Reid Read online

  He knocked again. “Lavinia, it’s Reid.”

  The key turned in the lock and the sound of the bolt being drawn back echoed in the empty hallway.

  “Reid?” She opened the door and stared out into the darkened hallway. “What are you doing here at this hour?”

  He stepped into the light from her apartment. “I need to talk to you. I’m sorry it is late, but it cannot wait until morning.”

  She scowled at him but ushered him inside before locking the door behind her. “I didn’t answer it the first time because occasionally we get sailors from the nearby ships wandering around the floors, looking for ladies to provide them with sexual services. Our building does get confused for the brothel a few doors down.”

  As was his usual routine in her apartment, Reid took off his hat and coat. He kept his jacket on this time.

  “Now, what cannot wait until morning?” she asked.

  “Marco Calvino,” he replied.

  The look of shock which appeared on her face crushed his hopes. She knew Marco.

  “So, you don’t deny it?” he asked, his voice faltering.

  “Deny what?”

  He fixed her with a steely gaze. She would have to do better than that if she was going to attempt to lie to him. “He made it clear that you and he are close. Perhaps even as close as you and I have been at times. Or did you permit him further intimacies?” The words had barely left his lips before a hard slap landed on his face. A second and harder slap quickly followed.

  “I am not a whore,” she growled.

  “But you let him touch you!” he bellowed.

  Her gaze quickly shifted to the closed door of the room next to her bedroom. She put a finger to her lips and glared at Reid. “Shush. Jonathan is asleep. If you wake him, the pain you are feeling on your face right now will be the least of your problems.”

  Reid had promised himself he would be calm and rational, but the sight of Lavinia and the thought of Marco putting his hands on her made his blood boil. “Did you let him touch you?” he ground out. He held a hand up, ready to stop her if she intended on landing another slap to his face. For a woman, she could pack a teeth-clattering blow.

  “Have you been drinking heavily this evening?” she asked.

  Reid shook his head. Though he was certain he could murder a large whisky right now.

  “Good. Then you will be sober enough to remember this conversation, and you won’t make the mistake of coming here tomorrow or any other day thereafter,” she said.

  “Lavinia.”

  She held up a hand. “Signore Calvino took the appointment at eleven o’clock for a few days, after which he cancelled the rest of his lessons. I may, at times, lay my hands on a student to teach them breathing exercises, but, Lord Follett, I don’t make a habit of letting my students touch me. I did so with you, and now I understand what a reckless thing that was.”

  Reid had been listening quietly, taking it all in, and formulating a response, right up to the moment Lavinia formally addressed him. He felt like he had been punched in the gut. The connection between them was broken.

  In a matter of a few seconds, he realized the depth of his mistake. Marco had played a clever hand. His cards had been worthless, but Reid had been stupid enough to fall for his bluff and fold. His anger stirred once more. “But you did know who he was when I told you about him.”

  “Yes, I did. Why didn’t I mention that to you? Because it was a hell of a shock to discover that he had used me to get to you. I was afraid that if I told you he had been here you would stop coming.”

  “So, you chose to lie to me instead. That seems to be your way of dealing with a lot of things when it comes to me. Why couldn’t you try being honest?”

  Lavinia rose on her toes and glared at him. “You think me a liar, Lord Follett? Get out.”

  Reid stood his ground, knowing that the moment he set foot outside the apartment, she would never let him back in. He was determined that this was not how things were going to end between them.

  With a loud huff, Lavinia marched over to the cupboard near the door of her bedroom, returning within seconds, brandishing a cudgel. She waved it menacingly in Reid’s face. “Get out. Reid, please go.”

  The tremble in her voice gave Reid a glimmer of hope. He took the weapon from her hands without a struggle. He let it fall to the floor before pulling Lavinia into his arms and holding her close. “Why didn’t you tell me who you were? About your past life? I’m not leaving here until you reveal everything.”

  She began to weep. Shudders wracked her body as she sobbed in his arms.

