Lovable Rogues Collection Part 2: 4 Historical Steamy Romance Short Stories

By Elizabeth Reed

Total word count 21,884.

Please note that each of these short stories can all be bought as a standalone single story.

The Patient Earl

Emily is distrustful of Luke the Earl of Tonbridge; she thinks he has gone deliberately out of his way to ruin her father, just to put her at his mercy!

Her suspicions seem confirmed when Luke requests that she visits his London gentleman’s apartment and give herself to him for one night, if she wants to save her father and herself from losing all their worldly possessions.

Indeed, the Earl has being waiting patiently to get Emily back into his life. And it will now be up to Emily to find out the reasons behind his actions. Is she merely a conquest for the Earl? Or does his open desire for her represent much more than a mere lustful game!

 The Return of the Marquess

Rebecca is stunned into silence when she spots Gregory her old friend and former lover at the grand masquerade ball. As they acknowledge each other’s presence she flees the party trying to avoid any confrontation from occurring between them.

But Gregory has no intention of making it easy for Rebecca! He has returned from his travels, having successfully sought out his fortune and made himself into a very wealthy Marquess.

Yet, he is still not content. He is looking for answers, with Rebecca being the only one who can confirm the truth that he seeks.

The Viscount’s Good Wife

Amy is desperate to move from her remote homeland and explore the rest of the world around her. So when the dashingly handsome Christian, Viscount of Mansford, comes to visit her family in their manor, she thinks she has found the answer to all her problems. Amy becomes determined to convince Christian to marry her and whisk her away to London, where she can finally be free and happy.

The Earl’s Daughter and the Reformed Rogue                                           

Claire, despite having to persuade her father, an influential Earl, of her choice of husband, is happy to be marrying her fiancé, Marcus, the second son of the landed gentry. He has everything she could hope for in a groom: intelligence, wit, an adventurous and easy nature, not to mention the fact that he is dashingly handsome and excites her in more ways than one!

Despite seeing all Marcus’s good qualities, she cannot overlook his colourful past reputation, with the result that she reluctantly asks him on the eve of their wedding day if he will promise to remain true and be faithful to her.

Warning: Significant sexual content included within the story, strictly 18+ only

 

 

 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: LB Books
• Release date: Mar 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9781507069509

Elizabeth Reed

As long as I can remember I have always loved everything and anything to do with the romance genre. Enjoying writing, reading and watching a wide range of love stories. I am a true romantic at heart! So after studying for a philosophy degree and then going on to work in a corporate job in advertising, I decided to reconnect with my passion again! I now write mainly romance short stories, with the aim to share all of my ideas with others who also have an interest in romantic fiction. I write in a range of romance subgenres including erotic romance, contemporary, sweet, paranormal/fantasy fiction and historical. I hope to continue writing as long as my ideas keep flowing out from my mind. In early 2014 I experienced my own personal love story, when I married my one true love. I now live together with my husband in London.

Book preview

The Patient Earl

Chapter 1

‘How dare you!’ Emily stormed into the room, looking accusingly at the man sitting behind the desk.

Luke placed his paper slowly down on the table top, as he looked up to give the petite raven haired and angry woman his full attention. ‘Please, pray tell me, what wrong have I supposedly committed?’ he responded calmly, his dark, handsome features fully composed.

‘Do not act like you don’t know and insult my intelligence!’

‘Then humour me. Refresh my memory on the vile thing I have done to you. Would you care for a seat whilst you discuss the pressing issue with me further?’ Luke signalled to the chair facing opposite him, ‘and may I remark that it may not have been wise of you to come visiting here alone as a young single lady?’ He spoke with slight disapproval in his voice.

‘I have little concern for appropriate convention at this hour, and I find it very surprising that someone with your reputation would care about such things either! I had to come to see you right away. It was too important.’ Emily dismissed what she saw as trivial concerns. ‘And my nerves are all over the place. I dare not sit down till I have confirmed the truth from your lips!’ She clenched her fists tightly, praying that she had got the situation all wrong.

‘What truth?’

