Table Of ContentA legendary family estate.
A mutual longing.
A bargain struck.
Carmen Shelby wants what’s been left to her—the valuable estate that she once
called home. Rex Carruthers is the heir to Burlington Manor, a ruthless playboy
who enjoys playing games, and all he wants is for Carmen to surrender.
There can be only one winner....
“Walker deftly spins a captivating tale that will have readers holding their
collective breath until the last page is turned.” —Publishers Weekly on The
Libertine
The Burlington Manor Affair
Saskia Walker
Also available from
Saskia Walker
and Harlequin HQN
THE JEZEBEL
THE LIBERTINE
THE HARLOT
From Spice Books
RAMPANT
Dedication
For Mark, always.
Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
PROLOGUE
THE DOOR TO Rex’s room stood open, and that was an invitation Carmen
couldn’t resist. She and Rex had already come close to being lovers—Carmen
knew it would happen soon. With that thought teasing her senses, she paused at
the top of the crescent-shaped staircase of Burlington Manor and stared across at
Rex’s room, exhilaration coiling inside her. The music from the party on the
floor below faded away into oblivion as she anticipated swinging that door wide
open and joining Rex in his private space.
As she strolled across the landing she wondered if he was dressed yet. The
notion made her smile. She liked the idea of catching him prowling around his
room half-naked, and she was pretty sure he’d gone to get changed for the party.
Maybe he was waiting for her to arrive. Her pulse raced. She straightened her
dress. Her new high heels made her feel sexy, and the compliments she’d just
received from Rex’s university buddies did, too.
As she closed in on his bedroom door something caught her attention.
Pausing, she listened. The sound issued again. Carmen knew what it was. Her
entire skin tingled with awareness. Unable to stem her curiosity she kept
moving, slowly, until she glimpsed through the half-open doorway.
Her blood raced, her body going hot and cold all over. She wondered if she
was imagining what she saw. But no, it really was happening. The noisy woman
lay on her back on Rex’s bed, naked. It was Carmen’s best friend, Amanda.
Between her open legs, Rex was stripped to the waist, his jeans hanging open
and barely latched on his hips as he fucked her. Transfixed, Carmen watched the
virile male figure arched over Amanda’s body. She knew she should walk away
but she was mesmerized by the image and the way it made her feel—crazy with
lust, desperate with jealousy.
His hands moved around Amanda’s hips, where he grasped her buttocks and
lifted them easily off the bed, moving her so that she almost sat in his lap and his
knees were beneath her bottom. Carmen ached to be handled that way, by a
powerful man, a man rock hard with need. That should be me, Rex. I want you.
Amanda’s legs moved on either side of him, her toes pointing. Lace panties
trailed from one ankle—as if the two of them had been unable to wait until they
were fully undressed to get at each other.
Rex groaned and pulled out—far enough that Carmen saw the girth of his
cock. Instinctively she covered her mouth with her hand in case she made a
sound. The sight of him erect riveted her. Her core responded, and her clit grew
tight as a drum, aching to be touched.
But Rex’s face was cast in shadow as he bent over Amanda. He stroked her
peaked nipples, making her moan aloud. That sound.
Carmen’s eyes flashed shut. Between her thighs her body was instantly hot and
damp, craving some of what she could see. Tormented emotions assailed her.
She wanted Rex. Amanda knew she did.
Just at that moment Amanda’s body arched and her head rolled against the
bedcover to face the door. Carmen moved to one side, concealing herself.
Pressed against the wall outside his room, she listened to Rex’s approving
murmurs as he made love to her best friend.
Her fingers stole underneath her skirt and between her thighs. Cupping her
pussy, she listened and imagined it was her in there, under Rex.
“Oh, you’re good at this, Rex Carruthers,” Amanda blurted, “just as good as I
knew you would be.”
Angry tears smarted at the back of Carmen’s eyes, even while her body ached
for him. Her breasts, crushed as they were against the wall, needled with desire.
Pulling her dress up, she shoved her hand inside her panties and rubbed her
swollen clit.
In the room beyond she heard Rex speak brusquely, his words rasped in
between panting breaths. Amanda urged him on gleefully. Carmen almost felt
his thrusts, imagined their raw energy inside her, much as she had done so often
alone in her bed whenever he was nearby. It was too intense. She pushed her
hand deeper, her fingers sliding against the slick wetness of her sex, desperate
for relief. The raucous sounds they made as they both reached their peak were
