And now that Rex was recovering, he would not want her hovering about him. She had been a mere distraction. He likely had gaggles of women vying for his attention. Women who were willing to give themselves to him or give him a future.

  She was prepared to do neither.

  She hadn’t spoken to her mother since she’d left her family home but she assumed her parents would no longer provide her with a dowry. Not that Rex would have wanted a wife with a reputation such as hers. He didn’t seem to want a wife at all. Why wasn’t he marriage material? He’d offered her protection, he seemed just the sort to make an excellent husband.

  And she wasn’t the sort to become a man’s mistress…was she? Her stomach fluttered with nerves.

  She thought back to the kiss they had shared. It had heated every part of her body, making her ache in places she hadn’t even known existed and that was while he was consumed with fever.

  If she wasn’t going to marry, perhaps, just once, she could taste the forbidden fruit.

  Then she shook her head. What happened after that? What kind of life did she live after being a Marquess’s mistress?

  She shrugged her shoulder. Maybe it didn’t matter. She would either become Max’s responsibility or secure a position and spend the rest of her life working.

  And Rex? He’d shared things last night. About his life. He hadn’t come right out and said it, but his past had hurt him. He could use a woman who would care for him. Give him the soft affection that life had denied him all these years. Perhaps she could help him in that regard.

  Another scratching noise made her stop. As she twisted about to see what it was, her door swung open. She covered her mouth with her hand, freezing in place.

  “Am I interrupting?” Rex asked from the doorway. He looked better than yesterday but not much. His skin was still pale and he leaned heavily on a cane. Despite that, the man oozed masculinity. Though his midriff was covered in bandages, his chest was bare and his defined muscles made her mouth instantly dry.

  She dropped her hands and raced over to him. “What are you doing out of bed?”

  One corner of his mouth twisted up as he brushed back his hair. “I was attempting to nap but my neighbor has an affection for pacing and it’s keeping me awake.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry.” She took a steadying breath as she reached his side and slipped a hand about his waist, sliding her shoulder under his arm. “I’ll help you get back in bed and then I will cease making noise. You need your rest.”

  They began the very short walk back to his room. “What I am wondering,” he grunted as they moved slowly down the hall, “is what has caused you such distress that you feel the need to pace so incessantly?”

  They reached his door and she grabbed the handle, swinging it open. “Besides being tossed out by my mother, living with my newly married sister, having to rely on the kindness of my brother-in-law, and causing an innocent man to get shot?”

  They stepped through the doorway, and he stopped, quirking a brow at her. “So you walk about your room like that daily?”

  A smile tugged at her lips. “Well, you are a recent addition to my worries.”

  They reached the side of the bed and she helped him to sit upon it then wrapped her arms about his massive chest to help him lie down. His warm skin sent tendrils of heat spiraling through her.

  He put his hand on her shoulder as he lowered himself. He weighed far more than Camille had expected and as she strained to hold him, his hand flexed, pushing her body closer to his until she all but collapsed on top of him. He gave a grunt of pain.


  “Are you all right?” she cried as she searched his face.

  “Never better, love.” His fingers spread out on her back. “You must be tired after spending so much of the night awake and doing all that walking. Rest with me.”

  “Like this?” she croaked, aware that her breasts were crushed against his chest.

  “Exactly like this,” he murmured close to her ear.

  She put her hands on his shoulders and gently pushed up. If she were caught like this… “I need to clean and dress your wounds. If you’re to get better we’ve got to do it.”

  He frowned but nodded.

  Slowly rising off of him, she crossed the room to get scissors from the table. Then she set to work cutting off the old bandages, cleaning, and rebandaging his midriff. As her fingers gently touched his skin, her eyes followed the contours of multiple scars crisscrossing his chest and back. She hadn’t noticed them in the dark of night but now they were completely obvious. She wanted to ask what had happened but his eyes were squeezed tight in pain as she worked.

  When it was done, she smoothed his hair back from his face, which was pinched and even paler. “All done,” she said, softly stroking the strands.

  He opened his eyes and stared up at her. “Will you lie down with me?”

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” she answered, withdrawing her hand. “Someone can walk in and see us together.”

  “You’re likely right.” But he captured her hand with his own. “Come have dinner with me tonight so that I don’t have to eat alone.”

  Camille nibbled on her lip. She should say no. Max and Lily didn’t want her with Rex and honestly, he was inadvertently filling her head with all sorts of wild ideas. Or perhaps it was on purpose. But he looked in such need that she found herself agreeing. “All right. For just a little while.”

  He closed his eyes again. “You really are an angel.”

  Camille wished that were true. But what she was considering, well, that involved the devil for certain.