Reid Read online

  She bit down on her lip. No matter how hard she tried to force the feeling away, her body continued its awakening in the presence of a male who was so openly sensual in nature. A man such as Reid was the cure for every second of those long nights she spent alone in her bed. He was six foot two of pure temptation.

  Temptation she dared not allow herself to succumb to, especially not with someone like him. Reid held all the promise of desire, but with that also came the threat of destruction.

  “Yes, I did find that rod and I promise that I shall leave it at home every time I come to visit you,” he replied.

  She heard him speak somewhere on another plane of consciousness. But Lavinia was still too lost in her silent, study of Reid to take in his words. She yearned for companionship. To have a man’s laughter warm her cold, empty heart.

  She stood on the edge of a sheer precipice, one step away from toppling over the side and falling. But how sweet that fall would be. . .

  Lavinia tore her gaze away from Reid, her breath ragged with emotion. A life lived on the edge of financial disaster, with a small child and an empty place beside her at night had not dampened her aching need. She had never lusted after one of her students before. This was dangerous.

  “Are you ready to hear me sing again?”

  Lavinia blinked back to the now. Lifting her head, she looked at him, only to find herself staring into a pair of warm brown eyes.

  She took one step closer to the edge of the cliff.

  “Of course,” she heard herself reply.

  The words had barely left her lips before a small voice inside her head whispered another warning. Don’t be a fool. This can only end in heartache. You will shed many tears over this man.

  Reid removed his coat and hat and hung them on the hook near the door. He was already making himself comfortable in the apartment. Until this moment, she had thought her home quite roomy. However, Reid took up more of the space than his mere physical presence did.

  “And your jacket please,” she said.

  As Reid removed his jacket, Lavinia found herself licking her lips. She needed him to strip down to his shirt in order to watch his diaphragm as he sang. A singer had to be in control of their breathing, otherwise they could not hold a note well.

  It was her own self-control which now gave her pause for concern. She would have to remain both professional and emotionally detached from him, while at the same time placing her hands on his all-too-enticing body in order to teach him how to breathe.

  “Where would you like me?” he asked.

  She pointed to the space where the music stand stood and followed him over. With his jacket gone, Lavinia was now afforded an uninterrupted view of Reid’s well-formed and muscular backside.

  Where would she like him?

  Naked and lying post-coital beside her in bed would have been her first choice. She squeezed her fingers tight, and then released them as awareness of the gravity of what she might be about to do settled coldly in her mind.

  For god’s sake, focus. The man is going to sing, not seduce you.

  “Same song as yesterday please, Lord Follett,” she said.

  As Reid opened his mouth and began to sing, Lavinia gathered her wits and forced herself to pay attention.

  She was pleased to hear that his voice was clearer than it had been the previous day; it wasn’t bad. Reid had some breathing issues which needed to be addressed, but he had enough of the basics for them to work with in order to turn him into somewhat of a respectable singer.

  He just wasn’t a baritone.

  When the song finally ended, he turned and gave her a hopeful grin. “Well?”

  All the expectation that was wrapped up in that one word went straight to her heart. She had not the strength to refuse him, even if she wanted to. Reid Follett called to her on a level that was outside the boundaries of sense and good reason. His smile quietened the small voice of sanity that begged her to say no.

  Lavinia nodded. “Yes. I will teach you.”

  Reid clasped his hands together. “Excellent. Could we have my first lesson now? I am most keen to begin.”

  She reached over and turned the page of the song book before pointing to where she wanted him to start. Reid took a deep breath and launched into the tune with gusto. Lavinia stood back, telling herself that it was to give him some room, but she knew better.

  What have I done?

  All that remained now were the hours of deep regret she knew were sure to follow. The ground beneath Lavinia crumbled and fell away.

  She had just stepped over the edge.

  Chapter Ten

  “Now slowly let the air out. Very good.”

  Reid smiled at Lavinia. It was the following morning and his second lesson was coming along nicely. He was doing everything he could to relax and work on his voice. Only a minute or two earlier, he was sure he had caught the hint of a smile of approval on Lavinia’s lips.

  “Have you had any further thought about what I said of you becoming a tenor rather than a baritone?” she asked.

  He had thought of little else over the past couple of days. Changing his singing was not going to be an easy task. For a start, there would be the obvious questions from his friends as to where the idea had come from. They were still in the dark about his taking lessons, and he intended to keep it that way for as long as possible.

  Then there was the issue of Lavinia. She was still under the impression that Reid was simply undertaking lessons to improve his singing for friends and family. Changing from a baritone to a tenor was not without its risks. An adequate tenor was no better than a passable baritone and would bring with it a multitude of questions.

  There had to be a way to get her to help him make the transition without revealing the truth of the Noble Lords.

  “I would like to try and become a tenor,” he replied.

  “Good. Let us continue to work on your breathing over the next few lessons and getting the basics in order. Once you have those, then we can discuss how you could make the transition,” she said.

