Some Like It Wicked by Teresa Medeiros Read Free Book Online Page A

remember the last time anyone had put faith in his word. It might have been nothing more than a trick of the flickering lamplight, but for an elusive instant he would have sworn he caught a glimpse of that old adulation in her lovely face.
    Catriona was taken aback when a hearty bark of laughter escaped Simon, then another.
    Freeing her hand, he collapsed against the cushions of the settee, laughing so hard he was forced to swipe tears from his cheeks. “I hate to disillusion you, my dear, but my word isn’t worth the breath I’d waste in giving it. If you’re looking for a knight-errant to aid you in your noble quest, then I’m afraid you’ve come to the wrong place.” He offered her a fond leer. “This knight is far more likely to ravish a damsel than rescue one.”
    With that deliciously wicked threat making her blood sizzle through her veins, it was all Catriona could do to force her own lips into a cool smile. “You needn’t work so hard to shock me. I can promise you that I have no illusions left about your character—or lack thereof. Why do you think I chose you?”
    “Because you’ve been wearing your nightcap too tight? It must be that, because I would hate to think that you’ve been nursing a sentimental tendre for me all these years.”
    His gentle mockery effortlessly skewered her heart. Desperate to keep the blade from twisting and spilling her blood where he might see it, she tossed her head with a scornful ripple of laughter. “Don’t flatter yourself, Mr. Wescott. I chose you because I know you can’t resist turning a tidy profit for a minimal amount of effort.”
    Simon eyed Catriona balefully. Her offer was beginning to sound just a little too tempting. “And just how do you plan to spring me from Newgate?” He nodded toward her reticule. “Have you a pistol tucked away in your little silk purse?”

    “I’m hoping that won’t be necessary. I plan to pay each of your debtors a visit to announce our secret engagement and to beg both their discretion and their patience. I believe I can make them see reason. After all, they’ll have no hope of recouping their losses as long as you’re rotting away in prison. If they believe your debts are to be settled as soon as we return from a romantic Highland honeymoon, they’re much more likely to be magnanimous, are they not?”
    “You might be able to charm my debtors, but there is the little matter of that angry magistrate. The last time I saw him, he was howling for my blood.”
    Her smile deepened, revealing a beguiling dimple in her left cheek. “Who do you think authorized this visit? Lord Poultney knows he has no hope of seeing you hanged. I was able to convince him that being leg-shackled to one female for life would be a far more fitting punishment for a rogue like you.”
    Simon grew very still. He’d been a navy man just long enough to recognize when he’d been outflanked and outgunned. And he didn’t much care for the feeling that he was about to be boarded against his will.
    He unfolded his muscled length from the settee, towering comfortably over his guest, and was gratified to watch her inch backward.
    No one had ever accused him of gallantry. But it seemed he had no choice but to try and save this misguided child before she proposed to some convict less scrupulous than himself. If such a fellow even existed.
    “Very well, Miss Kincaid,” he said, resting his hands on his hips. “I’ll accept this devil’s bargain of yours.”
    “You will?” Catriona replied, unable to completely hide her start of surprise at his unexpectedly rapid surrender.
    “With a small stipulation of my own.”
    “And just what would that be?” she asked warily.
    He took a step toward her. She retreated another foot, stopping just short of tumbling backward over the stool. “Although the prospect of squandering half your dowry is undeniably enticing, I’m afraid it’s not enough of an incentive to satisfy my… appetites . I see no reason