Page 32 of Love with a Notorious Rake

“Good man. Keep things running smoothly, and we will get along fine. The workers might try to convince you they’re entitled to longer breaks according to law, but I set the hours here. I am the final word. Nothing or no one matters here at the mill but me and my profits. See that that continues to be the case, and I will see you well rewarded.”

“Yes, Mr. McRae.” Aidan’s insides twisted with disgust. He’d been offered a bribe to go along with the status quo, but all it had managed to do was make him more determined to bring this autocrat down.

* * * *

Aidan paced in the rear yard of the Dog and Gun Inn, waiting for Cristyn to appear. He had checked his watch, and already it was past seven. Would she show up? His angel would not forego the chance to tell him exactly what she thought. How in hell had they wound up in the same small village? What had Riordan said about fate? That it often takes a hand, whether we want it to or not. How true.

All at once, he came alert. Cristyn. She scurried into the yard, wearing her shawl over her head.

Meeting her halfway, he took her arm and pulled her toward the gardening shed.

“What are you doing?” she sputtered.

“Finding a private place for us to talk,” he murmured. Opening the door, he assisted her across the threshold, then closed the door. There wasn’t much room among the many gardening implements.

“How dare you manhandle me in such a—”

Aidan pulled her close, and already his treacherous body responded. “Who. Is. Paris.”

“Why do you care?” Cristyn grumbled.

“Because I do, more than I should.”

“Blast you for saying that,” she whispered. “You left, without an explanation. You pushed me away. Instead of owning your feelings, you denied them. Why?”

Damn it, he was hard. Aroused. Aidan’s heart banged out a fierce, unrelenting beat, as if it would burst from his chest. “Tell me who this Paris is to you, and I will answer your question.”

Cristyn huffed out an exasperated breath and took a step backward. “He is old enough to be my father. In fact, he’s a friend of my father’s, and has become a friend to me as well. His name is Dr. Paris Middlemiss. I’m here to assist him in his charity medical work until the middle of September.”

“There is nothing romantic between you?”

“I’m not answering such an absurd question.” Her eyes glistened with an obvious sadness that arrowed straight to his black soul. “Why did you ride away? Never had I felt so rejected, as if I wasn’t worth anything at all—”

Aidan kissed her, something he had been aching to do for months. It was forceful, but when she tentatively returned the kiss, he gentled it, luxuriating in her taste. He was completely devastated by the potency of it. A soft moan escaped her luscious lips, giving him an opportunity to slip his tongue into her sweet mouth, which in turn ignited his insides. He wanted to devour her. Inhale her essence. Possess her totally and make her his.

The kiss grew fierce again. As he cupped her cheek and caressed it, taking the sizzling kiss deeper, his free hand trailed upward to grasp her breast. His fingers brushed across her nipple, which hardened under his touch. Aidan hungered for her. Ached. He backed her up against the wall and their bodies came together, his hard cock rubbing against her thigh. God, he was ready to explode. It was as if they weren’t wearing layers of clothes, because searing heat flared high and hot everywhere their bodies touched. His hands trailed down her arms, then he cupped her arse, bringing her in tighter. A desperate moan of yearning left his throat.

Cristyn abruptly pulled her lips from his. “Stop. Don’t.”

It was as if she had poured cold water over his head. Aidan moved three steps in reverse, his entire body quaking with need. Losing control with a woman was not in his nature. But then, since his downfall, he wasn’t the same man. “I apologize. Try to understand that I was doing the noble thing in riding away; I was sparing you from the chaos I had made of my life.”

Her breathing was still ragged, as was his. The burst of desire still sparked between them. “Isn’t that for me to decide? I’m weary of men making decisions for me. My father told me you admitted to being attracted to me, but the both of you decided that it was for the best if you departed.” She stood up straight and exhaled. “And noble? You work for that awful man; have you not seen the state of the children?”

How in hell had they gone from emotions and desire to the cotton mill? The children again. Aidan mustered a look of indifference; he would have to act as if he didn’t care at all. “What are they to me? I’ve hardly taken notice of them. Besides, today was my first day on the mill floor. I don’t know what you’re on about.”

“Then perhaps you should investigate. I saw the children scrambling under the machines—isn’t that dangerous? They’re malnourished and dirty. Speak to the older boy with brown hair and eyes; he looks over them. His name is Carter Rokesmith. He will tell you what you need to know.”

“The position I have is temporary, and Mr. McRae made it patently clear I was not to interfere with the running of the mill or disrupt it in any way. I will heed his warning.” Aidan took a step closer. He had to breathe her evocative violet scent, taste her skin, and hold her close. Yes, he had lost his mind—and he might have lost his heart in the process. “Enough about the mill. What are we going to do about us?”

One of her perfectly shaped eyebrows arched in question. “Us? There is no ‘us.’ You said as much by riding away.”

Would she ever stop rambling on about him leaving? For it had been one of the hardest things he’d ever done. “You would have us live and work in this tiny village for the next two months and pretend we do not know each other?”

Cristyn jutted out her chin. “Yes, exactly that.”

He scoffed. “You’re punishing me for hurting you, and I deserve it. To be completely honest, I don’t know what my feelings are, beyond lust, because lust is the only emotion that is familiar to me. The rest?” He frowned. “You, more than anyone, know the condition I was in. What I went through. I did not exaggerate when I told you I am not a good man. There are things you don’t know….”

Cristyn stepped before him, giving him a pleading look. “Then tell me. Be completely honest.”