Read Online Adele Ashworth by Stolen Charms - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Stolen Charms
Ads: Link
enormous saucers of disbelief, astonishment. He couldn’t possibly be serious.
“You can’t sleep . . .” She swallowed, unable even to say it. He was observing her reaction closely as he stood in front of the door, blocking it from her with his large, imposing frame, waiting for the shock to be absorbed.
He was serious. And still he didn’t say a word.
Her pulse quickened in panic. “You can’t stay here, Jonathan.”
“I have to stay here, Natalie,” he insisted evenly, and very slowly.
Seconds ticked by in deathly stillness before she managed to find enough of her voice to whisper, “Why?”
He reached for the lamp bolted to the small stand to his right, turning it up for brighter light. Then he leaned back against the door, folding his arms across his chest.
“For two reasons, really,” he replied contemplatively. “The first is that you have placed yourself in my care, my protection—”
“Protection?” she interjected in wonder, growing more apprehensive by the second. “You’re going to protect me after accosting me only hours out of port?”
“I didn’t accost you, Natalie, I kissed you,” he asserted with a dash of annoyance. “There’s a world of difference.”
She glared at him. “And who is now to protect me from you, sir?”
“The second reason,” he continued, ignoring her question, “is that my reputation matters, too. I have serious business in France that will place me in elite circles. If you wish to go with me you must be willing to pose as my wife. Nobody can ever begin to assume I travel with my mistress, and that’s the only conclusion people will draw if they know I brought you with me.”
“We could pose as—as cousins,” she blurted in near desperation, thoroughly appalled at his nerve.
He shook his head. “That would never work, and you know it. We look nothing alike, and the attraction between us will be obvious to everyone. Better to act on it than try to hide it.” With a smirk, he added, “It’s a challenge, a game to be played, Natalie, and we must start playing it now.”
She gaped at him, finding it truly unbelievable that he would talk about them as if they were lovers, that he would want to pose as such to strangers. He was so matter-of-fact, so blatantly devious! He’d planned this from the start, had known about it all day, and had left her to learn of his intentions when she couldn’t do anything, least of all run. Where would she go on a ship in the dead of night? Her only option appeared to be overboard.
“Why did you wait until now to tell me we’d be sharing a . . .” She gestured with a flick of her wrist. “A . . .”
He leaned toward her. “A bed?”
She huffed. “Why?”
He reached up and rubbed his jaw with his palm. “I didn’t want you to change your mind and walk off the ship,” he admitted prosaically.
“You . . .” She faltered at his honest response, flushing ever so softly, closing her arms in front of her protectively and running her fingertips along the lace on her sleeve. “You . . .”
“. . . need you, Natalie,” he finished for her again. After a moment’s hesitation, he amended, “To pose as my wife.”
“You planned this,” she charged vehemently.
He slowly shook his head, his eyes narrowing to sly, gray-blue slits of conquest. “I believe it was you who walked into my home six days ago in search of help. I’m merely taking advantage of the situation.”
Oh, he was a devil! If he wanted to play games, fine with her. She could act any part magnificently. But woe was him. He couldn’t possibly know she was one of the best.
“What of the Black Knight?” she questioned suspiciously. “Do you still plan to introduce us?”
He shrugged. “I intend to, although everything will be on my terms, on my time line, as we agreed before we left England.”
They stared at each other, his expression decidedly blank and unreadable, hers weighing the challenge, calculating possible results of
“You can’t sleep . . .” She swallowed, unable even to say it. He was observing her reaction closely as he stood in front of the door, blocking it from her with his large, imposing frame, waiting for the shock to be absorbed.
He was serious. And still he didn’t say a word.
Her pulse quickened in panic. “You can’t stay here, Jonathan.”
“I have to stay here, Natalie,” he insisted evenly, and very slowly.
Seconds ticked by in deathly stillness before she managed to find enough of her voice to whisper, “Why?”
He reached for the lamp bolted to the small stand to his right, turning it up for brighter light. Then he leaned back against the door, folding his arms across his chest.
“For two reasons, really,” he replied contemplatively. “The first is that you have placed yourself in my care, my protection—”
“Protection?” she interjected in wonder, growing more apprehensive by the second. “You’re going to protect me after accosting me only hours out of port?”
“I didn’t accost you, Natalie, I kissed you,” he asserted with a dash of annoyance. “There’s a world of difference.”
She glared at him. “And who is now to protect me from you, sir?”
“The second reason,” he continued, ignoring her question, “is that my reputation matters, too. I have serious business in France that will place me in elite circles. If you wish to go with me you must be willing to pose as my wife. Nobody can ever begin to assume I travel with my mistress, and that’s the only conclusion people will draw if they know I brought you with me.”
“We could pose as—as cousins,” she blurted in near desperation, thoroughly appalled at his nerve.
He shook his head. “That would never work, and you know it. We look nothing alike, and the attraction between us will be obvious to everyone. Better to act on it than try to hide it.” With a smirk, he added, “It’s a challenge, a game to be played, Natalie, and we must start playing it now.”
She gaped at him, finding it truly unbelievable that he would talk about them as if they were lovers, that he would want to pose as such to strangers. He was so matter-of-fact, so blatantly devious! He’d planned this from the start, had known about it all day, and had left her to learn of his intentions when she couldn’t do anything, least of all run. Where would she go on a ship in the dead of night? Her only option appeared to be overboard.
“Why did you wait until now to tell me we’d be sharing a . . .” She gestured with a flick of her wrist. “A . . .”
He leaned toward her. “A bed?”
She huffed. “Why?”
He reached up and rubbed his jaw with his palm. “I didn’t want you to change your mind and walk off the ship,” he admitted prosaically.
“You . . .” She faltered at his honest response, flushing ever so softly, closing her arms in front of her protectively and running her fingertips along the lace on her sleeve. “You . . .”
“. . . need you, Natalie,” he finished for her again. After a moment’s hesitation, he amended, “To pose as my wife.”
“You planned this,” she charged vehemently.
He slowly shook his head, his eyes narrowing to sly, gray-blue slits of conquest. “I believe it was you who walked into my home six days ago in search of help. I’m merely taking advantage of the situation.”
Oh, he was a devil! If he wanted to play games, fine with her. She could act any part magnificently. But woe was him. He couldn’t possibly know she was one of the best.
“What of the Black Knight?” she questioned suspiciously. “Do you still plan to introduce us?”
He shrugged. “I intend to, although everything will be on my terms, on my time line, as we agreed before we left England.”
They stared at each other, his expression decidedly blank and unreadable, hers weighing the challenge, calculating possible results of
Similar Books
