Read Online The Hellion and The Heartbreaker by Jennifer McNare - Free Book Online
Authors: Jennifer McNare
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her appearance. With Tess’ help, she arranged her hair into an
artful mass of curls intertwined with sapphire ribbons that cascaded elegantly
down her back. She chose a beautiful off the shoulder gown of deep
sapphire blue to compliment her eyes, the style simple yet elegant.
Carefully, she attached her late mother’s diamond and sapphire earbobs to her
ears, then decided to forgo the matching necklace, leaving her neck and upper
chest bare. The gown’s neckline was cut low enough to show off the
rounded swell of her breasts and the tightly cinched waist accentuated the
slimness of her figure. When Tess wasn’t looking, she tugged the neckline
down a tiny bit more. It was perfect. Georgie might have considered
it a touch risqué, but Bethany would definitely approve.
When she entered the parlor a short time later, she found
that the men had all gathered once again and were presently laughing at
something that had just been said. Her breath caught at the sight of Alec
standing across the room. He was dressed in a superbly-cut black dinner
jacket, a finely embroidered waistcoat, a pristine white shirt and black
trousers. His thick dark hair was combed and styled to perfection, his
skin was freshly shaved and a snowy white cravat was tied elegantly around his
neck. She scarcely noticed her similarly clad brothers as she took in
every last detail of Alec’s appearance. He turned then, noting her
entrance, his face still reflecting his laughter. To Scarlett, he looked
like a prince from a fairytale.
Alec’s eyes widened at the sight of Scarlett, exquisite in a
sapphire-colored gown that complemented her bold coloring perfectly.
“Scarlett, join us,” Rory said, noticing her presence.
“Conner was just telling us the funniest story.”
“Oh really, and what story was that?” she asked as she made
her way into the room, her skirt rustling softly around her legs as she moved.
Colin immediately sent his younger brother a quelling look.
“Well, um… it wasn’t actually that funny,” Rory
quickly back peddled, obviously realizing, albeit belatedly, that the topic of
the story might be deemed a bit racy for her ears.
Scarlett’s brows lifted in a knowing fashion.
“That is to say…er…it wasn’t…” he stammered, glancing
helplessly about.
Gavin rolled his eyes at his twin. “Let’s go eat!” he
said, letting his floundering brother off the hook.
Despite the presence of their guest, or perhaps because of
it, dinner was a lively and boisterous affair, even more so than usual.
The wine flowed as easily as the conversation, and before long Scarlett was
feeling a bit tipsy. She rarely had more than one glass of wine with dinner,
but Alec’s presence had her feeling slightly unsettled. The additional
glasses she’d consumed were definitely helping to calm her nerves, and before
long she was feeling surprisingly at ease. With her nervousness under
control, she decided to try out a few of her newly acquired skills.
According to Bethany, her beauty was a powerful tool, and starting tonight she
intended to use it.
Seated directly across from Alec, Scarlett’s gaze drifted
toward him, but instead of a brief glance, her eyes lingered on his face.
Becoming aware of her steady regard, Alec turned his head and met her
stare. Instead of demurely lowering her eyes, Scarlett continued to look
at him, tilting her lips upward in the hint of a smile. It was a
seductive look, boldly conveying her interest. At Bethany’s insistence,
she’d practiced it over and over until she had gotten it just right. The
expression on Alec’s face told her all she needed to know. The Duke of
Worthe clearly wasn’t immune to her charms. His interest had definitely
been piqued.
She longed to try her hand at flirting, but with her brothers
present it was probably best to wait for a more opportune time. Flirting
was so unlike her, they would pick up on it in an
artful mass of curls intertwined with sapphire ribbons that cascaded elegantly
down her back. She chose a beautiful off the shoulder gown of deep
sapphire blue to compliment her eyes, the style simple yet elegant.
Carefully, she attached her late mother’s diamond and sapphire earbobs to her
ears, then decided to forgo the matching necklace, leaving her neck and upper
chest bare. The gown’s neckline was cut low enough to show off the
rounded swell of her breasts and the tightly cinched waist accentuated the
slimness of her figure. When Tess wasn’t looking, she tugged the neckline
down a tiny bit more. It was perfect. Georgie might have considered
it a touch risqué, but Bethany would definitely approve.
When she entered the parlor a short time later, she found
that the men had all gathered once again and were presently laughing at
something that had just been said. Her breath caught at the sight of Alec
standing across the room. He was dressed in a superbly-cut black dinner
jacket, a finely embroidered waistcoat, a pristine white shirt and black
trousers. His thick dark hair was combed and styled to perfection, his
skin was freshly shaved and a snowy white cravat was tied elegantly around his
neck. She scarcely noticed her similarly clad brothers as she took in
every last detail of Alec’s appearance. He turned then, noting her
entrance, his face still reflecting his laughter. To Scarlett, he looked
like a prince from a fairytale.
Alec’s eyes widened at the sight of Scarlett, exquisite in a
sapphire-colored gown that complemented her bold coloring perfectly.
“Scarlett, join us,” Rory said, noticing her presence.
“Conner was just telling us the funniest story.”
“Oh really, and what story was that?” she asked as she made
her way into the room, her skirt rustling softly around her legs as she moved.
Colin immediately sent his younger brother a quelling look.
“Well, um… it wasn’t actually that funny,” Rory
quickly back peddled, obviously realizing, albeit belatedly, that the topic of
the story might be deemed a bit racy for her ears.
Scarlett’s brows lifted in a knowing fashion.
“That is to say…er…it wasn’t…” he stammered, glancing
helplessly about.
Gavin rolled his eyes at his twin. “Let’s go eat!” he
said, letting his floundering brother off the hook.
Despite the presence of their guest, or perhaps because of
it, dinner was a lively and boisterous affair, even more so than usual.
The wine flowed as easily as the conversation, and before long Scarlett was
feeling a bit tipsy. She rarely had more than one glass of wine with dinner,
but Alec’s presence had her feeling slightly unsettled. The additional
glasses she’d consumed were definitely helping to calm her nerves, and before
long she was feeling surprisingly at ease. With her nervousness under
control, she decided to try out a few of her newly acquired skills.
According to Bethany, her beauty was a powerful tool, and starting tonight she
intended to use it.
Seated directly across from Alec, Scarlett’s gaze drifted
toward him, but instead of a brief glance, her eyes lingered on his face.
Becoming aware of her steady regard, Alec turned his head and met her
stare. Instead of demurely lowering her eyes, Scarlett continued to look
at him, tilting her lips upward in the hint of a smile. It was a
seductive look, boldly conveying her interest. At Bethany’s insistence,
she’d practiced it over and over until she had gotten it just right. The
expression on Alec’s face told her all she needed to know. The Duke of
Worthe clearly wasn’t immune to her charms. His interest had definitely
been piqued.
She longed to try her hand at flirting, but with her brothers
present it was probably best to wait for a more opportune time. Flirting
was so unlike her, they would pick up on it in an
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