Read Online Seduced by a Spy by Andrea Pickens - Free Book Online

glow, highlighted by sultry green eyes that appeared an intriguing shade of smoky jade. Her nose was straight, in contrast to lushly full lips, whose soft curves invited the imagination to think of how they would taste, how they would feel.
    Orlov felt his mouth go dry. There was something fascinating about her fierceness. She was quite unlike any female he had ever known. Which, given the swath he had cut through the boudoirs of Europe and England, was a number he did not care to count up. In truth, none had been very memorable. Women seemed to tumble so easily into his bed.
    At that thought, his expression hovered between a grin and a grimace. She—when the devil would she tell him her name?—would put up an admirable fight on that score. Was that part of the challenge, the allure? God knows, he didn’t desire anything deeper from a woman than a fleeting coupling. Flesh entwined, then parting. Passion flaring hot, then cooling just as quickly to the ashes of memory.
    Emotional entanglements?
That was only asking for trouble.
    Distance, detachment.
Adhering to hard-and-fast rules was how one stayed out of danger.
    Still, he could not help but remark, “Speaking of unfair advantage,
golub
, You know my name, but have yet to reveal your own.”
    The faint scratch of her pen was the only answer.
    “Perhaps, as Bonaparte did with his Creole bride, I shall simply christen you with a name of my own choosing.”
    She snorted at the suggestion. “You are implying there is an intimacy between us? Hah!”
    Stung by her scorn, Orlov frowned. “More a mutual respect, forged in the heat of combat. There is always a certain camaraderie between soldiers, even if they are on opposing sides.”
    Shannon refused to look up from her paper. “There is
nothing
between us, Mr. Orlov.”
    “Methinks the lady protests too much,” he murmured under his breath.
    “Do not misquote Shakespeare.” She kept up her furious scribbling, pausing only long enough to slap a fresh page atop her pile.
    “I assure you, the words are quite accurate. I studied English literature at Oxford.”
    “I assure you, the sentiments are not. Though the fact may be a grievous blow to your vanity, not every female in Creation is longing to toss her skirts up for you.”
    “Indeed. I have never seen
you
wearing aught but breeches.”
    She flushed and fell silent. But not before muttering something that included the words “odious” and “ass.”
    Still scowling, Shannon finished writing her report and read over the pages. Lynsley ought to be satisfied with the account. She had been thorough in recording all the details of the mission. Perhaps too thorough. It was a pity that Orlov’s presence had to be mentioned. Some things were best left unsaid.
    Such as an inexplicable attraction to a rogue.
    Was his allure yet another indication of her unsteady temperament?
By all rational measure, it made no sense. She fought for noble principles while he scavenged for personal gain. She should, by all rights, loathe him. And yet…
    A groan, hardly more than a breath of air, gave her a guilty start. To be fair, the Russian was not all bad. He possessed a stoic courage and an ironic sense of humor. Not once had he complained of the pain, or the quirk of fate that had caused the bullet to rip through his flesh rather than hers.
    Luck?
As Shannon fingered the silver charm beneath her shirt, she found herself wondering about that moment. What had moved Orlov to leap to her rescue?
A code of honor?
By his own admission, he had none. She made a face. Perhaps he had simply tripped in his haste to save his own skin.
    But there was no point dwelling on uncomfortable abstractions when there were more practical matters to deal with. Setting aside her pen, she rose and reached for her knife. “This pains me more than it does you, Mr. Orlov. But it’s time to change your bandages.”
    “I am always ready to rouse myself to your touch.”
    “While I cannot wait to be done with