Sebastian's Lady Spy by Sharon Cullen Read Free Book Online Page A

wanted nothing to do with her, and still she felt sorrow that they could not have more.
    “Emotions must be kept out of this. It’s one of the rules of being an operative.”
    But emotions couldn’t be kept out of it. They were human, all of them. And no case left her untouched. This one threatened to be her downfall.
    “So you won’t take me off the case?” she asked weakly, knowing the answer already.
    “You were specifically chosen for this case because you’re the best female operative the crown has. Just as Addison is the best male operative. I fear you two will have to find a way to get along.”
    Duty. Such a horrible four-letter word.

Chapter 6
    Sebastian stayed at the ball for a bit after Gabrielle had left. After all, they were supposed to be flushing out the traitor, and while she may run off, he would stay and do his duty. However, it proved to be fruitless. He wasn’t able to discern anything new—as he knew would be the case when he was told to frequent these interminable balls.
    While he waited for his carriage, he tried not to think of Gabrielle’s face when she’d left him standing alone in the middle of the dance floor. He tried not to remember the feeling of wanting to go after her, to apologize, to wipe the stony look off her face.
    To kiss her senseless, damn it.
    He yanked on his gloves with a growl. Gabrielle’s involvement in the mission was nothing but trouble. How the hell was she supposed to be an asset when half the
ton
wouldn’t dance with her and the other half wanted to do more than dance with her? What was Atwater thinking? In the morning Sebastian would go to Atwater and explain that Gabrielle was not the best choice. It was either her or him, but it could not be both.
    His carriage clattered to a stop in front of him, and he waved off his tiger to open the door himself. As soon as he ducked his head in, he sensed something was wrong and immediately reached for the dagger secured in his boot.
    “Relax,
tesoro.
It’s only me.”
    He released the tension in his shoulders and climbed in, taking the seat opposite Gabrielle. “Did you
want
to be stabbed?”
    In the light filtering through the window, he watched her shrug as if the fact that he’d nearly tackled her to the floor of the carriage didn’t bother her in the least.
    “I was hoping you would recognize me before it came to that.”
    “What do you want?” he asked.
    “My, my, you are exceedingly polite.”
    He glared at her. The moon was bright enough that he could easily see her dark eyes surveying him, the relaxed way she sat in his carriage, and the fact that she wore no cloak even though there was a biting chill in the air. Draped in shadows, she was exotically beautiful. Draped in nothing, she was exquisite.
    He shifted. His breeches were far too tight; once again he was fighting an overpowering lust for her. She was too close, her perfume too overwhelming. If he chose to do so, he could easily reach across and pull her onto his lap. And oh, the things he could do to her if she were on his lap. He shifted again and suppressed a groan.
    “What did you learn today?” she asked.
    “Nothing.” He shook his head free of useless thoughts, but that didn’t cool his body.
    “Come, now, Lord Claybrook.” She looked down her nose at him, which caused him to bite back a smile.
    “I’m being entirely honest, my lady.”
    “You obviously were hell-bent on going somewhere when you left me this morning.”
    Other than getting away from her, that is? “I had business to attend to.”
    “
What
business?”
    He raised a brow. This was why he hated working with a partner. The constant nagging was aggravating. “Lady Marciano, may I remind you—”
    “—that you don’t want to work with me? You’ve made that quite clear. However, we are stuck with each other, much to my regret, so you do have to include me in any and all information you gather.”
    His back teeth came together, and it took a few moments for his