Page 27 of Read To Me, Lyon

She held out the missive. “Please, have this delivered to my uncle. Additionally, I need you and Jack to work here, late, in four days?”

Shannon frowned. “You are going to give him money.”

“Just this one time,” Kitty insisted.

“It won’t be once. I can have Jack deal with him.”

Kitty knew Shannon’s husband would assist her in any way she requested, but only one thing would end all of this. “I need to finally tell Oliver the truth, so Uncle Dominic has no more power over me and my sisters. Unfortunately, Oliver is leaving London tomorrow for the country, because his friend needs assistance.”

“You require help too, Kitty.”

She did, but was too nervous to ask Oliver for it. Uncle Dominic’s words appeared in her mind. Do you think he will accept you publishing your illegal books?

Shannon, of course, was right, but she also wanted to present the market to Oliver in the right way. She hoped he would see it in the same light as she did. Now wasn’t the appropriate moment when he was worried about his friend. Kitty couldn’t possibly tell him her scandalous information before he left. “I know, but I will only give in to my uncle’s demands one time.”

Her friend looked prepared to argue with her, but then—surprisingly—didn’t. “Jack and I will be here.”

Later that evening, Kitty lay in bed with Oliver, both naked. They’d given up on separate beds. Oliver had instructed the staff to move her things into his bedchamber this morning. She snuggled into him as he leisurely ran his fingers up and down her side.

Oliver wound her hair on top of her head and kissed the back of her neck and shoulder. Perhaps she should tell him about her uncle now. The closer they became, the more she felt the need to unburden herself of all her secrets.

“Kitty, I’m grateful you understand why I need to leave. Winthrop and Carrington are my oldest friends. We made a pact that we’d always support each other. Winthrop’s struggled since our return from the war.”

No, she would wait to reveal her truths to Oliver. She didn’t want to burden him more. Concerned for this man she was starting to care for so deeply, she asked, “Do you have similar difficulties?”

He was quiet for a moment, and Kitty rolled to her back so she could look up at him. He had a contemplative look on his face. “I have nightmares, and at times I become agitated in crowds. We all have our struggles. Unfortunately, Winthrop saw several of his fellow soldiers die before his eyes. He is considered a hero, but I suspect that title doesn’t sit with him very well.”

She reached up and stroked his face. “It saddens me that you and our fellow countrymen have endured so much. I’m here for you, Oliver. Please always know that.”

He brushed a kiss across her lips. “I love you, Kitty. I have been apprehensive to say it, but I can’t deny it any longer. You have become my world in such a short amount of time.”

She pulled him in for another kiss. “I love you too, Oliver.”

They smiled at one another, and Kitty added, “When you return, I will show you around the bookshop and the printing press factory.”

She wanted no more secrets. His eyes lit up. “I would like that. I want to know all about you, especially the family business you care about so much. Not to be in the way, but to understand you better.”

She did truly love this man. They’d started their union for practical reasons, but his every action showed how much he cared about her. Kitty’s eyes flitted down to his hard shaft. He wanted her. And she needed him. “Make love to me.”

Oliver rolled her to her side and slid in behind her, palming her breast. Kitty pushed her bottom against his lower body. This position might have been one of her favorites, and she suspected it was one of Oliver’s, too. He grasped her hip with one of his hands and thrust deep into her quim. A moan escaped her. She didn’t worry about the future or what he would think when her secrets were revealed. No, Kitty allowed herself to become lost in their tempo, believing everything would be all right because they loved each other.

She moaned in delight as his hand slid between her thighs. All thoughts but her want for this man left her.

Two days later, Oliver sat in the drawing room of his friend’s country estate. It had taken everything in him to leave Kitty, but he was glad he had come. Winthrop was a disheveled mess. Yesterday, he’d tried to make the butler send them back to London, but finally emerged from his room when they refused to depart.

Now Winthrop took a sip of brandy—his third of the day. It wasn’t even late afternoon yet. “I don’t know why my staff wrote, concerned. I’m fine.”

“When was the last time you left this house?” Carrington asked.

“Or your bedchamber?” Oliver added.

Winthrop, sulking that they dared to be worried about him, folded his arms across his chest. “I haven’t been sleeping well.”

Oliver studied his friend. His clothes were a rumpled mess, his hair way too long, and his coloring paler than usual. His friend was often tanned by the sun, but right now his skin was pale and sallow.

“You can talk to us. You seemed fine at my wedding. What happened to cause you to lock yourself away?” Oliver asked.

“You can share anything with us,” Carrington stated.