A Wild Night's Bride by Victoria Vane Read Free Book Online

your company.”
    His statement, curious rather than judgmental, was nearly her undoing. Phoebe felt her lip quiver, her armor slipping. Why was he being so genteel, so kind to her? It had been so very long, years now, since anyone had addressed or treated her as a lady.
    She awarded him with a sultry smile, Kitty’s smile. She leaned into him, tempting him with a close view of her décolletage. She smoothed her hands up his arms, relishing the strong solid feel of them and entwined her own around his neck. Her lips sought his ear where she murmured against his clean-shaven skin. “Then I am truly a finer actress than I thought...for I have come seeking a protector.”
    She withdrew a few inches and focused an inviting gaze on his mouth, a full, sensual mouth, and briefly wondered what he would taste like and how it would feel when he pulled her into his arms. She was overcome with a yearning to feel his embrace, his warm lips seeking hers. Something about him drew her inexplicably, engendered a feeling of safety and comfort that she found irresistible, that her very soul craved. She also knew how dangerous such a man could be. You are not Phoebe. You are Kitty. You are here to find a patron, not a lover. Lovers betray, she reminded herself with a shake.
    “A protector?” he asked.
    “Yes.” She gifted him with a siren’s smile. “And I’ve begun to fancy you for the position.”
    ***
    Her warm, sweet breath caressed his cheek, the generous swell of her lovely breasts, and lovely they were, pressed against his chest. His nostrils flared at the combination of her womanly essence with the light perfume scent of her hair. The sum total stirred his cock to life, seizing him with a rampant jolt of carnal hunger he’d been tamping down for three long years of self-denial. He closed his eyes and ground his teeth against the powerful urge to crush her in his arms and devour that luscious mouth.
    With a herculean show of self-control honed from long practice, he gently disengaged her arms, putting her at a safer distance. His reply was formal, stiff and terse. “If that is what you sought from me, I’m sorry to disappoint. I would not be a suitable candidate.”
    Her response betrayed bewilderment and then a complete misconstruction of his actions. “I have heard of certain women with a preference for their own gender...”
    “Gad, no!” Ned barked. “It is no such thing as that! It’s just—I haven’t—I can’t—Oh, bloody hell!” He raked a hand through his hair. “Is it impossible to believe that not every man wishes to use women in such a demeaning manner?”
    “Demeaning? You mean to say you have never paid for your pleasure?” Her tone was laden with cynical disbelief.
    “I was young and wild once,” he confessed. “But unlike some of my acquaintances, I have discovered the deepest fulfillment of body, mind, and spirit comes not from random acts of lust, but from the abiding love of a woman.”
    “You speak of a wife?” she said.
    “Yes.”
    “Then your presence here tonight belies your professed devotion, my lord.”
    “Edward,” he answered softly, ignoring her sneer.
    “What?”
    “My name is Edward, not my lord. Sir Edward Chambers, although my friends call me Ned. And my wife is dead these past three years.”
    Her eyes grew wide. Her expression softened. “Oh... I couldn’t know that. Forgive me,” she whispered.
    He shrugged. “There’s nothing to forgive. In truth, you are right. I shouldn’t be here. It’s not a respectable place, and I am an eminently respectable man.” He gave a self-deprecating laugh.
    She didn’t smile in return. She moved closer. Once more, he felt an almost overwhelming urge to take her into his arms but didn’t trust his power of restraint. If he even touched this woman he would be lost and buried in her to the hilt before she could blink. He feared he would become as a rabid animal if he gave in to his baser nature.
    “But doesn’t even an