Pleasuring the Lady (The Pleasure Wars) Read Free Page A

surprised to see me approach you. Do we know each other, my lady?”
    She swallowed and then shook her head. When she didn’t say anything else, Miles moved a little closer.
    “I don’t think I’ve seen you here before.”
    She shook her head again, her eyes focused intently on his face.  
    He smiled at her refusal to speak. If this was a game to obtain his interest, it was well-played. Her silence gave her an air of mystery that he found fascinating, indeed.
    “You said hello, so I know you are capable of speech,” he said with a chuckle.
    She shivered, almost as if the sound of his laughter had touched her in an unexpected way. She hesitated a moment, then she said in another low whisper, “I am, my lord.”
    He arched a brow. Did she assume he was titled or know ? He still couldn’t tell.  
    “I’m sorry if you find me reluctant to speak,” she continued. “I-I really don’t know what to say to you.”
    He stared at her. “Your honesty is refreshing in this situation. I am a gentleman, so I would never do anything to make you uncomfortable. Would you prefer it if I choose the topic of our discourse? You may nod or shake your head in answer to me if that is more amenable to you.”
    She pulled the corner of her lip between her teeth and his gut clenched with a sudden desire. Her lips were full and he longed to feel them pressed to his flesh. Anywhere. Everywhere.
    “Well?” he asked, trying to keep his raging desire from being too obvious. Desperation was never an attractive trait.
    She nodded, a bit slowly.
    “Good. I would like to know more about you—”
    Before he could ask more, she shook her head hard, her eyes going wide and wild. He frowned.
    “Nothing to identify you,” he reassured her. “You say I have not seen you here before—have you been here before?”
    She seemed to consider the answer. To consider running away, but then she slowly shook her head in the negative.  
    “I see.” He looked her up and down. “Is there a reason you came here?”
    She dropped her chin, breaking their gaze and leaving him feeling strangely…lost. She nodded.
    “Hmm, that is very interesting,” he said, stroking his chin. He thought of all the possibilities of why a woman…perhaps a lady…would come to this desperate and debauched place.
    “Did you come to gamble?”
    She immediately shook her head.
    “Not to gamble. Then that must mean you came for the… other diversions this place offers.” He couldn’t help but grin, for that had been his hope with every step toward her.
    But to his surprise, she took a side-glance at some of the couples engaging in public sensuality. There were moans in the air, flashes of flesh. Her breath caught and she blushed, but he sensed her deep arousal beneath her shock. So she liked to watch…well, so did he.  
    She shook her head, though it was much slower and less certain than the other times she had indicated the negative.
    “Then did you come looking for someone?”
    She nodded, lifting her face back toward his, her desire faded in an instant.  
    “Your father?” he asked.
    She shook her head.
    “Your brother?” Another hesitation and the negative, indicated by the shake of her head. He took a deep breath. “Your husband?”
    Her cheeks filled with heated color as she shook her head.
    “Ah, I see. Someone you care for, though.” He tilted his head to watch her more carefully. This answer meant something to him, though he had no idea why.
    Her response was slow, but she nodded once. He scowled despite himself. So the woman had a lover…or a love she was seeking. It could not possibly matter to him. He had no ties to her.
    And yet he felt irritated. Frustrated. As if something had been stolen from him.
    “Do I know him?” he asked.
    She nodded swiftly and his body clenched. “I thought you said you did not know me. How would you know I was acquainted with the gentleman you seek?”
    Her lips parted and she took a step away. “I—” she gasped,