  Reid brushed a hand over her hair and whispered, “When you are ready, I am here to listen.”

  He wasn’t going anywhere.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  It took some time before Lavinia finally managed to compose herself, during which Reid simply held her in his arms. Nights of comforting Eliza after the deaths of their parents had taught him the sad wisdom of offering silent comfort. The simple act of holding someone while they tried to make sense of their world was worth more than words.

  When she finally pulled free from his embrace, she bowed her head before him. Her shoulders were slumped in defeat. Reid wanted nothing more than to reach out and hold her once more.

  “I knew how much Marco had rattled you that day, he had got deep under your skin. I didn’t want you feeling any more threatened by him. This place, here with me, should be a haven from all that. I wanted you to simply concentrate on the music and your voice. Making it any more of a battle would undermine what you and I are trying to achieve. I wanted to protect you,” she said.

  A weight lifted as he listened to her words. She hadn’t sought to betray him; she had always been on his side. The last of his anger finally petered out. He waited, knowing there was more she had to say. More that she needed him to understand.

  “As for who I was, you have obviously looked into my past life and discovered that my father is Lord Bray. Reid, it doesn’t matter who I once was; that life is gone. My father no longer recognizes me as his daughter. I am simply Lavinia Jones, singing teacher and mother.”

  He placed a hand under her chin and gently lifted her head. Sad eyes met his gaze. “You should have trusted me. Not just about Marco but also about your past.”

  He had thought they were closer, that Lavinia would have felt she could confide in him. Tonight, however, showed him that the reality between them was possibly something quite different. It left him struggling. His heart threatened to break.

  “So, where does that leave us? And before you answer, let me tell you this: I am not going anywhere, Lavinia.”

  He loved her. And if it meant standing here all night in order to make Lavinia see the truth of what she meant to him, then he would do it.

  She looked away, slowly shaking her head. “We can still work together. I will help to get you ready for the concert. I owe you that much at least.”

  “And after the concert, what then?”

  Lavinia sighed. She was tired. Today had been a long day. Yet another student had cancelled their lessons, meaning once again she would be carefully counting pennies in order to make rent. Added to that, Jonathan had returned to the apartment from Mrs. Dean’s in a sulky mood and refused to eat his supper.

  The appearance of Reid at this late hour, accusing her of having lied to him, brought her to breaking point. She had been strong for so long, but in falling in love with him, she knew she had allowed herself to become vulnerable.

  “After the concert, I expect you will go back to your world and I will be looking for a new student.” She didn’t want to think about it right at this moment. Reid, for all his demands and ongoing drama, had been a welcome change to the dull routine of her existence. He had given her a glimpse of her old life, a life where she didn’t have to wake each morning and wonder where the money for the next meal would come from.

  Most of all, she would miss his touch. She had always known that their affair likely
had a time limit attached to it but loving him now meant that when Reid did walk out her door for the last time, her world would crumble.

  “Is that what you want? You want me to disappear from your life as if nothing has ever happened between us? Because if that is what you are thinking, then I am here to tell you that you are mistaken. Lavinia, you are not getting rid of me,” he replied.

  Tears suddenly filled her eyes. She wasn’t foolish enough to try and put them down to the difficult day she had endured. “You want to continue with your lessons?”

  If that was all he wanted from her, she would take it. Anything to keep him in her life. Beggars could most certainly not be choosers, and she had long ago put aside her pride when it came to Reid.

  He placed a hand on either side of her face and leaned in. Their foreheads touched and he stilled. She closed her eyes as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

  “I want you to give me singing lessons every day for the rest of my life.” He brushed away the tears from her cheeks, then followed with a tender kiss on her lips.

  She opened her eyes, blinking the last of her tears away, and looked at him. “Every day? I can’t see you making the journey over here each morning when you are a feeble old man. Besides, your wife might not appreciate it,” she replied. His notion was beautiful and romantic, but hardly practical.