  Lavinia placed her hand in the small of his back once more and Reid straightened his spine. There was something about her touching him that made his mind go blank at times. When she drew close enough for him to smell the scent of the lavender oil she wore on her skin, he swallowed deep.

  She held a power over him that ran to another level beyond simple sexual attraction. He understood desire, having indulged in it at every given opportunity. Lavinia, however, was a beauty like no other he had ever encountered. When she looked at him with those emerald-hued eyes of hers, he sensed she could see into his soul.

  His initial efforts at charming her appeared to have failed. So far, she had managed to keep their relationship purely professional. But the little telltale signs that he was getting under her skin were there. A man just had to know where to look. And Reid knew exactly where to look.

  A little sigh here. A sly glance there. He was certain he had caught her licking her lips only a few minutes ago. She could tell herself all the lies she wished; they both knew she was not immune to him.

  She was a widow, an experienced woman. No doubt in possession of desires that a man such as he could slake. He would be doing her a favor by offering to let her hands roam over more of his body than merely his back.

  And those hips of hers . . . his fingers itched to touch them, to run his hands down the side of her waist and then over those delightful curves. They were magnificent enough to admire while she was fully dressed—he could only imagine how they would look if she was naked.

  “Lord Follett?”

  “Sorry?”

  A huff of frustration came from behind him. He turned to see Lavinia with her hands held firmly on those hips. The look of displeasure on her face was not so encouraging.

  “Did you hear anything I just said?” she demanded.

  Shamefaced, he shook his head. “My sincere apologies. My mind was elsewhere. What did you say?”

  “I
said that you need to pay attention,” she growled.

  He had been too caught up in imagining what touching Lavinia would feel like, that he had completely forgotten that she was standing mere inches away from him.

  Reid, of course, did the only thing that any man caught in the same situation would do.

  He lied.

  “Sorry, I am tired. I was up late last night with a sick friend. I couldn’t leave him,” he said.

  “That is not good news. And what is wrong with your friend?” she replied.

  Idiot. “He, ah, has a cold.”

  Really? A cold. Is that the best you could come up with?

  She met his gaze and held it. “That must be a very bad cold if you had to stay up late with him. Did you send for a physician?”

  He blinked. Lavinia still held his gaze. She was not going to give him an inch of wriggle room. He blinked again.

  “I shall send for the doctor later this morning,” he replied.

  Please let it go. I promise to behave.

  She gave him one last long and uncomfortable look before turning away. Reid was partway through letting out a sigh of relief when she quickly turned back and caught him. A wry grin appeared on her lips.

  “Lord Follett, you obviously don’t have children. Because if there is one thing you do learn from having them it is to know when they are trying to tell you a lie. Since you are such a terrible liar, perhaps I should get my son, Jonathan, to give you some pointers,” she said.

  Reid died just a little inside. “I’m sorry. I really am. I did stay up late last night, but no, I don’t have any friends in need of a doctor,” he replied.

  “Fine. But since you tried to lie to me like a little boy, I am now going to simply call you Reid for the rest of the lesson. If you cannot behave like a grown up, then you don’t deserve to be addressed by your title. How is that for a suitable punishment?”

  If she only knew. He had been hoping to find a way to ask her to call him by his Christian name. He normally only reserved it for the closest of his friends; Reid loved the sense of connection that came with the use of his name. He had known Lavinia a mere forty-eight hours, yet he already found himself inexplicably wishing that they would eventually become friends. His mistake had turned into a blessing.

  “That seems fair, and once again, I am sorry,” he replied.

  Relief at her response now mixed with the anger he felt toward himself. He had been too busy being a lecherous cad when he should have been concentrating on the job at hand. Lavinia might be in need of his money, but the arrangement was far more weighted on the side of him being in desperate need of her help.

  “Now, Reid, I want you to work your way through the exercises while I stand near the piano and listen,” she said.

  He nodded, silently enjoying hearing Lavinia address him in such a familiar way. He especially liked the way she extended the middle of his name in almost a hush. A man could get used to hearing a woman say his name in such an enticing manner.

  Lavinia listened as Reid worked his way through the vocal exercises. The color of his cheeks slowly changed from the burning red of embarrassment back to a normal shade. She had caught him in a lie about his woolgathering, and knew she should be furious, but he had a particular charm about him that left her unable to muster that emotion.

  Reid.

  It had taken all her self-control to say the word. A burst of hot lust had hit her the second she spoke his name, leaving her grateful that he was too busy staring at the floor in shame to see what she knew must have been written all over her face.

  She would love to have known what he was thinking just before she called him out from his daydream. Would it have been wicked thoughts of him and her naked, writhing in bed? Two heated bodies wrapped in the long dance of lovemaking.

  No. She stopped herself. More than likely, he had been thinking of some business transaction or estate matter. She didn’t want to consider any other possible notion, especially if it involved him and another woman.

  You are as bad as he is when it comes to not paying attention. Lavinia Jones, you must stop thinking of him in such a lustful way.

