Read Online Seduced by His Touch by Tracy Anne Warren - Free Book Online Page B

she was the G. L. Danvers, his surprise and admiration had in no way been feigned. He really did own one of her folios, and his esteem of her artistic talent was genuine. His motives and methods in pursuing her might not be strictly honorable, but that didn’t mean the whole of their dealings were false. Of course, Grace might not see it that way should she ever learn about his bargain with her father, he thought with an inner wince.
    But she won’t find out, he promised himself. He would make certain of it. And so he had nothing to worry about. Nothing whatsoever.
    “I understand there is a labyrinth here,” he said, cutting off his own uncomfortable thoughts. “Do you like mazes?”
    She nodded, her eyes appearing more blue than grey today in the brilliant sunlight, her red hair gleaming like fire-colored silk beneath her bonnet. His hands itched suddenly to slip the little hat free of its moorings and send it sailing so he could spear his fingers deep into her tresses. And then he would kiss her, taking her mouth in a zealous joining that would soon have her aching for more. He nearly reached for her, but stayed himself. He’d waited this long; he could wait a while more.
    Quietly, he cleared his throat. “Shall we go inside, then?” he asked, directing their footsteps along the path that led to the labyrinth. “I’ll even give you the advantage of going in before me. We can make a game of it and see which one of us reaches the center first.”
    “I haven’t been inside a maze since I was a little girl,” she confided.
    “Then it would seem a repeat of the experience is long overdue.”
    They soon arrived at the maze entrance, the precisely trimmed boxwood hedge rising upward in a seemingly impenetrable wall of thick, leafy green. The warm, ripe scent of vegetation hung in the air, birds chirping in nearby tree branches, while a pair of butterflies danced on the light breeze.
    Yet Jack was barely aware of anything except the woman at his side and his anticipation of the mock hunt to come.
    “I’ll give you to the count of ten,” he declared, tucking her satchel into a sheltered spot just inside the entrance where he felt certain it would be safe. “Hurry along now, else I catch you.” Crossing his arms over his chest, he turned his back to the maze opening. “One!”
    Grace sprinted away.
    “Two!” he called in a carrying voice. “I can still hear you.”
    She giggled, bushes rustling as she clearly ran into her first obstacle.
    “Three!”
    The sound of her passing grew more distant, the accelerating beat of his heart taking its place.
    “Four!”
    He heard an “oh drat” and smiled, trying to estimate how far into the maze she had likely traveled.
    “Five!”
    Her footfalls faded into silence, as he fought the urge to turn in search of a lingering view.
    “Six!”
    I shouldn’t have given her so much time.
    “Seven!”
    What if she eludes me?
    “Eight!”
    What if she doesn’t?
    “Nine!”
    Almost there.
    “Ten! Ready or not, here I come!”
    Turning sharply on his heel, he headed inside.
     

    Grace bit her lip and forced herself not to giggle, her feet flying as she hurried along a narrow corridor of greenery that towered far above her head.
    A few moments later, Lord Jack finished his count of ten and started after her. Soon, a distant rustling sounded, making her wonder if he’d blundered into the same trap in which she’d also been temporarily ensnared. But he was smart and resourceful and would soon find his way free.
    Knowing she dare not waste a second, she continued on. Yet each turn looked frustratingly like the one before, every angle leading to a potential trap. Coming to a new break in the foliage, she stopped and looked right, then left, wondering which choice led in the correct direction.
    Behind her, she couldn’t hear Jack at all now, his progress silent despite his large physique. He might be tall, but he was agile, quick and stealthy on his feet. She knew how a doe