When His Kiss Is Wicked Read Free

she admitted with slight reluctance.
    “Ah, I’m getting warmer. It seems your father had a passion for Shakespeare.”
    “No. Juliette is just a coincidence.”
    “So it’s simply an affinity for French names, is that it?”
    She nodded her head.
    “This should be interesting now. I didn’t suspect you of having an exotic French name. Is it Desirée? Jacqueline? Angelique?”
    She rolled her blue eyes heavenward in exasperation. “It’s Colette.”
    “Colette? How very intriguing.”
    In an odd way the French/English name suited her perfectly. Colette Hamilton. She was a woman of contrasts. Beauty and business. Youth and maturity. Sensuality and innocence. He could not stop thinking about her.
    She continued to ignore him as she artfully tied a pretty green ribbon around the brown paper package. The bright bow added a distinctive flourish to the wrapping.
    “Nice touch,” he commented on her handiwork.
    “Thank you.” She held out the gift-wrapped book to him.
    “No, it is I who must thank you for your most able assistance, Miss Hamilton.” Once again he grinned devilishly at her. “I gather that no one calls you Coco?”
    She eyed him evenly. “No one.”
    “You are a lady of few words, aren’t you?”
    “When prosaic conversation warrants it.”
    “Point taken.” He laughed. He glanced at her lovely profile. “Colette and Juliette. Pretty names for pretty sisters. And it seems you have no brothers, correct?”
    “Just three more sisters.”
    “There are five of you?” Could such a thing be possible? The thought of five women like her boggled his mind.
    For the first time, she smiled; her entire face lit from within. The effect was stunning and he had to catch his breath.
    “After me, there is Juliette, Lisette, Paulette, and Yvette is the baby.”
    “You are the eldest?”
    She nodded in a way that was becoming familiar to him.
    “And you all work in the bookshop?”
    “Every day.”
    “I have even more sympathy for your father now.” He reached inside his coat pocket and took out some money.
    She accepted the payment and gave him his change. “Thank you and please come again,” she said with unmistakable sarcasm.
    “I wonder if your father would approve of your insolent attitude toward a paying customer,” he could not help but respond, enjoying provoking her.
    “My father is no longer here to approve or disapprove of anything I do, Lord Waverly.” She challenged him with her eyes, her chin tilted upward.
    “Unfortunately, that is the truth. And that is a shame.” He tipped his hat to her. “Good day, Miss Colette Hamilton.”
    Lucien turned and exited the quaint little shop, the bells above the door jingling a gentle good-bye. As he made his way through the bustling London streets, he wondered why he felt so flummoxed after meeting Miss Hamilton. She was quite irritating. Captivatingly beautiful, but irritating nonetheless. What did it really matter, though, in the end? He need never see the impossible woman again, for the logical decision would be to simply find another shop from which to buy books.
    Which he had every intention of doing.

Chapter Two
     

The Root of All Evil
     
    “I expect you both to be a credit to me and comport yourselves with the utmost decorum. Your aunt Cecilia and I have spent all the money we could spare on this little venture, and we count on a large return from the two of you,” Uncle Randall warned for at least the hundredth time, as if Colette and Juliette were a pair of idiots and not aware of the urgency of the situation.
    Colette fought the desire to stick her tongue out at him, as Juliette was currently doing behind his back. She knew better than to act that way. Besides, Uncle Randall was looking directly at her. Maintaining a neutral expression required what little self-control she had left, after her unusual encounter in the bookshop that afternoon with the handsome Lord Waverly.
    “I hope you understand that if you both don’t marry