A Lady unlike any other (four hoydens #1)

Chapter 5

Theo dreamt about her that night.

He woke up with a start, his naked torso covered in sweat and his sheets in a tangle around him.

What was wrong with him?

He knew nothing about the daft woman. Hell he wasn't even sure if he liked her.

Oh he desired her. But that was something he was familiar with, it was something he could deal with.

Or not, his member signalled rather urgently.

Theo sighed.

Yes, he was a rake and a libertine. Even so, he was not so shallow as to start wanting a woman without knowing squat about her.

Who knew, she was probably married.

No.

Which husband would allow his wife to traipse around like that? He certainly wouldn't, had she been his wife.

Which she wasn't, he reminded himself sternly.

Besides, he was experienced enough to detect maidenly shock in her the moment he'd kissed her.

Oh Lord, he didn't want to relive their kiss. It had been pure torture to touch his lips to her and yet not be able to know her taste, her essence. Her fragrance had enveloped him, the smell of soap and her.

He couldn't forget the way her soft skin had felt in his rough hands.

She had the most beautiful feet, the delicate turn of her ankles called to him. And yet, she was no delicate daisy. She was strong. He liked that, he realised.

He got up and donned his shirt. He needed to go for a ride.

To clear his mind if not to release the urgent desire that raced in him.

A few days later.

Rosalyn, Sarah, Alice and Vanessa were shopping. They were currently at Madame Navarre's boutique. The French woman was known and celebrated for her risqué tastes. She was a young woman with a backbone made of steel, not at all cowed by lofty titles. She was a little harsh and headstrong, but she liked these girls and treated them almost as her friends.

Rosalyn had needed this shopping excursion. She needed to forget about a certain scoundrel that occupied her thoughts all the time. And what better way to forget ones woes than shopping?

"I think this colour looks well on me," Alice said, twirling this way and that in front a full length mirror.

"You bosom is practically falling out," Sarah pointed out rather unnecessarily, in Rosalyn's opinion.

"Stop being such a prude, Sarah," Alice grumbled taking off the dress.

"And that gown is plain, Alice. There's not a piece of bead or embroidery on it," Vanessa said, picking out a fabric for herself.

"Vanessa dear, haven't you heard? Less is more," Madame Navarre said, walking into the private parlour.

"Exactly my point! Whatever that means," Alice said with a wave of her hand.

Rosalyn was watching all this with amusement. Her thoughts straying to Alice. She was damned funny and a force to be reckoned with. Rosalyn had never come across a woman like her. She was lovely, charming and kind-hearted. What she loved most about Alice was that she wasn't afraid to laugh at herself. And she laughed quite a lot. But Rosalyn knew a thing or two about people who laughed all the time.

Thanks to her coppery hair, startling green eyes, rare features and boisterous personality, she had been a great success during her first season. But something in her had changed after her that. She was friendly enough with the men, but never let them become close to her.