Read Out Of Her League, An Erotic Romance for Free Online

She recalled how the guide had thrown the switch and an invisible current had illuminated a series of lamps, casting brilliant light into a previously darkened room. She’d been awed by the transformation.
    A similar electrical current seemed to pulse between her and James, making her heart hammer erratically and her thoughts spin in giddy circles whenever she was near him.
    They came to a large parlor near the back of the house. It was a simple space, not nearly as formal as the front parlors, with southern-facing windows that overlooked a sprawling garden. The entire home was stunning, but this, Kate decided, was her favorite room. Even on a gray and gloomy day like the one outside, the filtered light sparkled through the tall, lead-paned windows.
    Aware that he was watching her, she said, “Your home is lovely. But rather large, isn’t it? You’re here alone?”
    “Well, not entirely. I have a staff of four servants. A cook named Annie. My footman, Owen, answers the door, handles my correspondence, and acts as general man-about-town. William, my caretaker, manages the grounds and the stables. And lastly, Sally, William’s wife, handles the general cleaning chores.”
    Kate’s gaze swept the room. With the exception of the library, the house was nearly devoid of furnishings. “There isn’t much to clean,” she observed.
    “True. That is fortunate for Sally, for in addition to her duties here, she and William have a two-year-old son who appears to keep her sufficiently occupied.” He came to stand beside her at the window and pointed to a distant blur, his arm brushing her shoulder as he moved. “William and Sally live in the cottage beyond the vegetable garden. If it weren’t raining, you could just make it out.”
    Kate made a noncommittal hum and stepped slightly away to better avoid further accidental contact. Her rare encounters with England’s gentry had not prepared her for James Lancaster. He was not pompous. Not superior. Not at all what she’d expected.
    “The house previously belonged to my eldest brother, the viscount,” he continued. “After the birth of his fifth child, he and his wife retired to their country home, taking their belongings with them.” He looked around the room. “Something about this house has always appealed to me. Rather than lose it, I purchased it outright before I shipped off to the Crimea.”
    “It must be terribly expensive to furnish a home this size,” she said. She longed to take the words back the moment she uttered them. His finances were certainly none of her business, and the implication that he couldn’t afford to furnish his home was likely highly insulting. Or worse, perhaps he’d interpret her comment as a reflection of her family’s own dire financial straits.
    But neither outcome proved true. James merely brushed off her words with an indifferent shrug. “I thought I’d leave that chore to my future wife. I’m told women like that sort of thing. Matching fabrics and rugs and all that nonsense.”
    An image of the haughty, strikingly beautiful Vanessa Kittridge immediately entered Kate’s mind. Yes, Miss Kittridge would love furnishing the home—but she would ruin it in the process. An uncharitable conclusion, perhaps, but Kate had seen enough of the woman coming and going to form that opinion.
    Doubtless Miss Kittridge would fill these magical rooms with exquisite, expensive furniture that no one would feel comfortable sitting on, rugs no one would be allowed to tread upon, brittle bric-a-brac and staid, somber portraits. The thought left her unaccountably saddened.
    Thunder rumbled and the rain that had been threatening all morning began to pour down in earnest. She watched the heavy droplets strike the glass panes, softening and blurring the outside world. She tried to focus on the storm, but that proved impossible.
    Every fiber of her being was attuned to the overwhelming presence of man beside her. His scent, his height, the broadness of