Ecstasy (Notorious 4)

Even when she sought refuge in her fantasies, he foiled her. It had been so long since she had indulged in daydreams of her pirate lover that when she tried to conjure up his image, all she could visualize was Kell.

Her fantasy lover had become Kell in the flesh.

The realization that she was so vulnerable to him frightened her. But she had never before been subjected to a Kell bent on seduction, and she could summon little resistance to his determined charm. He seemed to be laying siege to her heart, tearing away the walls of her defenses, stone by stone.

Her defenses crumbled even more one day toward the end of February. They had just finished breakfasting when Kell asked her to join him in his study.

Upon inspecting the first document he handed her, Raven realized it was the deed to an estate. The second document was a copy of letters patent for a barony.

“My lady Frayne,” Kell murmured, giving her a graceful bow.

She gazed at him in bewilderment. “I don’t understand.”

“We are now Baron and Baroness Frayne. You wanted to be wed to a gentleman of rank, and I managed to accommodate your wish.”

“But…how?”

“It took less effort than I expected,” Kell explained, his mouth curling cynically. “Dare was right. The Regent’s coffers are so straitened that he leapt at my offer of financial aid. Subsequently I purchased an estate in the wilds of Northumberland, and now I have the title of baron to go with it.”

Raven shook her head in amazement, still not quite believing. Kell was now Lord Frayne and she was his lady? His generous gesture must have cost him a fortune-and he had made the effort for her sake, even though he despised such things as rank and class distinctions and aristocratic privilege.

“The ton will undoubtedly fawn over us now,” she said slowly, “but I know how much you dislike the trappings of society. You shouldn’t be required to assume a title if you don’t care to.”

He shrugged. “It is only a term of address, as far as I’m concerned. It doesn’t change who I am.”

“I suppose it does not change who I am, either,” Raven added, her tone thoughtful. “This does not make me a genuine lady. I will always be a bastard.”

Raising an eyebrow, Kell surveyed her levelly. “Does it really matter a damn who your father was or wasn’t?” When she didn’t reply, he went on. “I regret that baroness is not as illustrious a title as duchess, but I hoped it might serve to satisfy your vow to your mother.”

Raven flashed a tremulous smile. He was right, of course. The title itself wasn’t as important as what it represented; she could indeed keep the promise she had made to her mother.

She felt her eyes burn with tears. “Kell…I don’t know how to thank you. My mother would have cherished this.”

His own smile was wry. “My mother would have been pleased as well. She was never one for retribution, but she would have enjoyed watching her son become a lord after all the slights she endured because of her modest origins. I wish she were alive to see it.”

Raven heard the sorrow in his voice and realized it was a measure of how far they had come that Kell let her see his pain rather than try to conceal it from her.

Raven turned away to hide her dismay at another realization. She knew with frightening clarity that if she let herself, she could love Kell.

I can’t fall in love with him, she murmured fiercely to herself. Loving Kell would be reckless, foolish, mad. He had made it abundantly clear he wanted nothing but her body. He wasn’t the kind of man to surrender his heart in undying passion, especially to the woman he’d been compelled to offer his name in marriage.

Losing control of her own heart could be utterly disastrous. She could spend the rest of her life yearning for what she could never have.

And yet she very much feared he would leave her no choice.

Just then she felt his presence behind her. When Kell slid his arms around her and bent to nuzzle her nape, Raven tensed, calling on every ounce of willpower she possessed not to respond.

Fortunately she wasn’t required to, for she heard a throat being cleared from the doorway. Feeling a surge of relief at the interruption, Raven turned to find the butler awaiting them, his gaze politely averted.

“Yes, Knowles?” Kell demanded without much patience.

Assuming an apologetic look, the servant handed him a folded slip of paper. “A message from Miss Walsh, sir.”

Raven watched as Kell scanned the contents and saw his face cloud over with that same enigmatic mask he’d once worn.

“What is it?” she asked, not knowing whether to be alarmed.

“It seems my brother has returned to London,” Kell said gravely, his dark eyes hooded as they met hers.