  “Reid, perhaps we should finish up the lesson for today. Both of us seem distracted,” she said.

  “I can go on,” he offered.

  “Go home, and then let us meet tomorrow morning at half past eight. We can make it a longer lesson. I have a new student starting at ten o’clock, so unfortunately, I cannot extend it past our usual time. Would that suit?”

  He nodded. “Lavinia?”

  “Yes, Reid?”

  “I want to thank you for taking me on as a student. My elevated status usually makes things in my life easier than they would be for a common man, but sometimes it stops people from telling me things that I need to hear. You, however, are different, you seem to be able to see past my title.”

  Lavinia flinched. In a subtle way, Reid had told her she was bold and forthright with her opinions. Not the way a woman of her station should speak to a man such as Viscount Follett.

  “I am simply trying to break down the barriers and give you my honest view of your abilities. I want to help you become a better singer,” she replied.

  He held out his hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, she took it. His grip was surprisingly gentle.

  “And for that I am grateful. I value your honesty, Lavinia; I truly do. Something tells me that it will be the key to my success.” Reid lifted her hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss on her fingers. She shuddered as his hot breath heated her skin.

  “Since we are being honest with one another, I have to tell you that I see something special in you, Reid. But I think you are yet to see it for yourself. There is more to music than simply being able to hold a note or learning a song. And in time, I hope that you do come to understand yourself better, because once you do, then there is every chance that you will truly shine as a singer.”

  While Reid may not yet understand the heart of the music, there was no doubt in her mind that as he looked at her trembling hand, Reid knew exactly what his touch was doing to her. Lavinia was relieved when he released his grip but said nothing, only giving her a polite nod before heading toward the door and collecting his things.

  As soon as Reid was gone, Lavinia went into the kitchen and splashed cold water on her face. She held her still trembling hand over her heart; it was beating at a furious pace. The merest touch of him had stripped away her self-control. She could deny it all she wished, but she knew that her want for Reid was fast becoming a burning desire.

  What am I going to do?

  Chapter Eleven

  The eve of battle had always been the worst time for Reid and his nerves. Time hung heavy and slow at that point. The fight was too far away to take up his sword, but it was also too close for him to find the comfort of sleep.

  He had never imagined that the night before his first public performance as a professional singer would be the same. Yet here he was, awake, staring at the ceiling.

  His hand was settled on his stomach, his mind focused on his breathing. During their extended third lesson, Lavinia had given him a new series of exercises, and he had spent the better part of each day since then practicing them.

  With more lessons now under his belt, he had also begun to make progress with his voice. Each time, she had given him words of encouragement, but it was what she had not said which concentrated his mind. He had a long way to go before his singing would make any dramatic improvement.

  Still, the look on Kendal’s face when Reid had been able to hold a note several seconds longer than usual had been worth every shilling, he had paid the comely widow so far. All progress, however small, was still progress. He was going to hold tightly onto that mantra and improve himself.

  Tomorrow would be the first real test of his efforts. A performance at a private home in front of a gathering of fifty guests. A paid appearance. His mouth ran dry just thinking about it.

  “You need to calm the fuck
down. You can do this,” he muttered to the plasterwork.

  They had selected three popular pieces of music plus one aria for their debut. Kendal had protested long and loudly over the inclusion of a short work by Mozart, but the others had voted him down. Everyone loved Mozart, including their patroness, who had taken the chance and booked them without an audition. Since no one outside of Follett House had actually heard them play as a group, Reid had done his best not to dwell on the fact that the selection of him and his friends was more than likely on the grounds of them simply being a novelty.

  He would do his part and make the evening a success. From there they would build. With more patrons and performances, his chances of getting back into the beds of the naughty matrons of the ton would soar.

  He wanted to sing, but most of all, he wanted to get laid. If he could just scratch that itch, which had seen him taking himself in hand these past few weeks, his life would be good. Desperate times, of course, called for desperate measures. But no nobleman worth his ancestry woke every day and had to personally deal with handling his morning wood. That was why a man took on a lover.

  Or a wife.

  He shuddered at the thought. Owen and Kendal might be facing the long dark teatime of impending marriage, but he, for one, was going to hold out until the bitter end. Or at least until he had managed to get Eliza settled with a husband.

  His sister was making little to no effort to secure a partner, which worried him more than he knew it should. Why couldn’t bloody Callum’s sire pressure him into taking on a wife? If he was off the market, Eliza might reconsider her opinions of other, suitable gentleman. Only then would he stand a chance of seeing her happily married off.

  He threw an arm over his eyes and wished for sleep. If he could just shut his brain off. It was like watching a mad Italian opera, with an ever-growing cast of people and problems dashing across the stage.

  “Focus. You need to focus.”

  He set his hands on his stomach and closed his eyes. Then, remembering the exercise which Lavinia had taught him, he dug his fingers in under his ribs. Being nervous made his breathing shallow. Lavinia had continually reminded him during their lessons that shallow chest-breathing was the Achilles’ heel of all singers.