The Earl of Her Dreams Read Online Free PDF Page B

ready to be tossed for a few coins, or even for just the pleasure,yet his mind was on a fey child-woman pretending to be a man.
    He had never been able to resist a challenge.
    His time was too short, though. Better to take pleasure with the lass already primed for action. He tried to picture Daisy, breasts and blond locks bouncing while she vigorously rode him, but the image faded and was replaced with Kate’s lithe body, fiery blue eyes, and disapproving glare. The urge to bury his face between Daisy’s ample assets was replaced with the urge to run his fingers through Kate’s short, silky curls. In fact, he’d be more than willing to look for short curls in other places on her body as well. Maybe not as silky, but no less interesting, to be sure.
    His body began to respond.
    Damn. His presence at the inn was a challenge itself, he didn’t need another. But the image of Kate slithered through his mind, taunting him. He rarely backed down from a task, and had a well-earned reputation for tenacity. Other than accepting challenges, only solving puzzles interested him more. Kate was a very nice-looking combination of the two.
    As he shifted uncomfortably in his chair, he guessed he really did need that country respite Anthony had been advocating. It was easy enoughfor Anthony to suggest, since his friend was chasing a skirt while leaving Christian to clean up his mess.
    “I just need you to pick up the journal, Christian. Won’t take but ten minutes,” Christian mimicked.
    Daisy reappeared with his ale and a suggestive wink, then headed to a booth across the room to serve another patron.
    He took a swig and let the tankard drop to the table with a thud, women forgotten for the moment. Ten minutes had turned into ten days of trailing Frederick Freewater around the Midlands.
    Anthony, in all his carelessness, had left his journal and travel cases at his aunt’s home when he had run off to chase his ladylove in the middle of the night after a lovers’ spat. Even after ascending to his title, Anthony still did a lot of stupid things. Then again, like two peas in a pod, Christian and he were such good friends for a reason.
    Freewater had been working with Anthony’s dotty aunt to publish her husband’s memoirs. Apparently she had given Freewater carte blanche to search the entire house and take anything that would help. Freewater had done just that. He hadn’t even waited to finish the old man’smemoirs before offering Anthony’s aunt a feeble excuse to leave and hightailing it off the property.
    To a publisher like Freewater, Anthony’s journal must have been a godsend. The damn man had probably heard the blasted angels playing as he opened the first page.
    After Christian had spoken with the dotty lady and discovered the journal missing, it hadn’t been hard to connect the dots. The only saving grace was that Freewater seemed to be making his way to London slowly and haphazardly. He was probably trying to avoid Anthony while he made notes and composed a forward to Anthony’s unauthorized “memoirs.” More like Anthony’s sinful confessions of every married woman, widow, and harlot he had ever tossed. Detailed ones, if what Anthony hinted was true.
    Tracking Freewater’s disjointed path had been more than painful. Christian had been in a state of gritted teeth and painful smiles ever since leaving Anthony’s aunt. He wasn’t sure if he shouldn’t just kill Anthony before his friend had the chance to kill him for losing the journal.
    Hell, it wasn’t Christian’s fault that Anthony’s aunt had involuntarily given it away. So, yes, he had arrived at her house a day late due to a hangoverand extenuating circumstances involving long, shapely legs wrapped around his, but he hadn’t been that late. Not late enough to anticipate that someone would steal the damn thing before he got there. What had Anthony been thinking to leave the journal with his crazy aunt? A voice in his head that sounded remarkably like his