‘That you took advantage of my father at the cards table last night. You wiped him out of all that he had, making him a broken man.’ Emily spoke with frustration clear to hear in her voice.

There was a long tense silence before Luke started to speak once more. ‘Yes,’ he admitted, ‘it is true that I played a couple of games of cards in which your father was involved. Luck was on my side, instead of the other way around.’

‘I was told that you wiped him out of all that he owned. He left with practically only the shirt on his back. Do you deny what I am speaking of?’ Emily spoke eagerly, wanting to know all the details from him.

‘I think you are being a tad dramatic. I did not rob him of all his possessions. Your father was betting very hard and if you don’t mind me commenting, very recklessly. He gambled against his home and he lost—an unwise decision, but a decision he made nevertheless. I just happened to benefit from his folly,’ Luke said dryly, still giving little emotion away as he held Emily’s gaze unashamedly.

‘So you admit it! How could you? How could you take advantage of him like that? Everyone knows what my father is like! How could you take advantage of an old intoxicated man? You should be ashamed of yourself! Don’t you know you will surely send him to his grave early?’ Emily spat out angrily.

‘Miss Philips, I warn you now. Be very careful what you say next. I do not take lightly to being insulted in my own home.’ Luke at last showed his first sign of emotion as he got up from where he sat, his expression on his face showing irritation at her harsh words. He walked closer to where Emily stood, before stopping a few steps away so they could see each other more clearly, and both acknowledge each other’s joint determination.

‘Emily, you should be happy that it was I who your father lost his possessions to. It would have been worse if your father was beholden to another.’ Luke tried to speak more softly and calmly.

‘You dirty, rotten scoundrel! How can you speak so casually about what you have done so spitefully?’ Emily spat out, not paying any heed to his past warning. ‘I would prefer the devil himself than to be beholden to you in any way. I detest you! I always have! You’ve consistently tried to pursue me, and I have refused time and time again to be part of your long list of women you use then discard so effortlessly. I can see clearly now! You have deliberately done all of this, used my father as a pawn in your cruel game, just to get at me! But I promise you, you will never ever have me!’ Emily spat out her words with disgust.

‘Don’t be so sure of that!’ Luke raised his voice in anger as he closed the gap quickly between himself and Emily, holding her slender neck with his large hand firmly as he tilted her head to look into his darkened black eyes. ‘As you have already said, your father is now a broken man. You wouldn’t want anything to happen to him just because you did not play nice with your new landlord, or would you? Perhaps you don’t love your father as much as you say you do. We will just have to put that to the test, wont we?’ Luke gave her a wicked smile, as his gaze lingered on her lips and then moved down to take a good view of her body, his lustful eyes taking in her every womanly curve.

It took Emily a while before she found her voice once more. She was still in shock from Luke’s physical touch, which had begun to loosen from around her neck. ‘What do you want from me?’ Emily spoke more soberly, realising the truth of his words as she accepted her defeat.

‘You,’ came Luke’s one word. He trailed his finger down her lips and then cupped her breast lightly. ‘You have been running away from me for some time, but now it’s time for you to give in to what I know you want as much as I do,’ Luke spoke seductively back to her.

Emily removed his hand from her body, trying to stem all feelings and emotions that Luke always had a way of stirring up inside her. ‘And if I give myself to you, will you give back to my father the deeds of our home, and leave us in peace afterwards?’ Emily sought the truth, as she looked into his eyes.

‘Yes, I will leave you alone, if that is what you want, but don’t be so sure that you will be able to walk away so easily once our unfinished business is done between us.’

‘Your arrogance is outstanding. I will do this thing to save my father, and for no other reason. I care nothing for you, and would not wish to lie with you otherwise and ruin my virtue, if I did not find myself in this unfortunate position.’ Emily spoke dryly, not hiding her dislike for him.

‘Really? Let’s just test what you have said.’ Luke gave a wicked smile before he took Emily into his arms and bit down on her bottom lip, making her open her mouth, as he slipped his tongue inside.

Emily cursed into his mouth, but Luke did not pay her fight any