Hunting the Hero Read Free

me.”
    She shrugged as if the matter were of no importance. “Wagers are placed in any number of places and at any time about many things. Do you take offence to each and every one?”
    “I never said I was offended. I just doubt your ability to do as you claim.”
    Calista’s lips pressed together as if she was annoyed by his skepticism regarding her prowess in the bedroom. A wild impulse to laugh at her vexation rose in his chest. This woman did not like her claims to be challenged. That made him all the more determined to spend the night in her bed purely to see the lengths she would go to win her pretty bauble from the madam.
    Her eyes narrowed to slits. She might be tiny but perhaps she wasn’t as delicate as he’d first thought. Calista was no young miss but a mature woman, one who might have extensive experience in dealing with demanding men. Would she enjoy the challenge of her work, too?
    She stepped forward and held out her bare, ringless hand to him. “Calista, my lord.”
    He took her hand, noting the coldness of her slim fingers as he kissed the back of them. “A pleasure.”
    He released her hand even while imagining that cold grip wrapped around his limbs and other parts. How long would it take to warm her until her skin glistened by firelight? He knew several ways to build a heat quickly, and a romp in between the sheets was certainly the most appealing.
    “A pleasure, certainly.” Calista circled him, her hand sweeping over his bottom in a fleeting caress. He withheld a groan, determined not to betray how deeply she affected him. “Not yet, but soon,” she said.
    The dark-haired woman raised a brow, as if daring him to disagree with her. For reasons he couldn’t fathom, he accepted her silent challenge. It wouldn’t be him to cry for mercy at the end of the night. She would be the one asking him for pleasure to cease. He held out his hand. “Very soon.”
    Amusement twinkled in her eyes and after a moment Calista placed her cold, slender hand in his. “Do you really believe you can handle me, my lord?”
    He gripped her tightly, feeling the bones of her hand shift within his. He relaxed his grip but didn’t dare let her go. “Oh, yes. I do.”  
     

 
     
    CHAPTER 2
     
    SINFULLY BEAUTIFUL MEN were Meredith Clark’s weakness, especially ones who didn’t notice the spell they cast over their captive audience. Known only as Calista in the secluded country brothel, Meredith Clark breathed deep, scenting the clean skin and earthy fragrance of Lord Grayling as he filled her starved senses. Her job might be to please those who came into her arms and bed, but gaining a little pleasure for herself in return was always an unlooked-for treat.
    “I believe I shall leave you in Calista’s capable hands, my lord. Do be sure to ring if you require the slightest embellishment to your night,” Linnie murmured, casting Meredith a look that warned she’d better not leave him wanting for anything. The madam departed soundlessly. Grayling barely acknowledged Linnie’s departure. He remained apart and returned Meredith’s frank stare.
    Meredith’s pulse quickened. Grayling was handsome and had an air of command. A fallen angel sent to lure any good woman to ruin. Not that Meredith’s ruin was possible or even probable now. She’d fallen as far as she could already without being forced to beg. Yet when she looked Grayling over from head to toe, the idea of begging this man for anything involving pleasure held an appeal she could not dismiss easily. Men of his caliber rarely came her way.
    Grayling’s eyes flowed over her from the top of her head to dainty, pointed slipper. Not a new situation. A whore was always leered at and she was prepared to be pleasing no matter the circumstances. Meredith looked her best tonight. The cream color of her fine muslin gown left few surprises for a gentleman’s imagination to fill. She enjoyed seeing their stunned, almost slavering, expressions. The majority of