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384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 29, 2013
“You should know better than to reach into the darkness, Pippa,” he said softly, the sound of her name familiar on his lips. “You never know what you might find.”
His gaze darkened, and a muscle leapt in his jaw. “This is all there is, Pippa. I won’t touch you. I won’t ruin you.”
“I’m ruined, whether you touch me or not.”
“No. If I don’t touch you, you’re safe.”
“And if I don’t wish to be safe?”
“I’m afraid you haven’t a choice.”
“It’s because I am odd.” And then she looked up at him with those enormous blue eyes, and said, “I can’t help it.”
God help him, he wanted to kiss her senseless, odd or not. He wanted to kiss her senseless because she was odd.
“Do not tempt the lion,” he said, the words brushing across her lips, parting them with their touch. “For he most certainly will bite.”
One Good Earl Deserves a Lover is the second book in Sarah MacLean’s The Rules of Scoundrels series, and from the first page to the last, simply wonderful! It’s witty, poignant, romantic, and sexy, and a story I simply couldn’t put down!Cross
Cover blurb: Lady Philippa Marbury is odd. The bespectacled, brilliant fourth daughter of the Marquess of Needham and Dolby cares more for books than balls, flora than fashion and science than the season. Nearly engaged to Lord Castleton, Pippa wants to explore the scandalous parts of London she's never seen before marriage. And she knows just who to ask: the tall, charming, quick-witted bookkeeper of The Fallen Angel, London's most notorious and coveted gaming hell, known only as Cross.I don’t know where to begin when sharing with you the many things I love about this book! The story is amazing - fast paced, sensual, deliciously sexy and very romantic. It's the perfect backdrop for our hero and heroine who are also amazing. They are vulnerable yet strong, stubborn but yielding, flawed yet in a word, perfect!
Like any good scientist, Pippa's done her research and Cross's reputation makes him perfect for her scheme. She wants science without emotion - the experience of ruination without the repercussions of ruination. And who better to provide her with the experience than this legendary man? But when this odd, unexpected female propositions Cross, it's more than tempting . . . and it will take everything he has to resist following his instincts - and giving the lady precisely what she wants.
"It's because I am odd. I can't help it."
God help him, he wanted to kiss her senseless. He wanted to kiss her senseless because she was odd.
"Pippa-" he said, knowing he shouldn't speak.
She cut him off. "Don't tell me it's not true. I know it is. I'm strange."
"You are."
Her brows knit together. "Well, you don't have to tell it is true either."
Lady Philippa Marbury is odd. The bespectacled, brilliant fourth daughter of the Marquess of Needham and Dolby cares more for books than balls, flora than fashion and science than the season. E Engaged to Lord Castleton, Pippa wants to explore the scandalous parts of London she's never seen before marriage. And she knows just who to ask: the tall, charming, quick-witted bookkeeper of The Fallen Angel, London's most notorious and coveted gaming hell, known only as Cross.
"You’re asking me to fuck you?"
Her eyes went wide.
"Do you know, I’ve never heard that word spoken aloud."
God help him, he wanted to kiss her senseless, odd or not. He wanted to kiss her senseless because she was odd.
She was temptation. She was torture
In all his life, there had never been anything Cross had wanted to do more than throw this strange woman down on his desk and give her precisely that for which she was asking. Desire was irrelevant. Or perhaps it was the only thing that was relevant. Either way, he could not assist Lady Philippa Marbury. She was the most dangerous female he’d ever met
"Where would you like to touch me, Pippa?"
"Everywhere."
It seemed there was such a thing as a broken heart
Temptation turns you. It makes you into something you never dreamed, it presses you to give up everything you ever loved, it calls you to sell your soul for one, fleeting moment.
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS LUCK
"My whole life two and two has made four …."
She spoke to her hands. “It’s just that...since we met, I have been rather...well, fascinated by...”
You.
Say it, he willed, not entirely certain what he would do if she did, but willing to put himself to the test.
She took another breath. “By your bones.”
Would she ever say anything expected? “My bones?”
She nodded. “Yes. Well, the muscles and tendons, too. Your forearms. Your thighs. And earlier—while I watched you drink whiskey—by your hands.”
Cross had been propositioned many times in his life. He’d made a career of refusing women’s requests. But he had never been complimented on his bones.
It was the strangest, sexiest confession he’d ever heard.
“My whole life...two and two has made four.”
He nodded, utterly focused on her, and she loved him all over again for paying attention...for understanding her.
“But now...it’s all gone wrong.” She shook her head. “It doesn’t make four anymore. It makes you.”
“My whole life . . . two and two has made four.”...
“But now . . . it’s all gone wrong.” She shook her head. “It doesn’t make four anymore. It makes you.”
“I am happy to pay you," she announced. "For your services."
A harsh, strangled sound cut through the room. It came from him. "Pay me."
She nodded. "Would say, twenty-five pounds do?"
"No."
Her brows knit together. "Of course, a person of your--prowess--is worth more. I apologize for the offense. Fifty? I'm afraid I can't go much higher. It's quite a bit of money. ”
“I suppose I shall start from the beginning. It appears that I'm utterly lacking in the knowledge of the basics. I mean, I understand dogs and horses and such, but humans...well, they're different. And so..." She paused, then rushed forward, the words pouring out of her. "I wonder if you could explain the use of the tongue. ”
“I do, love. I want you more than you could ever know. More than I could have ever dreamed. I want you enough for two men. For ten. ”