Two Shades of Seduction Read Free Page A

skin and the white material before he slowly pulled the loose knot away from her throat. The cravat tumbled open to expose her creamy throat. God, she was a tempting wench. Quentin tensed at the way his body was reacting to her. Without thinking, he pressed his thumb against the hollow of her throat enjoying the way her gasp moved her skin beneath his touch. Again, the netting fluttered wildly against her face.
    “My lord, please.”
    “Please is a subjective word, Miss Hamilton. Are you asking me to do something wicked? Or are you begging to tell me your reasons for this interesting proposition of yours?”
    “I…I wish to…oh bloody hell!”
    Her oath was so unexpected he found himself choking in an effort to swallow his laugh as she jerked away from him. Sophie Hamilton was by far the most interesting woman he’d ever met. The fact that she was Eleanor’s sister amazed him. Two women were never less alike. Eleanor had always tried to seduce him into doing what she wanted. Her sister didn’t seem to have the slightest notion of how to go about using her feminine charms to gain his assistance. She began to pace the floor, and she reminded him of a restless cat as she prowled the study’s frayed carpeting. A sleek, beautiful cat. The analogy made him grit his teeth. He needed to remember who she was. After a moment of tense silence, she stopped and whirled to face him.
    “What my father did to you was reprehensible…” Her voice died away as she stared off into space before her gaze focused on him again. “You weren’t the only one betrayed. They betrayed me as well.”
    The bitterness in her voice matched his own internal acrimony, but it was the distinct note of pain that touched something deep inside him. It made him want to comfort her. He stiffened. God almighty, he’d been wrong a moment ago. The woman was actually trying to manipulate him. He folded his arms across his chest. Townsend had outdone himself this time. His oldest daughter was as skilled at deception as Eleanor.
    “I see.”
    “When Eleanor became pregnant with her lover’s child, she needed a husband. You suited her purpose. But when you refused to marry her, Father helped her steal my fiancée instead.”
    “You were engaged to that weakling, Shively?” He couldn’t contain his surprise. For some reason he didn’t comprehend, Sophie Hamilton didn’t seem the type to tolerate fools, and Viscount Shively was nothing but a buffoon.
    “Yes. He was…he was my last hope.”
    “Last hope?”
    “Yes. I’d already given up on the idea of marriage until I met Andrew. I was never the pretty one in the family.”
    He watched her take a deep breath as she slowly reached up toward the netting covering her face. As she revealed her features, he eyed her with curiosity. For someone who believed herself unattractive, she was quite the opposite.
    Although she wasn’t a beauty by any stretch of the imagination, her hazel eyes were large and echoed with warmth, while her complexion was smooth and creamy. Wisps of brown hair framed her heart-shaped face and her full mouth pouted in a manner that brought his cock to attention. His reaction startled him. Clearing his throat, he turned away from her to hide his sudden arousal. Closing the distance between himself and the desk, his fingers touched the scrolled woodwork on the edge of the furniture’s flat surface as he willed his body to fight his sudden attraction.
    “I think you underestimate yourself, Miss Hamilton. I’m sure there are plenty of men willing to offer for you.”
    “No, my lord you’re wrong. Offers of marriage have been nonexistent for many years.”
    “Come now, I think you exaggerate, Miss Hamilton.” With his body once more under control, he turned to face her again.
    “Perhaps. But it’s of little consequence,” she said with a small shrug before her gaze met his. “Now that you’ve received the answer to your question, my lord, I will bid you good