Read Online An Affair in Winter (Seasons Book 1) by Jess Michaels - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jess Michaels
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the one who folded his arms now. His dark gaze, which two nights ago had been hooded and filled with passion, was now cold and emotionless. He was almost not the same man.
Except he was.
“Why wouldn’t you, if you thought it would help Celia’s case?” he asked, his tone as frosty as his expression.
She shook her head. “Her case ? What case?”
“Come, don’t tell me that you haven’t heard about my objections to the match between Stenfax and Miss Fitzgilbert.”
She thought of Celia’s upset the night before, the anxiety this man had caused her beloved younger sister. She glared at him. “Until I arrived last night and saw my sister, I had no idea of your existence, let alone that you wished to interfere in their arrangement.”
He snorted out a sound of derision that cut her to very core. “Please.”
“Don’t insinuate that I’m a liar,” Rosalinde said softly, proud that she didn’t shout when that was exactly what she wished to do. “You don’t know me.”
His eyes lit up at that statement, and for a moment the same passion that had flared between them two nights past returned to his expression. Only now it was angry passion. He took a long step toward her and her errant mind bombarded her at once with a dozen images from that night. Of his mouth lowering to hers, of his arms around her, of the pleasures of his tongue, of his taut expression as she rode him.
She saw those same things reflected in his eyes along with his mistrust, his anger, his cruelty. She was a fool, for even now, facing him for what he truly was, she wanted him.
She had to remember how hateful he was. Devastatingly handsome. But utterly hateful.
“Don’t I?” he whispered, his low tone trembling down her spine, making body clench against her will.
“N-No,” she stammered. “You don’t.”
For a moment, his gaze flitted over her face and his expression softened a fraction. But then he spun away with a cruel laugh.
“Perhaps I don’t fully grasp all your schemes, Mrs. Wilde. In fact, that is perfectly clear now. But you don’t know how far I am willing to go to stop my brother from making the biggest mistake of his life. I will bring this wedding to a halt. And not even your considerable wiles will stand in my way.”
He didn’t say anything else and he didn’t wait for her response. He merely strode out the door and left her standing in the music room, heated by both her anger toward him and the desire she didn’t want, didn’t need and apparently couldn’t control.
Chapter Seven
Gray threw the reins of his horse to the groom who rushed to greet him and stormed into the house. A long ride in the cold morning air had done nothing to restrain his out of control emotions. He was still just as angry as he had been when he walked away from Rosalinde in the music room.
Worse, he still wanted her just as much as he had then when her denials had sunk into his skin and made him want to believe their meeting was coincidence, the fate he had once whispered to her it was. He could have kissed her in that moment, he could have drawn her against him.
And had he done so, he would have been a fool all over again.
The best thing he could do was get rid of her. Her and her scheming sister and grandfather. So he rushed down the hallway until he reached Lucien’s office and threw the door open without even bothering to knock.
His brother sat at his desk, papers strewn around him. He lifted his gaze slowly as Gray entered without leave and slammed the door behind him. Although Lucien pressed his lips together in a deep frown, otherwise he seemed unfazed by Gray’s obvious temper.
“What is wrong with you?” Lucien asked. “And where have you been? You were meant to show Mrs. Wilde around the house, but it was obvious she got a truncated version of the home, judging from how swiftly she returned to the parlor. Felicity had to take up the duty after her seamstress departed.”
Gray waved his hand to
Except he was.
“Why wouldn’t you, if you thought it would help Celia’s case?” he asked, his tone as frosty as his expression.
She shook her head. “Her case ? What case?”
“Come, don’t tell me that you haven’t heard about my objections to the match between Stenfax and Miss Fitzgilbert.”
She thought of Celia’s upset the night before, the anxiety this man had caused her beloved younger sister. She glared at him. “Until I arrived last night and saw my sister, I had no idea of your existence, let alone that you wished to interfere in their arrangement.”
He snorted out a sound of derision that cut her to very core. “Please.”
“Don’t insinuate that I’m a liar,” Rosalinde said softly, proud that she didn’t shout when that was exactly what she wished to do. “You don’t know me.”
His eyes lit up at that statement, and for a moment the same passion that had flared between them two nights past returned to his expression. Only now it was angry passion. He took a long step toward her and her errant mind bombarded her at once with a dozen images from that night. Of his mouth lowering to hers, of his arms around her, of the pleasures of his tongue, of his taut expression as she rode him.
She saw those same things reflected in his eyes along with his mistrust, his anger, his cruelty. She was a fool, for even now, facing him for what he truly was, she wanted him.
She had to remember how hateful he was. Devastatingly handsome. But utterly hateful.
“Don’t I?” he whispered, his low tone trembling down her spine, making body clench against her will.
“N-No,” she stammered. “You don’t.”
For a moment, his gaze flitted over her face and his expression softened a fraction. But then he spun away with a cruel laugh.
“Perhaps I don’t fully grasp all your schemes, Mrs. Wilde. In fact, that is perfectly clear now. But you don’t know how far I am willing to go to stop my brother from making the biggest mistake of his life. I will bring this wedding to a halt. And not even your considerable wiles will stand in my way.”
He didn’t say anything else and he didn’t wait for her response. He merely strode out the door and left her standing in the music room, heated by both her anger toward him and the desire she didn’t want, didn’t need and apparently couldn’t control.
Chapter Seven
Gray threw the reins of his horse to the groom who rushed to greet him and stormed into the house. A long ride in the cold morning air had done nothing to restrain his out of control emotions. He was still just as angry as he had been when he walked away from Rosalinde in the music room.
Worse, he still wanted her just as much as he had then when her denials had sunk into his skin and made him want to believe their meeting was coincidence, the fate he had once whispered to her it was. He could have kissed her in that moment, he could have drawn her against him.
And had he done so, he would have been a fool all over again.
The best thing he could do was get rid of her. Her and her scheming sister and grandfather. So he rushed down the hallway until he reached Lucien’s office and threw the door open without even bothering to knock.
His brother sat at his desk, papers strewn around him. He lifted his gaze slowly as Gray entered without leave and slammed the door behind him. Although Lucien pressed his lips together in a deep frown, otherwise he seemed unfazed by Gray’s obvious temper.
“What is wrong with you?” Lucien asked. “And where have you been? You were meant to show Mrs. Wilde around the house, but it was obvious she got a truncated version of the home, judging from how swiftly she returned to the parlor. Felicity had to take up the duty after her seamstress departed.”
Gray waved his hand to
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