  “Considering that it will be my wife who is giving me the lessons, I see no problem,” he replied, as a soft smile came to his lips.

  She studied him for a moment, unsure if she had heard him clearly. It was a touching thought for him to want his wife to give him singing lessons, but if that was the case, that would mean . . .

  “I was going to wait until after the concert to speak with you, but now seems the right time. I love you, Lavinia. Will you marry me?” he said.

  Her gaze drifted to the cudgel. No, she had not been hit over the head. Reid really had just asked her to marry him. The evening had turned almost surreal. It was only a few minutes ago that he had accused her of conspiring with Marco against him, and she’d been trying to throw him out. Where had the marriage proposal suddenly come from?

  “I was angry when I arrived. Jealousy is not something I am accustomed to dealing with, and I overreacted. But I mean it when I tell you I love you. It may sound silly, but I think you stole a piece of my heart the very first time I met you. Having never had such a connection with a woman before, it took me a while to finally understand what you mean to me, but now I know it’s love,” he said.

  “But you didn’t know I was Lord Bray’s daughter then; you couldn’t possibly have considered the notion of marrying a widowed singing teacher.” Men like Reid married gently bred women of their own social class, not women far below them.

  His raised eyebrow had her quickly reframing her thoughts. Men like Reid did not exist in the ton. Not until now. He was part of a new breed of man who, having returned from war, had decided that they would determine how they lived

  He brushed his hand down her face, then leaned in and kissed her once more. “It didn’t matter who you were; I wanted you by my side forever. It nearly killed me when you refused to continue our lessons. But you have to know, I would have gladly sat outside your door for the rest of my life if that was what it took for you to forgive me and take me back.”

  She didn’t doubt him. Being Reid, he would have done it.

  “Take a chance on me, Lavinia. I promise I won’t fail you. Say you will marry me.”

  He was in earnest about them marrying, about wanting her. She no longer doubted it. His confession had taken her somewhat by surprise, but it now sat comfortably in her mind. Her own feelings for him had also sparked from that first meeting. Reid was a handsome devil; every woman he met no doubt fell just a little in love with him. For Lavinia, the deeper connection of true love had happened somewhere along the way; she couldn’t quite put her finger on when.

  “What about Jonathan?” she asked.

  She had more than herself to consider in this life-changing decision. Reid would need to be secure in knowing that her son would be a major part of their lives.

  “I will speak to my solicitor. Once we marry, Jonathan will legally be my ward. I can make provision for him so that he has the same rights and benefits as our other children. He cannot, of course, be my heir, but he will be my son. I would like him to be able to have a proper education,” he replied.

  Jonathan talked about Reid incessantly; cake and buns had won over a small boy’s heart.

  “And will he have cake?” she said, with a smile.

  Reid laughed. “And cake. He is a bright lad, and I am quite fond of him. So yes, Jonathan will have a fresh bun of his choosing every day.” He slipped his hand around her waist and drew her close to him. “Take a chance, Lavinia. Let me love you.”

  The warmth and strength of his embrace was more than she had ever hoped to feel again. To know that he loved her was everything. She lay a hand on Reid’s chest, feeling the steady, sure beat of his heart. It beat for her. “Every morning at nine, I want you ready for your lesson. No excuses.”

  “Say yes,” he said, his voice edged with hunger.

  Lavinia laughed. She would never tire of teasing the man she loved. She brushed a hand on the soft stubble of his chin and met his gaze. The bright, shining love that she saw in his eyes mirrored the love which lived in her heart. “I love you, Reid. Something tells me I am going to be spending the rest of my life saying yes to you.”

  “Say it, woman,” he growled.

  “Yes.”

  As soon as the word left her lips, Reid let out a huge sigh of relief. He then proceeded to blaze a trail of sensual kisses down her neck, pausing to nip at the crook, before returning to where he had begun and starting all over. If she had thought his passion in their previous encounters had been heated, Reid was clearly on a path to set her straight about how much he had been holding back.

