Page 158 of A Story of Love

His mouth was hot and tasted of good black tea with a hint of sugar.

Lori relaxed into his arms, pressing her breasts against his chest, earning an approving growl. He tilted his head and opened wider so she could explore him. When she paused to catch her breath, he was smiling down at her, a hungry glitter in his eyes.

“I cannot wait to get you back to the Queen’s Chambers,” he said in a husky voice.

“Oh? Why is that?”

“If I told you, it would spoil all the fun.” He lightly ran his fingers up her side, from her waist to her ribs.

Lori shrieked and jerked away. “Don’t!”

His lips curved into a truly evil smile and his eyes widened. “What is this? Is my new wife ticklish?” He reached for her again, but Lori darted away.

“Where do you think you are going?” he demanded. “Your lord and master wishes to tickle you, it is your duty to submit like an obedient, proper”—he lunged like a blur and almost caught her.

Lori bolted, laughing as she plunged off the trail into a thicket, purposely heading toward an area she knew would be too low for him to easily follow.

“Come back here this instant, Lorelei!”

She laughed.

The sound of muttered threats and breaking branches came from behind her.

“You’ll never catch me!” she taunted breathlessly, and then shoved her way through a narrow gap where two hedges met.

Once she was on the other side, she hurriedly looked around for somewhere to hide so that she could leap out and pounce on him when he came through. But a sound pulled her attention away from the hedge and trees; Lori had to bite her tongue to keep from cursing when she saw the four riders, immediately recognizing the first two as Dorian and Daniel. The other men were strangers.

They must have noticed her before she’d seen them because Dorian had led his horse off the path and the other three had followed.

Lori had seen Dorian in church, of course, but this was the first time she’d been so close to him in over seven years. He was just as handsome as ever and his full shapely lips pulled into a smirk that told her he was remembering other times they’d encountered each other in these very same woods.

“Well, well, well, look who we have here!” he said, his grin insufferable. “Daniel claimed that you never left the vicarage unless you were with your brother or sister-in-law. And yet here you are, alone. It is almost as if you were looking for me.” He leered down at her.

“You flatter yourself, my lord,” Lori retorted coolly.

Dorian laughed. “I see your tongue is as sharp as ever.”

“I have looked for you in these woods every day, Lori,” Daniel piped up behind Dorian, the hateful glitter in his eyes telling her that he had neither forgotten nor forgiven the scratches she’d given him all those years ago.

Lori did not justify his comment with a response.

Dorian gave an ugly laugh. “You appear to have forgotten that it was me Lori was so fond of, Dan. Naturally she could not resist seeking me out—as was always the case.”

Before Lori could open her mouth, Fast’s voice came from behind her. “What is this?” he demanded, needing to employ brute force to shove his big body through the narrow gap in the thicket.

Lori immediately went toward him.

“Who the devil are you?” Dorian demanded as Fast broke free of the last branch and strode toward them, leaving a trail of leaves and twigs in his wake.

Before Fast could answer, not that he looked like that was his intention, one of the two men Lori didn’t know quickly brought his horse closer.

“Lord Severn! How grand to see you, sir,” the younger man shouted in obvious delight, scrambling off his horse in such haste that he fell to one knee, and then quickly popped up again like a jack-in-the-box and bowed low in Fast’s direction.

“Who is your rude friend, Rawley?” Fast asked, his piercing gaze fixed on Dorian.

Dorian’s eyes had widened when the other man used Fast’s title, his mind visibly racing to make sense of this new development. Lori recognized the very instant when he came to the most repellent conclusion and chuckled. “So, Lori, up to your old tricks, are you? I guess you decided to add another title to your collection.” His gaze flicked dismissively over Fast and his sneer deepened. “A little long in the tooth, isn’t he?”

“I say, Dor!” Lord Rawley exclaimed in an appalled, overly loud voice that made the horses restless. “That’s not quite—”