Read Online An Affair in Winter (Seasons Book 1) by Jess Michaels - Free Book Online
Authors: Jess Michaels
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simply staring at her plate, not engaged with those around her. Certainly she never looked at him.
What the hell was going on?
He’d left this woman in his bed at the inn the previous morning, his mind filled with longing and faint desires for something he knew he could never have. To see her here, to know she was the sister of a woman he was bound to break from his brother…
It set him on his head.
As did she. Had she known his true identity all along? Was her behavior toward him, her surrender, all a way to divert him from his path?
And why did she have to be so beautiful? More beautiful than he’d remembered, if that was even possible. He’d been dreaming of her since, obsessed with each second they’d shared.
Stenfax cleared his throat gently. “You are quiet, Gray.”
Gray blinked, focusing on Lucien as best he could. “You never told me the last name of Celia’s sister,” he bit out softly.
Lucien wrinkled his brow and looked down the table at the subject of their conversation. Rosalinde was picking at her food with her fork now, but still hadn’t taken a bite.
“I didn’t find it all that important,” Lucien said, leaning in to give their conversation more privacy. “And it wasn’t as if you were around to meet her until now. Why do you inquire about her at all?”
“No reason,” Gray said, fisting his hands against his thighs under the table.
Lucien’s mouth tightened with obvious irritation and he glared at Gray. “You and I are going to have to have a talk about your coldness toward my fiancée and her family.”
Gray almost laughed. Coldness. Well, that might apply to the grasping Miss Fitzgilbert and her grandfather, but he had been anything but cold toward Rosalinde. The absolute opposite had been true in that tiny chamber on a stolen night.
He could already imagine Lucien’s horror if his brother ever found out about that .
“I would very much like to discuss it,” Gray said.
“Stenfax,” their mother said, drawing Lucien’s attention away from Gray for the moment.
Gray took a long breath and stared at Rosalinde once more. At last she let her gaze dart to him, and when she found him staring she immediately blushed and refocused on her plate. Her hands were shaking, so she shoved them beneath the table’s edge. Celia was sitting next to her and leaned in, whispering something to her. Rosalinde shook her head and murmured words in return, but her gaze didn’t return to him.
Anger bubbled up in him, joining the confusion he’d felt since first seeing her here in his brother’s house. He hated to think Rosalinde might be part of her sister’s game, but he had to consider it. He didn’t trust Celia, she was a title hunter if ever he’d met one, and his brother had already suffered from one of those in his life. He’d nearly…well, Gray wasn’t going to consider what Lucien had nearly done after being tricked by a woman with greed in her heart. Gray was determined never to have it happen again.
Rosalinde licked her lips, and slowly her gaze sought his. For the first time since he walked into the room, she held her eyes on his and he was lost, albeit briefly, in the bright blue. He had touched this woman, tasted her, felt her writhe above and beneath him. Worse yet, he still ached to touch her, even now when he questioned her motives.
He ached to feel her body wrap around his.
“Grayson, you have hardly touched your food,” his mother said, leaning forward to talk to him around Lucien.
Gray forced a smile for her. “I find I’m not very hungry, Mama, that is all.”
“You and Mrs. Wilde have the same affliction, then,” Lady Stenfax laughed. “She has also hardly eaten a bite.”
Rosalinde jerked her gaze up at the mention of her name. “I apologize, my lady. I suppose the travel has turned my schedule around.”
Lady Stenfax nodded. “It will do that to the digestion, I know. Perhaps a walk will help. You wanted to see the house, yes? I know Celia and
What the hell was going on?
He’d left this woman in his bed at the inn the previous morning, his mind filled with longing and faint desires for something he knew he could never have. To see her here, to know she was the sister of a woman he was bound to break from his brother…
It set him on his head.
As did she. Had she known his true identity all along? Was her behavior toward him, her surrender, all a way to divert him from his path?
And why did she have to be so beautiful? More beautiful than he’d remembered, if that was even possible. He’d been dreaming of her since, obsessed with each second they’d shared.
Stenfax cleared his throat gently. “You are quiet, Gray.”
Gray blinked, focusing on Lucien as best he could. “You never told me the last name of Celia’s sister,” he bit out softly.
Lucien wrinkled his brow and looked down the table at the subject of their conversation. Rosalinde was picking at her food with her fork now, but still hadn’t taken a bite.
“I didn’t find it all that important,” Lucien said, leaning in to give their conversation more privacy. “And it wasn’t as if you were around to meet her until now. Why do you inquire about her at all?”
“No reason,” Gray said, fisting his hands against his thighs under the table.
Lucien’s mouth tightened with obvious irritation and he glared at Gray. “You and I are going to have to have a talk about your coldness toward my fiancée and her family.”
Gray almost laughed. Coldness. Well, that might apply to the grasping Miss Fitzgilbert and her grandfather, but he had been anything but cold toward Rosalinde. The absolute opposite had been true in that tiny chamber on a stolen night.
He could already imagine Lucien’s horror if his brother ever found out about that .
“I would very much like to discuss it,” Gray said.
“Stenfax,” their mother said, drawing Lucien’s attention away from Gray for the moment.
Gray took a long breath and stared at Rosalinde once more. At last she let her gaze dart to him, and when she found him staring she immediately blushed and refocused on her plate. Her hands were shaking, so she shoved them beneath the table’s edge. Celia was sitting next to her and leaned in, whispering something to her. Rosalinde shook her head and murmured words in return, but her gaze didn’t return to him.
Anger bubbled up in him, joining the confusion he’d felt since first seeing her here in his brother’s house. He hated to think Rosalinde might be part of her sister’s game, but he had to consider it. He didn’t trust Celia, she was a title hunter if ever he’d met one, and his brother had already suffered from one of those in his life. He’d nearly…well, Gray wasn’t going to consider what Lucien had nearly done after being tricked by a woman with greed in her heart. Gray was determined never to have it happen again.
Rosalinde licked her lips, and slowly her gaze sought his. For the first time since he walked into the room, she held her eyes on his and he was lost, albeit briefly, in the bright blue. He had touched this woman, tasted her, felt her writhe above and beneath him. Worse yet, he still ached to touch her, even now when he questioned her motives.
He ached to feel her body wrap around his.
“Grayson, you have hardly touched your food,” his mother said, leaning forward to talk to him around Lucien.
Gray forced a smile for her. “I find I’m not very hungry, Mama, that is all.”
“You and Mrs. Wilde have the same affliction, then,” Lady Stenfax laughed. “She has also hardly eaten a bite.”
Rosalinde jerked her gaze up at the mention of her name. “I apologize, my lady. I suppose the travel has turned my schedule around.”
Lady Stenfax nodded. “It will do that to the digestion, I know. Perhaps a walk will help. You wanted to see the house, yes? I know Celia and
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