  There was a hard tug on the top of her gown, and she heard it rip. Reid didn’t stop, didn’t falter. A second, more determined pull had the delicate lace torn completely away. He stepped back and their gazes met. His brown eyes looked almost obsidian. They were dark and glazed with passion.

  He placed one hand on either side of the buttons which ran down the middle of her gown, and with one strong, fierce wrench, he tore the gown open. Her chemise never stood a chance.

  The cool evening air kissed her naked breasts. Her nipples hardened as heat pooled in her loins. He fumbled with her gown, pushing the torn bodice over her hips and to the floor. Lavinia stepped out of it and Reid kicked it aside. She was naked to him; only her shoes and stockings remained.

  He’d followed the gown to the floor and now knelt before her. Her back pressed against the hard wall as Reid hungrily set his lips to her heated entrance. Her eyes closed and she gave in to the thrilling sensation of his mouth on her. This moment with him was everything she had craved and so much more. “Reid,” she sobbed.

  “You are so wet, so ready to be ravished,” he murmured.

  His tongue found her clitoris and her hips bucked as he nipped it with his teeth. With his hands wrapped around her thighs, he feasted. Long strokes of his tongue had her whimpering and sobbing with urgent need.

  There was no holding back. He thrust two fingers deep into her, his thumb left to circle her sensitive nub as he pushed her higher.

  Lavinia broke on a cry. “Reid!”

  He got to his feet and fumbled with the opening of his trousers. As soon as his erection was freed, he lifted her. Then, slowly, he lowered her onto his cock and pushed inside her. She wrapped her legs about his waist and lay her head back as Reid began to thrust in and out.

  “I will never stop wanting to fuck you,” he murmured.

  The rate of his strokes increased. She had never thought to be able to come a second time so quickly, but she soon felt the familiar edge of arousal stir once again. He kissed her, their tongues tangling in a slow, sensual dance. All the while, the slow grind of their
hips followed a steady beat as Reid took her against the wall.

  “I need to go deeper,” he said.

  “Bed.”

  With her legs still around him, Lavinia held on tight as Reid carried her to the bedroom. He lay her on the mattress, smiling as she mewled her disappointment when he withdrew from her body.

  “Patience, my love.” With lightning speed, he threw off his jacket, followed by his shoes and trousers.

  Lavinia climbed off the bed, slapping his hand away when he went to undo the cuffs of his shirt. Her fingers made quick work of them. “I won’t rip your shirt as you will need it in the morning, but I am sure as hell not going to let you take the last piece of your clothing off. As your fiancée, I am claiming that right.”

  He stole several kisses as she bunched his shirt in her hands and lifted it up. Bending, he allowed her to pull the shirt over his head.

  Lavinia ran her fingertips over the soft hair on his chest. She couldn’t wait to explore every inch of Reid, knowing she would never tire of his naked body. A body that would soon be hers. Her gaze caught sight of the military insignia tattooed on his shoulder. She recognized the crown and lion of the Royal Dragoons.

  He looked at the tattoo. “I have others on my back. I hope you will be comfortable with them. I know they are not something polite society approves of, but I wear them with pride.”

  She leaned in and placed a tender kiss on the tattoo on his shoulder. “You have never struck me as a man who makes his decisions based on what polite society dictates. That is one of the things I love about you,” she replied, her fingers tracing over the lines of the tattoo. The colors of the ink were as fascinating as the muscles which they covered. She chortled.

  “What?” he asked.

  She met his gaze, smiling. “I think that no matter where you or I are, I will be mentally undressing you. If you look at me when we are dancing, or even in company, and you see a soft smile on my face, know that I am thinking of you as you are right at this very moment. And wishing I could do this to you.” The fingers of her right hand traced a long trail over the muscles of his chest, down his stomach, before finally coming to a halt at his hard cock. It jutted proudly out to greet her. She took him in hand and began to stroke the length of him.