Short of the roof caving in around them, Ben wouldn’t stop until he witnessed Jemma climax a second time, knowing he gave her this. His tongue worked her entrance before he sucked on her nub. Her hips lifted off the settee as she finally fell over the precipice. He didn’t hurry to move away, instead licking her with soothing slowness.
“Ben, I want to touch you. I want you to find your release, too.”
“We both know if I free my cock, it’ll be inside you before either of us can stop us.” Ben groaned at the self-denial, but he spoke the truth. Reluctantly, Jemma nodded. As their excitement faded, the cold air made Jemma shiver. They fixed her clothes and once again cuddled, this time with Jemma once more on his lap. It seemed like hours, but it couldn’t have been more than one before her youngest brother tapped on the door to let them know it was safe to return to the manor.
They walked back hand-in-hand, trying not to grin like fools lest everyone guess how they’d occupied themselves. When they went inside, they found her family in the drawing room. Ben wanted to know what happened out of genuine curiosity, but he also wanted to steer the conversation away from anyone asking how they’d spent their time.
“What happened?”
Theo’s gaze met his. “They’ve issued a warrant for your arrest.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. But on what grounds?”
“Fleeing the excisemen and refusing to submit to questioning.”
“But none of them saw me clearly. Since I didn’t stop, none could recognize my face. It was too dark for my hair to give me away.”
“That’s why I’ve demanded an audience with the magistrate as soon as we can make it into to his home. I’ve ordered the horses saddled.”
Jemma slipped on glove one before Ben covered her hand his hands. “You should stay here.”
“No. Someone was bound to have seen you leave right after me. I’ll say we were together the entire time.”
“That’ll ruin your reputation. No. I won’t allow it,” Ben insisted. She arched an imperious eyebrow, and for a moment, Ben knew she was a true princess. One look could command an army, but he wouldn’t succumb. “No.”
Jemma leaned in to whisper. “Either you take me, or I will start my own rumor about how we were too occupied for the excisemen to chase you. Let me help if it’s needed. I will defend you one way or another. Would you rather me do it behind your back or by your side?”
Ben knew she didn’t exaggerate her oath to protect him. He glanced at Theo and Raj, who deferred to him. He realized theysaw the couple as good as betrothed if they allowed him to decide.
“You may—” Ben stumbled when Jemma raised both eyebrows and her chin. “You’re coming but stay beside me. If they arrest me, stand between your father and Raj. No matter what, you donotget separated from us.”
“I promise.”
The small party waited for a stable boy to saddle Jemma’s mount, then the four set off for Lantic Bay. It was nearly dusk and hardly the ideal time to be on the road, but no one wanted to wait to have the charges dismissed. If the parish constable or excisemen got ahold of Ben, no one trusted he’d survive to stand trial. They cantered through the village, continuing past it and straight to the magistrate’s home. It was a stately house but not as large as the Rowes’. Theo pounded on the door until a servant opened it. The man spluttered but stepped aside lest Theo barrel through him.
“Simmons, I want to know why you issued a warrant for Mr. Pedrick with no evidence or cause.” Theo stormed into the family’s dining room, disregarding the magistrate’s stunned wife.
“No cause? He fled the assembly hall. Why would he leave if he weren’t guilty?”
“Who saw his face to know it was him? It was a lad from the village the excisemen terrified.” Theo’s selective truth meant he wasn’t entirely lying. Ben was younger than him and had been in Lantic Bay. He was certain being shot at terrified Ben. It certainly terrified him the times he was shot at while in India.
The magistrate clenched his jaw as he swept his gaze over the four new arrivals he didn’t wish to see. “Pedrick has long been suspected of smuggling. It’s time we bring him to justice.”
“Suspected. What proof have you to change that from speculation to certainty?” Raj looked at the seated man, infusingthe haughtiness he rarely used but seemed to have inherited along with the earldom. “Show me.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Because it would jeopardize a case against him or because it doesn’t exist?” Raj pressed.
The magistrate’s already ruddy complexion flushed with anger. “How dare you barge into my home and demand anything of me?”
Raj stepped forward and gazed down at Simmons until the man retreated in his seat. “I dare because I can. You know who I am. Do you dare lie to me?”
The color drained from Simmons’s face as quickly as it had filled it. He shook his head, but he shot a glare at Ben. No one thought this ended Simmons’s mission to bring Ben to heel, but it bought him another night of freedom. They would all take it. Jemma and Ben stood back as Theo and Raj followed the magistrate to his study. He tapped Raj’s arm when he walked past him.
“It’s growing dark, and I don’t want Jemma riding when none of us can see clearly. I’m taking her home.”
“All right. Uncle Theo and I will resolve everything. Be careful.”
