But he never bargained for the hellion in breeches who amazes him with her sharp wit, sharper tongue, and undeniable beauty. Gen wants nothing to do with a handsome scoundrel like Max, no matter how sinful his kisses or tempting his embrace. An independent lady gaming hell owner and a penniless lord who can’t stay away from the hazard table could not be more wrong for each other.
Or mayhap, just mayhap, they could not be more right.
Chapter One
East London, 1815
The Marquess of Sundenbury was not going to last more than ten minutes in the East End. Genevieve Winter was never more certain of it than when she found him seated in her chair at her desk, his polished boots propped upon her ledgers, grinning like the stupid, handsome fiend he was.
He was not going to last because she was going to murder him.
Poison, she decided. He was too pretty to suffer the agony of gunshot or the blade. Mayhap she could slip hemlock into his tea.
“Miss Winter,” he said, not bothering to rise.
The omission suited her perfectly fine, she told herself. Gen did not prefer to be treated as a lady. She wore breeches, shirt, cravat, and boots this morning. It was ever so much more comfortable than stays and gowns. Why did chaps get to claim the best garments for themselves?
“What the hell are you doing in my office, you spoony twat?” she demanded.
He winced, as if her vulgar words caused him physical pain. Gen hoped they did.
“Is that any way to greet the man who will be your companion—indeed, your saving grace—for the next month?”
“Saving grace?” She snorted, crossing her arms over her chest and pinning him with a glare. “Pain in my arse, more like.”
What the devil had she been thinking when she had agreed to this bloody addlepated idea of her half brothers’ wives? Lady Addy and Lady Evie, twins who were married to her half brothers Dom and Devil, had suggested the plan to her after their brother’s last embarrassment.
Having been banished from The Devil’s Spawn thanks to his inability to control his gambling, he had wormed his way into the rival gaming hell owned by the Suttons. And he had promptly gotten tap-hackled and lost ten thousand pounds.
He had also had his purse strings cut by his father the duke.
Fitting, in her opinion. The old duke ought to have boxed his ears and sent him to Elba with Boney while he was at it.
Sundenbury quirked a brow at her, and then the blighter lifted a cigar to his lips, giving it a puff and sending a cloud of smoke in her direction. “You have a fine arse, Miss Winter. I would hate to cause it any pain.”
He sounded so polite, with those crisp, aristocratic accents of his. And yet he looked thoroughly dissolute. His cravat was undone, and he was down to his shirtsleeves. His wavy, dark hair was ruffled, as if some obliging wench had recently run her fingers through it.
She probably had. Gen would make her next order of business a trip to the ladies employed by The Devil’s Spawn. Her unwanted charge was not to be cozying up with ladybirds. He was supposed to be staying out of trouble. No gambling. No whoring. No drinking.
No to any of the things an empty-headed, gorgeous-faced lord like Sundenbury ordinarily did. And why did he have to be so handsome, anyway, curse him? Gen governed herself with stern rules. When she had been younger and stupider, she had found herself at the mercy of a handsome scoundrel. Never again.
Good thing men like the marquess had no effect upon her.
She stalked forward and plucked the cigar from Sundenbury’s long, elegant fingers. “No smoking in my office. It bloody well stinks, and I’ll not have it. And if you dare to say another word about my arse, I’ll break your fingers.”
“No need for such anger, pet.” He gave her the sort of grin she was sure made every other lady melt.
Not Gen. She tossed his cigar into the fire, then turned back to the intruder still seated at her desk. “Do not call me pet.”
“Or what? You shall break my fingers?” he asked, grin deepening.
For some reason, she found herself staring at his lips. They were wide and full. The sort of lips a man should not possess. The sudden warmth blossoming inside her was as traitorous as it was unwanted. Ruthlessly, she quashed it.
“No,” she told him calmly. “If you call me pet again, I will break your nose. Don’t suppose you’d have all the ladies begging to drop to their knees if you had a crooked beak.”
“When the ladies are on their knees for me, they aren’t looking at my nose, Miss Winter.”
