Captive Pride by Bobbi Smith Read Free Book Online Page B

I’m trying.” He sounded disgruntled.
    â€œThank you, John.” She smiled sweetly at him, and as usual, John felt himself melt before her considerable charms.
    â€œI almost forgot….” John spoke in low tones, forcing his thoughts back to reality. “Tomorrow night, eleven o’clock, the room in back of the stables of the Green Dragon Inn.”
    Her expression grew suddenly serious. “I’ll meet you as usual,”
    â€œFine,” he agreed as he realized that there was nothing more to discuss. “Well, I’ll be going.”
    â€œJohn?”
    He gave her a quizzical glance.
    â€œYou’ll still be my guest at our ball, won’t you?”
    Heartened that she still wanted him to escort her, he smiled. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
    â€œJust remember,” she confided. “Father made out the guest list, and everyone he invited is a loyalist.”
    â€œI’ll be my usual Tory self,” John assured her, for he’d become a near master at hiding his true feelings toward the king and Parliament.
    As she crossed the room to accompany him to the door, John was unable to resist one last kiss, and he took the opportunity to boldly sweep her into his arms.
    â€œJohn…” she gasped, surprised by his ploy.
    â€œJust because I accepted your refusal gracefully doesn’t mean I don’t want you, CC,” he murmured as his lips claimed hers in a passionate kiss.
    CC was not a stranger to his embrace, and she remained passive, finding his kiss neither exciting nor repulsive. When he finally released her, she moved away, his kiss leaving her womanly depths untouched by desire’s fiery blade.
    John, however, was not so unaffected by the exchange, and his breathing was rasping as he convinced himself that someday she would finally admit to loving him. He left the house then, murmuring in quiet promise, “Tomorrow…”
    As the door closed behind him, CC hurried down the wide center hall to her father’s study, where she knew she would find him awaiting her. As she reached the door, she met Gilbert, their butler, on his way out.
    â€œBe sure to bring him in to me as soon as he arrives,” Edward Demorest was saying.
    â€œYes, sir,” came the polite reply as the servant held the portal wide for CC.
    â€œFather?” she spoke softly and hesitated only briefly until she saw his welcoming smile.
    At fifty-three, Edward Demorest was the picture of good health, and as always, CC marveled at the vitality he exuded. He had been a dashingly handsome young man, as evidenced by the oil portrait of him that hung over the fireplace in the parlor, and his dark good looks had not faded with the passage of time. Trim and fit, his black hair streaked with silver, his hazel eyes glinting with good humor, he was still a very attractive man. He’d been a widower for some ten years now, and more than a few of the ladies had set their caps for him. Edward, however, was not interested in remarriage, though he cut a wide swath through their numbers. CC’s mother, Sarah, had been his soul mate. No one else would ever be able to take her place in his affections.
    â€œCome in, come in.” Edward waved his daughter into the private haven that was his study.
    CC smiled engagingly as she entered the room. “Do you have a business appointment soon?”
    â€œYes, Lord Kincade arrived in Boston yesterday and we’ve a meeting set up for this afternoon,” he explained.
    CC couldn’t help but wrinkle her nose slightly in distaste at the thought of the English nobleman. Though she’d never met this Lord Kincade, her encounters with other egotistical, supercilious members of the ton had left her completely unimpressed. CC hoped that she would be able to avoid this newcomer when he finally arrived, for no doubt he would be just as foppish as all the others she’d known.
    â€œI see.” Her reply did not hide