Stealing a Lady's Heart: A Regency Fairytale (Fairfield Fairytales Book 1) (17 page)
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Authors: Tammy Andresen
The horseman swung back around and knocked the other man down. Then he jumped off his horse as he pulled two pistols out from his belt. Piper jumped in fear as he raised the pistols pointing them at her and the remaining two thieves.
“Get out of here now,” His voice growled out, rich and deep. She thought for a second she detected an accent. He straightened with the pistols in his hands. The movement accentuated how incredibly broad his shoulders were. His body tapered down to a trim waist. Everything about him was distinctly masculine.
The two thieves looked at him for a split second and then began running down the street. He holstered the guns and then dragged the other two men to their feet.
“You two. Out of here.” The other men stumbled away. Piper backed towards the carriage. His accent was British but muted.
Somehow, Piper was almost more afraid of him than she had been of those other men. She had no idea what his intentions were, now that they were alone. He was incredibly muscular and had just taken out four men without even trying. “P-p-please.” Pipe hadn’t realized she was backing up until she bumped into the carriage. Her breathing was rapid and she couldn’t seem to slow it down. Chest heaving, her hand fluttered to her neck in an attempt to calm her racing heart.
He glanced at her and surprise lit his eyes. He moved a step closer and Piper pressed herself against the carriage. She tried to speak again. “I don’t have any money. Please leave us be.”
“Money?” Amusement laced his gravelly voice but he stopped moving towards her. His eyes, however, slowly moved up and down the length of her. He seemed to drink in every detail.
Piper noted during his perusal he was well dressed. He was also incredibly handsome, although not in the way many of her suitors were. His jaw was strong and his face hard and angular. It added to his look of power and danger. His dark hair was neatly tied back despite the struggle. She should have been comforted he was from her class but her heart wouldn’t stop racing.
“Where are you going in this section of town at this time of night?” his rough voice grated out.
Her eyes grew larger. Her breathing continued to be ragged. “We have passage on the Maria tonight to New York. My mother’s friend booked it. It was a good price, I suppose. We wouldn’t normally be here, we just wanted…” Dear God, she was rambling. She never rambled. Men rambled around her. She sat coolly appraising them as they made fools of themselves.
He stepped closer again and her heart beat even faster. His eyes were dark pools of mystery. The kind a woman could get lost in. They travelled over her face again and down her neck to her cleavage.
Her hand fluttered automatically to cover the spot. But for some strange reason, her lips parted and her tongue darted out to lick them.
He quirked a small smile and Piper actually gasped. It made him even more mysterious. And handsome. Her nerves were raw, and unsure what to do, she started rambling again. “I have never been at the docks this time of night. Those men, they almost…” Her eyes filled with tears and although she tried desperately not to, a single tear leaked from her eye and trickled down her cheek.
His hand reached up and, ever so gently, he used the pad of his thumb to brush the tear away.
A jolt shot through Piper. It was like lightning travelling through her body. She licked her lips again and her eyes darted from his eyes to his lips. What was happening to her?
His thumb was still on her skin and his entire hand enveloped her cheek to gently cup it as he turned her face up towards his.
Piper was in a trance, she was powerless to protest. His lips were drifting closer to her own. Without realizing it, his body had also been moving closer and his chest brushed her hand that was covering her cleavage.
Suddenly her mother coughed again from inside the carriage and his head snapped up. “Who are you travelling with?”
“My-my m-m-mother,” her breathy voice was strange to her own ears.
“You’re both coming with me.” He grabbed her hand and tugged open the carriage door.
“Where?” Piper’s strangled voice cried.
ABOUT TAMMY ANDRESEN
Tammy Andresen lives with her husband and three children just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. She grew up on the Seacoast of Maine, where she spent countless days dreaming up stories in blueberry fields and among the scrub pines that line the coast. Her mother loved to spin a yarn and Tammy filled many hours listening to her mother retell the classics. It was inevitable that at the age of 18, she headed off to Simmons College, where she studied English literature and education. She never left Massachusetts but some of her heart still resides in Maine and her family visits often.
You can learn more about Tammy by visiting her website.
www.tammyandresen.com
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/tammyandresen
Facebook:
http://facebook.com/authortammyandresen
What the Critics are saying
“The characters are well-developed and interesting, the plot is edge-of-your-seat intriguing, and the setting is one with so much history. If you are a fan of history mixed with mystery and intrigue, you won't be disappointed.” Linda Thompson THE AUTHOR SHOW
“While the relationship between Lily and Eric is the primary focus of this story, the mystery/supense factor is what kept this from being JUST a historical romance. Lily in Bloom was a fast-paced, romantic read that I absoutely LOVED.”
http://alysenovak.blogspot.com
”… it held not only a pure romance but the simple magic that goes with it. I was enchanted with this story from the beginning until the end and I didn’t want it to end. I wanted it to go on.” Robin
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