Master of Seduction Read Free Page B

in sudden need.
    “’Tis the greatest pleasure to meet you, mademoiselle ,” he said in that voice that wavered somewhere between thunder and warm honey.
    When he neglected to release her hand immediately, Justin clicked his heels together and made a curt bow to draw the count’s attention. “I am Lieutenant Justin Wallingford.”
    Immediately, the count dropped her hand. His features grew still and masked, and some heated emotion sparked within the count’s eyes. It was raw and primeval, and if Lorelei didn’t know better, she’d swear it was hatred.
    “So, you’re the youngest son of Gabriel Wallingford.”
    “You know my father?” Justin asked, stiffening his spine with pride.
    The count’s smile was cold, formal. “Why, yes, yes I do. He’s an old family friend.”
    There was definitely something hidden in those words. Lorelei was certain of it.
    The count continued to scan the crowd. “Is he by chance here this evening?”
    Justin shook his head. “He’s not due back into port for another week.”
    Disappointment flashed across the count’s features an instant before he hid the emotion. “Pity.”
    The count turned to face Lorelei. “I see the dancers are getting ready for the next set. Might I have the pleasure of your company, Miss Dupree?”
    “Lorelei doesn’t like to dance,” Justin inserted before she could even part her lips to respond.
    The count ignored him and gave her a bold, assessing look. “ Mademoiselle ?”
    “I would love to,” Lorelei said before she thought better of it.
    By the look on Justin’s face, she could tell it was the wrong answer. So be it. She could handle him well enough. He would forgive her on the morrow. He always did.
    She took the count’s proffered arm and he led her to the floor. As soon as they took their places, the music started.
    Surrounded by his strong arms, Lorelei felt jittery and nervous, like a young girl facing her first dance at her debutante ball. The count’s appealing scent of sandalwood and ash filled her head.
    With every precise, perfect step he took, she could feel the raw power of him. He was like a caged lion just waiting for the chance to pounce as he swept her around the floor.
    Against the dandies and pale faces of the crowd, his tanned, handsome face stood out. But it was more than that. There was definitely something dangerous about this man, as if he were hiding something from her.
    She could feel it deep within her soul.
    Was he a Patriot spy, or perhaps a double agent working for England? He could even be one of the blockade runners that had been flooding into Charleston since the British had overtaken the port city and sealed it off.
    “Have you been in the Colonies long?” she asked.
    “I’ve never been anywhere long.”
    “Not even Bulgaria?”
    “Lately,” he added with a disarming smile. “I haven’t been anywhere long lately.”
    Again, she sensed he was hiding something from her and she was determined to find out what. “Might I be so bold as to ask who invited you to the party?”
    His eyes danced with humor. “I don’t want to talk about me, mademoiselle . Tell me about you.”
    “Me?” she asked with a frown.
    “Yes, tell me how an enchanting creature such as yourself became engaged to a pasty-faced Englishman.”
    Anger flared and she sputtered for a moment. “Justin is not pasty-faced.”
    He looked to where Justin stood to the side of the floor, watching them like a cat protecting its kitten. “He is no match for you, milovidnost .”
    “I don’t understand that last word.”
    “It’s Bulgarian, and you are avoiding my point.”
    Regaining her lost composure, she looked up at him from under her lashes. Lorelei was a master when it came to the art of flirtation and she knew the ploy he was using. It was one she’d confronted numerous times—disparage the competition. How many times had a man belittled the object of her affection while holding himself up as the very model of her perfect