For some reason, the insinuation in his words made her cheeks go hot. Which was impossible. She had been surrounded by men from the time she had been a tiny girl. First her brother Gavin, then her half brothers Demon, Blade, Dom, and Devil. Nothing could embarrass her.
Irritation sliced through her. This silly lordling would not best her at her own game.
“Hmm,” she said. “They are probably looking for your prick, unable to find it on account of it being so small.”
“There is nothing about my cock that is small, pet,” he purred.
“I warned you about your nose, Sundenbury.”
She stalked toward him, her boots pounding on the carpets. By the time she rounded her desk, he had risen at last, and he was still smiling, curse him. Her body’s reaction to him was infuriating. Instinct, she told herself. He was a handsome man. She was a woman. That was all. There was nothing a disreputable ne’er-do-well who could not handle himself at the green baize had to offer her.
But he was also surprisingly stealthy for a lord she had supposed to be cupshot when she had entered the room. He caught her elbows and spun her with ease, then used his larger, taller, more powerful body to force her backward. There was nowhere to go save her desk.
Her bottom landed on her much-abused ledgers.
He insinuated himself between her parted thighs and flattened his palms on the desk, trapping her. “Go on then, Miss Winter. Give me your worst. I dare you.”
Want more? Get Winter’s Waltz here!
Don’t miss Scarlett’s other romances!
(Listed by Series)
Complete Book List
HISTORICAL ROMANCE
Heart’s Temptation
A Mad Passion (Book One)
Rebel Love (Book Two)
Reckless Need (Book Three)
Sweet Scandal (Book Four)
Restless Rake (Book Five)
Darling Duke (Book Six)
The Night Before Scandal (Book Seven)
Wicked Husbands
Her Errant Earl (Book One)
Her Lovestruck Lord (Book Two)
Her Reformed Rake (Book Three)
Her Deceptive Duke (Book Four)
Her Missing Marquess (Book Five)
Her Virtuous Viscount (Book Six)
League of Dukes
Nobody’s Duke (Book One)
Heartless Duke (Book Two)
Dangerous Duke (Book Three)
Shameless Duke (Book Four)
Scandalous Duke (Book Five)
Fearless Duke (Book Six)
Notorious Ladies of London
Lady Ruthless (Book One)
Lady Wallflower (Book Two)
Lady Reckless (Book Three)
Lady Wicked (Book Four)
The Wicked Winters
Wicked in Winter (Book One)
Wedded in Winter (Book Two)
Wanton in Winter (Book Three)
Wishes in Winter (Book 3.5)
Willful in Winter (Book Four)
Wagered in Winter (Book Five)
Wild in Winter (Book Six)
Wooed in Winter (Book Seven)
Winter’s Wallflower (Book Eight)
Winter’s Woman (Book Nine)
Winter’s Whispers (Book Ten)
Winter’s Waltz (Book Eleven)
Winter’s Widow (Book Twelve)
Winter’s Warrior (Book Thirteen)
Stand-alone Novella
Lord of Pirates
Love’s Second Chance
Reprieve (Book One)
Perfect Persuasion (Book Two)
Win My Love (Book Three)
Coastal Heat
Loved Up (Book One)
About the Author
USA Today and Amazon bestselling author Scarlett Scott writes steamy Victorian and Regency romance with strong, intelligent heroines and sexy alpha heroes. She lives in Pennsylvania with her Canadian husband, adorable identical twins, and one TV-loving dog.
A self-professed literary junkie and nerd, she loves reading anything, but especially romance novels, poetry, and Middle English verse. Catch up with her on her website www.scarlettscottauthor.com. Hearing from readers never fails to make her day.
Scarlett’s complete book list and information about upcoming releases can be found at www.scarlettscottauthor.com.
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Winter’s Whispers
The Wicked Winters Book 10
All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2020 by Scarlett Scott
Published by Happily Ever After Books, LLC
Kindle Edition
Edited by Grace Bradley
Cover Design by Wicked Smart Designs
This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded, or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is punishable by law.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events, or locales, is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
For more information, contact author Scarlett Scott.
www.scarlettscottauthor.com
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