Read Online A Persistant Attraction by Silvia Violet - Free Book Online
Authors: Silvia Violet
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give one of his uncle’s guests heart palpitations. He motioned for Amanda to move behind the settee and approached the door.
He pulled it openly slowly. No one jumped out so he put his hand on his gun and leaned from the room looking quickly from one side to the other. Nothing. Whoever had been there was gone now.
Hearing movement behind him, he turned to see Amanda standing close enough to touch him. “Damn it. I told you to hide.”
“I wanted to help.”
“We need to get some things straight right now. I—”
“What’s that?” She pointed to the floor.
Curiosity trumped Rhys’s need to scold her. He picked up the object. It was a gold watch with a broken chain. He turned it over and saw the initials W.B.L. engraved on the back. He handed it to Amanda. “Does this mean anything to you?” She stared at the watch, turning it over in her hands several times. “Nothing comes to mind. When I get home, I’ll see if I can make a list of the men I’ve met in London to make sure none of them have those initials.” Rhys put the watch in his jacket pocket. He was about to resume his safety lecture.
But he saw movement down the hall, his aunt giving a few female guests a tour of the newly redecorated house. He quickly closed the door, hoping none of them had seen him or Amanda.
He motioned for her to follow. They exited the sitting room through a side door that led into the library. Once they were back in the ballroom, he turned to Amanda, intending to tell her they should leave the ball, when he spotted a man who looked familiar. Yet, he couldn’t place where he’d seen the man before.
He was wearing an eye patch, which Rhys surely would remember, but perhaps he’d not needed it when they’d met before. Something about his appearance raised Rhys’s
suspicions. Could he have been sent by Les Centimes? Farrington had said the man would likely be someone they would recognize.
He led a reluctant-looking debutante onto the floor. Rhys wanted to follow the suspicious character and see if he could discover why this man seemed so familiar. He took Amanda’s hand and pulled her toward the dancers.
“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice much too loud for discretion.
“We’re going to waltz.” He placed a hand on her waist and maneuvered her into the correct position.
“I didn’t agree to dance with you. In fact, you never even asked. We need to talk, to discuss how to take care of our…” she paused and looked around as if realizing others were close enough to hear, “…problem.”
“I have a good reason for keeping you here.” He tried to indicate his seriousness with his tone. It must have worked, because she made no further protests.
He tried to keep his attention on the man he’d spotted as he twirled Amanda in circles that moved them closer to where the suspicious character was dancing. But the feeling of her body so close to his distracted him. Once again, he was surprised by how easily she followed the music.
He fought against the heat her nearness sent through him, but his cock reacted anyway. Why did she affect him so strongly? It wasn’t as if dancing with other women brought his cock to attention, even those who were bent on seducing him, or those he planned to take to his bed.
He deliberately pulled her closer than was acceptable, longing for her breasts to brush against his chest and her thighs to rub against his as they had during their kiss the night before. He wanted her to feel what she did to him. But he resisted the urge and loosened his hold, letting the space grow between them.
He was in a crowded ballroom with a woman whose reputation he had no intention of ruining, a woman whose life was in danger. He was trying to identify a man whose plot might destroy both England and France. He had to get his baser urges under control.
He forced himself to watch the familiar man and to ignore the warmth of Amanda’s skin. Finally, the music came to an end. His instincts
He pulled it openly slowly. No one jumped out so he put his hand on his gun and leaned from the room looking quickly from one side to the other. Nothing. Whoever had been there was gone now.
Hearing movement behind him, he turned to see Amanda standing close enough to touch him. “Damn it. I told you to hide.”
“I wanted to help.”
“We need to get some things straight right now. I—”
“What’s that?” She pointed to the floor.
Curiosity trumped Rhys’s need to scold her. He picked up the object. It was a gold watch with a broken chain. He turned it over and saw the initials W.B.L. engraved on the back. He handed it to Amanda. “Does this mean anything to you?” She stared at the watch, turning it over in her hands several times. “Nothing comes to mind. When I get home, I’ll see if I can make a list of the men I’ve met in London to make sure none of them have those initials.” Rhys put the watch in his jacket pocket. He was about to resume his safety lecture.
But he saw movement down the hall, his aunt giving a few female guests a tour of the newly redecorated house. He quickly closed the door, hoping none of them had seen him or Amanda.
He motioned for her to follow. They exited the sitting room through a side door that led into the library. Once they were back in the ballroom, he turned to Amanda, intending to tell her they should leave the ball, when he spotted a man who looked familiar. Yet, he couldn’t place where he’d seen the man before.
He was wearing an eye patch, which Rhys surely would remember, but perhaps he’d not needed it when they’d met before. Something about his appearance raised Rhys’s
suspicions. Could he have been sent by Les Centimes? Farrington had said the man would likely be someone they would recognize.
He led a reluctant-looking debutante onto the floor. Rhys wanted to follow the suspicious character and see if he could discover why this man seemed so familiar. He took Amanda’s hand and pulled her toward the dancers.
“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice much too loud for discretion.
“We’re going to waltz.” He placed a hand on her waist and maneuvered her into the correct position.
“I didn’t agree to dance with you. In fact, you never even asked. We need to talk, to discuss how to take care of our…” she paused and looked around as if realizing others were close enough to hear, “…problem.”
“I have a good reason for keeping you here.” He tried to indicate his seriousness with his tone. It must have worked, because she made no further protests.
He tried to keep his attention on the man he’d spotted as he twirled Amanda in circles that moved them closer to where the suspicious character was dancing. But the feeling of her body so close to his distracted him. Once again, he was surprised by how easily she followed the music.
He fought against the heat her nearness sent through him, but his cock reacted anyway. Why did she affect him so strongly? It wasn’t as if dancing with other women brought his cock to attention, even those who were bent on seducing him, or those he planned to take to his bed.
He deliberately pulled her closer than was acceptable, longing for her breasts to brush against his chest and her thighs to rub against his as they had during their kiss the night before. He wanted her to feel what she did to him. But he resisted the urge and loosened his hold, letting the space grow between them.
He was in a crowded ballroom with a woman whose reputation he had no intention of ruining, a woman whose life was in danger. He was trying to identify a man whose plot might destroy both England and France. He had to get his baser urges under control.
He forced himself to watch the familiar man and to ignore the warmth of Amanda’s skin. Finally, the music came to an end. His instincts
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