The Accidental Courtesan Read Free

what she’d done, so Noelle had taken everything she said with a bit of skepticism.
    Indeed, this man was as tall as Bliss had described, but he didn’t have the pale skin of the gentry. His sculpted torso was a golden bronze, as if he’d spent all his time, shirtless, in the sun. His hair was light brown and streaked through by the sunlight that had darkened his flesh.
    A pair of shadowed eyes peered at her from beneath a few strands of loose hair as he moved toward her, slowly and with a savage grace that wobbled her knees. She knew the earl was a well-respected member of the Ton—a status that didn’t fit the untamed beauty of the man before her.
    Just then she understood what it meant when her sister Eva explained the sensual feelings her husband, His Grace, evoked in her when he held her in his arms. Noelle had felt something for this man while sprawled beneath him on the bed and hadn’t quite understood the feeling. It was a sensual pull toward a faceless stranger.
    Sensual pull?
    In that moment, a plan took root in her mind. If she could find a way to distract the earl, she could escape. And there was only one way for a woman to distract a man fully and completely. That much she’d gleaned from her time around courtesans. So she waited until he was close enough to reach out and touch.
    Noelle settled what she hoped was a seductive smile on her lips, then lifted her hand and placed it on his chest. He twitched beneath her fingers. She had to remind herself to keep breathing as she stared at his mouth.
    â€œI am not a thief, My Lord Seabrook.” Noelle fluttered her lashes and widened her eyes. “You mistake my intentions.”
    â€œIndeed?” He looked down at her clothing and tugged the black fabric at her waist. The effort brought her a half step closer. “You are certainly dressed as such, Milady.”
    The dark clothes were difficult to explain. She had to redirect his attention. Quickly.
    Slowly, Noelle drew her hand down his chest, and the supple skin trembled beneath her touch. Curiosity and anonymity and fear of hanging led her to boldness. He was magnificent. She wondered if his skin tasted as exotic as it smelled. Scandalized by her thoughts, a virginal flush burned her cheeks and drifted all the way down to her toes.
    â€œI’ve heard you are casting about for a new courtesan, and I’ve taken these desperate measures to be the first to offer my services.” She touched the tip of her tongue to her bottom lip. “I find you very, very desirable.”
    The last was not a lie and slid easily off her tongue.
    A slow grin passed over his face, yet he didn’t speak. Instead, he turned his attention to the golden strands that had escaped her braid during her climb. He examined his find with a grin.
    â€œI shall enjoy seeing it unbound.”
    The cool air of the room tingled across her skin. Noelle looked down to see he’d loosened her shirt. Her lacy chemise kept her covered and prevented his perusal of her breasts. Barely.
    Noelle forced herself to remain calm as he shoved the shirt farther up to cup her full and thinly veiled breasts. Her nipples budded beneath his palms. A wicked smile tugged his lips, and she ached to kiss him again.
    In this moment, with this man, she wasn’t the proper and soon-to-be spinster Lady Seymour, but a reckless adventuress who climbed a trellis and entered a window in the middle of the night to return a necklace and kiss a handsome stranger with abandon.
    â€œHow desirable do you find me?” he asked softly, his fingertips tugging at a nipple through the thin cloth. She suppressed a moan. Her legs threatened to collapse as a warning bell sounded in her head.
    There was something strange about this man that had nothing to do with his scandalous behavior. Yet, she couldn’t put her finger on exactly what roused her suspicions, no matter how hard she tried to focus.
    She leaned against him to stop the