Duke of Dishonor by Tammy Andresen (books for 9th graders .txt) 📕

One who could kill any desire a man might have for her with a single word from her perfect lips.

He knew he should never have agreed to this plan.

It was bad.

Worse.

It was downright dangerous.

And that was part of the reason he’d accepted Bash’s proposed plan. Danger was his favorite pastime. Closely followed by womanizing, rudeness, and gambling.

Which made it convenient that he ran a gaming hell with Bash and a few other lords. And while the funds from that endeavor had greatly aided the reduction of the debt his brother and father had bequeathed him, they had by no means eliminated it.

And his mother continued to live as though they had bundles of money and the creditors weren’t knocking on her door. It was his they’d come to call upon.

He sighed. A marriage with Abigail would remove all his financial deficits.

It wouldn’t please his mother, of course, but that idea held a certain appeal. A large one…frankly. She’d want some social climbing lady to be his wife, not that he’d ever manage to land one of those.

But money wasn’t the only reason he’d enjoy the match, at least for a time. Abigail was lovely and, if she wasn’t frightened of him in the bedroom, bedding her would prove interesting. At least until he made an heir.

Then his duties to the title, his mother, and England in general would be met.

Win. Win.

“Abigail,” Bash rumbled, his voice growing louder. “You have to wed. Your sister Emily was nearly stolen away by these hooligans who’ve been plaguing the business. We must protect you from them.”

“And who…” she didn’t look back at him but did point her finger in his general direction. “Will protect me from that hooligan.”

He had to confess, the woman had a point. “If you’re going to use a word to describe me, hooligan isn’t the one I would choose. It’s so…boring. Perhaps a name like ass—”

“Blasphemy,” Bash bit out, pulling up the corners of his lips in what Chad thought might be a smile. Then again, perhaps it wasn’t a smile but more like an angry grimace. Bash looked more like a man about to go into a knife fight than one negotiating an engagement.

“Fine,” he returned, taking a step closer to Abigail. His friend wanted him to play nice. He could do that. It was just that Abigail wasn’t being all that nice either. Not that he minded. She presented a challenge and that had its own merit.

He’d be lying if he didn’t confess, at least to himself, that he’d noticed her from the first. She was uncommonly beautiful, and she had this voice…low and sultry. Just the sort a man liked whispering in his ear. Or moaning. That would work too.

But once he’d gotten past the sound, he’d listened to the words. Abigail was…spoiled. There was no other term for it. Youngest of the pack, she was the least useful and the most vocal and—

She spun about narrowing her gaze again as though she could hear his thoughts. “I shan’t marry him.”

“Abby,” Bash said as he held out his hands. “You don’t have a choice. Your safety depends on a match and with your reputation in tatters, this is the best I can do.”

Chad winced but not before he watched her face crumble.

He understood the situation. Her older sister Emily had been kidnapped and dragged through the streets of London. She’d been saved but not before she’d been seen. Only the wagging tongues of the ton had mistaken the two sisters. They thought it was Abigail who’d been out alone with a man.

Shame. Even he could understand that. Your sibling leaving a bundle of problems at your door. “I’m your best option, Princess.”

Her shoulders slumped and her chin melted down toward her chest.

He watched her eyes close and stay that way as she hugged herself. A niggle of sympathy slid down his back. “So that’s it then? I’m to be the Baroness of Blasphemy? Does that mean I can commence cursing?”

“No,” both men said at the same time.

Chad frowned, his brows drawing together. The title Baroness of Blasphemy irritated him, for a reason he couldn’t seem to name. It was too crass for a such a lovely woman even if she did go about loudly spouting her opinion all the time.

Abigail’s chin snapped back up and her eyes met his. But she didn’t express her dissatisfaction with words. Instead, she stared at him with a challenge glittering in her rich chocolate colored eyes.

He loved a challenge. And he had to confess, he respected that she’d pulled herself back together.

“What are you thinking?” he softly murmured as he took another step closer. He was close enough to touch her and her scent, like a fresh spring on a crisp autumn day wrapped about him.

One perfect brow arched up. “Wouldn’t you like to know.” Her words weren’t loud like he’d expected.

In fact, her voice had dropped into a sultry whisper that actually made him shiver. He recognized the sensation…anticipation. “I would. That’s why I asked.”

Her tongue darted out and she licked her lips looking up at the ceiling as though she were choosing her next words very carefully. He didn’t think she was intentionally teasing him with her tongue but the tip, as pretty in its pink as her lips, made everything in his body harden.

Her eyes drifted down meeting his again. “I may not have a choice in our nuptials, but I will have choices in our marriage. And I guarantee that if you force me into this, you’re not going to like them.”

He cocked his head at an angle as he assessed the imp before him. “Challenge accepted, Princess.”

Want to read more? Baron of Blasphemy

This is the second round of the Lords of Scandal series. Check out round 2!

Earl of Gold

Earl of Baxter

Duke of Decadence

Marquess of Menace

Duke of Dishonor

Viscount of Vanity

Earl of Infamy

You can also look back to round 1 beginning with the Duke of Daring.

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