Capturing the Devil (Stalking Jack the Ripper, #4)

by Kerri Maniscalco

When I was adventuring between the pages of a book, I wasn’t sad over things I was missing outside.

“Your happiness is always necessary to me.”

“Shall we see about solving another gruesome murder, my love?”

“I was planning on stripping bare and having you do the same. That is the best way to share body heat.

“Scoundrel.” “I love when you whisper sweet nothings to me.”

The world needed to be better. And if it wasn’t possible for it to be better, we, its inhabitants, needed to do better.

“You do say you like a man with a rather large—” “Stop.” I held my hand up. “I beg of you. My uncle is right there.” “Brain.”

Thomas set the plate on a dresser and eyed me with the same sort of hunger and devotion he’d gazed at the pastries with. Without taking his attention from me, he reached over and wiped a bit of icing from the corner of my lip; then his mouth was on mine.

“It’s your virtue, isn’t it?” I teased. “You want to wait until we’re properly married.” “God, no.” He snorted. “I’ve wanted to ravish you for an indecently long while. If I was a more selfish creature, I’d take you right this moment if you’d have me.”

We humans could not help loving our monsters.

“Have you no morals?” “Don’t be ridiculous; of course I’ve got morals. One or two, perhaps.”

“I want you to always have choices.”

“You’re—” “Impossibly handsome and utterly charming and yes, yes, you’d love to ravish me right this moment. Let’s hurry, now, shall we?”

I-I tried fighting it, but I truly believe I’ve found my equal. I cannot imagine a more perfect partner to walk hand in hand with through life.”

“Have you lost your senses?” “If I hadn’t before, I certainly have now.” He blinked slowly, trying and failing not to stare at me in the tub. He didn’t have the courtesy to even blush—he looked positively dumbstruck.

“At least be a gentleman and turn around.” His expression hinted that he was far from a gentleman at the moment, and a quick inspection of my face confirmed I liked it.

“Beyond life, beyond death. My love for thee is eternal.”

Thomas Cresswell still didn’t believe he was worthy of love.

Wadsworth, meet Sir Isaac Mewton. Sir Isaac Mewton, this is that special human I told you about. You’ll be nice to her or there won’t be any more belly rubs in your future.”

“Don’t be absurd. You don’t call me His Royal Eminence Lord Thomas James Dorin Cresswell, do you? Sir Isaac will be quite adequate.

“Is that really all you’d like me to picture? If that’s an ideal evening, then how, exactly, do you fit in?” “You’d be scantily clad in my lap; Sir Isaac would be in yours.”

“I would take your name, if you wanted to keep it.” He meant it, too. I pulled him to me and kissed him lightly. “Which is precisely the reason I’m happy to become a Cresswell.

We needn’t complete each other; we complemented each other. He and I were whole on our own, which made us so much stronger when combined than two symbolic halves coming together to create one. Our bond had double the strength. Nothing could tear it apart. And after tomorrow, nothing would.

I was ready to become Lady Audrey Rose Cresswell.

“Your nightgown is lovely, but your mind is what attracts and captivates me.”

losing you, sometimes if I think about it I’m unable to breathe.

“Nothing in life comes with a guarantee, Wadsworth.” Thomas took a deep breath. “Outside forces will always be out of your control. One thing you can control is how you choose to live. If you wake up fearful of every bad thing that might happen, you miss out on the good. Death will come for us all one day. Worrying about tomorrow only accomplishes ruining today.”

“Love is immortal. Death can neither touch nor steal it. Especially when it’s true.

Because right now? I’m here.” He kissed the top of my head. “And you’re here.” He pressed his lips to my knuckles. “And the present is more glorious than the future and all of its unknowns.”

“My love for you will be a constant in a sea of unknown variables. We may fight or be cross with each other, but our love will never fade or wilt. Trust in that. Trust in us. Forget the future. Forget worry. The only thing that terrifies me is the possibility of living with regret. I don’t ever want to wake and wonder what life could have been like with you in it. I don’t ever want to regret holding myself back from loving you as fully and openly as possible.”

“Part of growing older means letting go. You can’t move forward if you never take those first few steps onto new ground. Now’s the time to be brave, Daughter. Walking into the future means trusting in yourself even when you can’t see around the bend. As long as you’re certain this is what you want, all will be well.”

“I will love and honor you every second, every minute, every hour of the day,”

“From this day until my last, I vow to love and hold you, as my equal in all ways, Audrey Rose.”

“I will love you until the world stops spinning or my heart ceases to beat, Thomas Cresswell. Even then I’m not sure my love will ever be content to leave you.

“I love him in ways that sometimes frighten me.”

“You fight. You fight for what you want. You do not wallow or surrender. The lesson is not in lying down and allowing yourself to be stabbed, child. It’s in pushing yourself up and battling back.” Her eyes flashed. “You fell down. So? Will you stay there, weeping over skinned knees? Or will you brush off your skirts, adjust your hair, and carry on? Do not relinquish your grasp on hope. It’s one of the best weapons anyone possesses.”

“You shouldn’t think; you should know I love you.”

Flaws are what build character. They make us more human.

It’s always been you for me, even when I didn’t know who I was anymore. It will always be you, Thomas. No matter who tries to come between us. You are my heart. No one can take it.”

I believe in some instances the greater the love, the more we ignore facts that are obvious to others.

At some point, we’re all someone’s hero and another’s villain. It’s all a matter of perspective. And that changes as frequently as the cycles of the moon.”

“You’re not going to enjoy my thoughts.” “On the contrary, I find them quite alluring. Especially when they’re untoward.”

“I am the man who will love you unto forever.”

At least I feel as though I’m fighting on the side of women, not against them. Everyone needs to take responsibility for their own failures.”

“I long to live in a world where equal treatment is not something in need of commending.”

“You make my dark heart sing, Wadsworth.”

“If the world thinks we’re heading straight to Hell, we might as well enjoy the journey there. I’d rather dance with the devil than sing with angels. Wouldn’t you?”

“Look at that, Wadsworth; when we kiss sparks literally fly.”

I’d choose Hell each time if it meant experiencing this feeling with him.

He and I were two pieces of our own private puzzle—we fit together perfectly.