Loving Lord Ash Read Online Free PDF

divorce her. She was going to lose him forever. Oh, God. Pain lanced through her, so intense she could barely breathe.
    “Of course I heard him,” Roger said. “Surely you weren’t surprised? Zeus, Jess, I was stark naked, and you had your arms around me. Of course he said he’s washed his hands of you.”
    “But it meant nothing.” She dragged her hair out of her face again and tried to breathe. “It was completely innocent.”
    Why the hell had Kit arrived at that precise moment? Damnation, she really did have the world’s worst luck. The time with Percy, that, she’d admit, hadn’t been innocent. Stupid, desperate, but not innocent. But this time—
    Oh, what did it matter? Kit would never believe her. He would divorce her, and Roger . . .
    “You should not lose your position over it, Roger. You were only trying to help, and now Lord Ashton is throwing you out of the house.”
    “But not until tomorrow,” Dennis said.
    “And Roger should be happy for that?”
    “Jess,” Roger said, “I am happy. I’m damned relieved. For a moment there, I was certain your husband was going to tear my head—and other precious parts—from my body.”
    “Yes.” Dennis gripped the doorjamb. “I was terrified Lord Ashton would do Roger an injury.”
    Of course Dennis would worry about Roger. They were like an old married couple.
    “Oh, you needn’t have been concerned. Lord Ashton doesn’t fight.” She’d flown to Kit’s defense on more than one occasion when they were children and Percy had been teasing Kit, not that he’d ever thanked her for her efforts. And the time she’d seen Percy and Kit actually come to blows, Percy had bloodied Kit’s nose.
    If she were being truthful, she’d admit she’d always admired how calm, rational, and controlled Kit was, but his lack of reaction was also infuriating. If he’d railed at her when he’d found her with Percy, she would have yelled back, and perhaps they would have settled what was between them.
    Who the hell was she trying to fool? There was nothing between them—the feelings were all on her side. A marquis couldn’t love a groom’s daughter.
    But they had been friends once.
    “I’m sure with enough provocation Lord Ashton would fight—and he was extremely provoked today.” Roger grinned. “I’d wager my next quarter’s wages—if I were going to get any wages next quarter—that he’d strip to advantage.”
    “Oh, yes.” Dennis sounded far too enthusiastic. “He’s one of those tall, wiry men who are often surprisingly strong. And well muscled.”
    “Mmm.” Roger nodded. “Lean and long. And controlled— don’t forget how angry he was. I wouldn’t mind watching him go a few rounds.”
    Were these two lusting after her husband? “Well, you’re both wrong. I told you the marquis doesn’t fight. I doubt he knows how to.”
    Roger raised a brow. “When have you seen Lord Ashton fight?”
    “A few years ago.” Why were they looking at her that way? “When we were children.”
    Roger snorted. “Children? Come, Jess. Your husband is not a child any longer.” He grinned lasciviously. “I suspect you’d find him most, ah, inspiring if you were to paint him without his shirt and pantaloons.”
    An odd, embarrassing heat bloomed in her gut. Her skin—her breasts—suddenly felt overly sensitive.
    And then a thin finger of panic curled around her heart. She could not let herself think of Kit that way. If she did, the emptiness in her life would swallow her.
    “He was only angry because he thought you’d cuckolded him, Roger. You hurt his pride. Hopefully he’ll reconsider by tomorrow and let you stay on.”
    Roger gave her a long look. “You don’t believe that, do you?”
    “What do you mean? Of course I believe it. It’s the truth.”
    “No, it’s not. I wouldn’t have thought it, since he’s stayed away so long, but your husband loves you, Jess.”
    Hope fluttered momentarily in her breast.
    She squashed it. Roger couldn’t