Succumb to Me by Julia Keaton Read Free Book Online

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him for several moments, unmoving and finally sat up with the
careful movements of a mouse suddenly freed by a cat, regarding him
warily, shakily smoothing her jacket down where it had ridden up
her chest.
     
    His eyes flashed a warning, and she stilled.
“If you give yourself to me willingly, we will go down to my study
afterwards and you can take the painting and go. I will not plague
you again.”
     
    Shaken from his caresses, Winter stared at
him blankly for several moments, certain she hadn’t heard him
correctly. His expression was deadly serious, however, his eyes
dark, hot, and hungry.
     
    She should have felt outraged … not
breathless and confused.
     
    She should have leapt to her feet and slapped
his face for the liberties he’d taken, for his assumption that she
would willingly give herself to him only to get her hands on the
painting.
     
    The problem was, she wasn’t outraged.
     
    She wasn’t even altogether certain that she
wasn’t tempted to agree, only for the sake of more of his dangerous
caresses.
     
    That was her first clue that her wits had
gone a begging. She needed, somehow, to remove herself from his
proximity before something completely insane began to seem like a
totally rational solution to her problem.
     
    “I ... I need a moment ... to collect
myself,” she said, moving to the side of the bed and standing
slowly, watching him warily.
     
    He made no move to stop her.
     
    “Take all the time you need.” He smiled a
little crookedly and lay down on the bed, propping on an elbow as
he watched her open the door to the sitting room and leave.
     
    She closed the door behind her, collapsed
against it, breathing a deep sigh of thankfulness. For many
moments, she simply stared at nothing, trying to regain control of
her weak, trembling body.
     
    As calmness overtook her, however, it
occurred to her that she had succeeded. Without any attempt on her
part to seduce him with her wiles, he had fallen for her scheme. He
honestly believed she would give in to him—trust a man to think he
need only show himself willing and a woman would swoon to
accommodate him!
     
    Now she knew where the painting was. She
nearly giggled with relief, feeling almost drunk with all that had
happened. Treading softly, she went to the opposite door and found
to her relief that it was unlocked. She slipped inside the
mistress’ bedroom and from there out into the hall.
     
    Chuckling inside as she pictured him awaiting
her to join him in bed—something that would never happen—she crept
back down the stairs and to the first floor, searching with a
candle until she’d found the study.
     
    It was a masculine abode, dark wainscoting on
the walls, trophies on high, shelves lined with books and a cabinet
bar in one corner. There was no obvious hiding spot that she could
see. She headed for the cabinet behind his desk and rifled through
the deep compartments, finding nothing. Her hopes started to sink.
There were only so many places she could look before he wondered at
her continued absence.
     
    “Looking for this?” a distinctly familiar
male voice taunted behind her, freezing the blood in her veins.
     
     
     

CHAPTER FIVE
     
     
    Winter whirled around to find Logan leaning
casually in the door frame. He was smiling a self-satisfied smile
that made her long to slap him. A rolled canvas was tucked under
one arm.
     
    Oh, how she hated him!
     
    Winter straightened from her crouch, squaring
her shoulders, narrowing her eyes.
     
    “I forgot to tell you ... I’d thought of
leaving it here, but then I began to wonder if that wouldn’t be too
easy. And I found I was loath to spoil your surprise, Winter. You
do like surprises, don’t you?”
     
    Winter swallowed with some difficulty, trying
to control her temper. “I most emphatically do not, my lord,” she
managed to say, almost coolly.
     
    “Always the lady, even in your men’s wear. I
suppose you have decided not to take me up on my offer to gain