Touch of a Thief by Mia Marlowe Read Free Book Online Page B

asked. “There are any number of questions you haven’t answered for me either.”
    “Well, it appears we shall not be in want of topics for conversation the next three days then.” She turned and made up the bed, tucking the corners with practiced efficiency.
    “For the daughter of an earl, you seem unusually accustomed to domestic chores.”
    She lifted her chin as she plumped the single pillow. “One does what one must.”
    “Is that why you steal?”
    She shot him a glare. “If it’s any of your business, my father died and left my side of the family penniless because I had the misfortune of being born a daughter instead of a son. I steal because I enjoy sleeping indoors and eating regular meals. And want my mother, sister and niece to do so as well. Satisfied?”
    Not even close, but his cock would just have to bear the ache till he managed to settle himself.
    “Many people live in reduced circumstances without resorting to theft.”
    “I am not many people. ” She packed her toiletries back into a small bag and crouched down to stow them in the valise she’d tucked under the bed. “And you’re not many people either. You’re the heir of a viscount. Reportedly far more than solvent even before you left for India. You had no need to make the choice usually relegated to second sons.”
    “I was born a second son.”
    “But according to DeBrett’s, your brother died in childhood.”
    “You investigated me.”
    “It seemed prudent to at least look you up in the registry of peers since you forced me to travel to Paris with you.”
    He winced inwardly at the word forced .
    She cocked her head at him. “Why purchase a commission when you could while away your inheritance in gaming hells and brothels like most men who are waiting for a title?”
    A captaincy in the military meant putting the greatest possible distance between himself and his father, but he’d already revealed more about that than he should have to her. “It seemed the right course of action at the time.”
    “No doubt you always choose the right course.” Her tone was laced with subtle sarcasm. “Was it for adventure, Lieutenant?”
    “It appears you have found me out.”
    She smiled thinly at him. “Then we are more alike than you might imagine. I freely confess my thefts allow me to do things most women wouldn’t dream. Dressed as a man, I’ve roamed the city at night alone. At first, my heart pounded at every footstep, and I started at every barking dog. But later, I reveled in the choices a man’s clothes gave me.” She stopped before the porthole and looked out. The first hint of moonlight kissed her cheek. “I know that must sound incredibly tame to you, but for a woman of quality, it’s an unheard of freedom.”
    She turned to fix him with her direct gaze. “What freedom lured you to India?”
    Did she know some young bucks chose a stint on the subcontinent because it offered the opportunity for unbridled sexual experimentation? Quinn had limited himself to Padmaa and her tutelage, but in the Gorgeous East a man of means might purchase any sort of sensual escapade he could imagine.
    And some Quinn would never conjure up on his own in a million years.
    “Duty to country lured me to India,” he said.
    Her lip curled. “If that’s what you wish to believe.”
    “Why don’t you believe it?”
    “Because I think you found waiting around for your father to die boring beyond bearing.”
    “There’s where you’re wrong.” Satan couldn’t collect the old bastard soon enough to suit him.
    “Life is beastly unfair, don’t you think? My father’s death means my family is set aside. Yours means you take your place as a peer of the realm.”
    Injustice always clawed his spine. Even injustice done to a thief.
    “I’m sorry for your misfortune, Viola.”
    Her robe slipped down one shoulder. The exposed skin glowed with health in the light of the flickering lamp. His soft palate ached to taste that delectable flesh with