The Dukes' Christmas Abductions by Doris O'Connor, Raven McAllan Read Free Book Online Page A

her heart missed
a beat at the confusion she read in his ice blue eyes.
    “That’s
My Lord to you, chit. This whole façade ends now. You and my cousin had your
fun at my expense. I bet your name isn’t even Clara, and you’re no lady’s maid.
More an accomplished actress from Drury Lane. Damn you, Kit, where are you?”
    Ignoring
Clara’s shake of her head, he stormed past the bed and opened the door on the
other side of this chamber.
    “Deuce,
that’s…”
    More
light flooded into the room, as the light in the ultra-modern wet room came on
automatically, and the fan clicked on. Daniel sagged against the wall, and
turned so white, Clara was half expecting him to pass out.
    He’d
accused her of being an actress, yet he must be giving the performance of his
life. Who would play such a prank on her though? Certainly not the stoic James,
and Vicky… No, as outspoken and fun loving as her newfound friend was, she took
her research into Regency times and in particular the missing heir far too
seriously. No wonder her books were so popular. When Clara had been told that
Lady Victoria Hopewell—one of her favorite Regency romance authors—was going to
shadow her for a few weeks and learn all about the house, the family and the
missing heir, she’d been over the moon.
    The
missing heir… No, it can’t be.
    Not
for the first time that evening Clara cursed the amount of drink she’d
consumed. It still made her brain feel stuffed with wool, and no doubt was the
main reason why she’d come close to losing her virginity in the dark to this
man. She could almost imagine the pulse between her legs strum in tune to the
reckless part of her brain wishing they hadn’t stopped when they did. Sadly,
Daniel looked as far removed from being in the mood for a good fuck as it was
possible to be. She noticed with grim amusement that his erection had deflated
considerably.
    “Daniel,
I’m not.” His head shot up and the flash of some undefined deep emotion she
glimpsed in his gaze took her breath away, and made her heart miss a beat.
Fleeting as that moment of connection was, she still felt it all the way to her
toes.
    “What
year do you think this is?” she asked abruptly.
    He
blinked, and straightening, frowned into the wet room again.
    “1815,
of course.” His eyes drew together and when the full force of his azure gaze
settled on her, Clara didn’t dare move. Breathing proved difficult and her
pussy muscles started up their take me, I’m yours dance again. It was
beyond ridiculous the effect he had on her with just one glance, but she
couldn’t deny the connection arching between them like a living entity. With it
came the certain knowledge that this man was important to her, that he was the
one man she had been subconsciously waiting for all this time. After all, her
beloved grandmother had always said, she would know him.
    “One
glance was all it took for me to know your grandfather was the one for me, and
life would never be the same again.” Taking her words to heart, Clara had waited
for that moment, and, in truth, had all but given up on it ever happening,
which was fine. She had her work and her naughty books, after all. Until this Regency
duke literally appeared in front of her.
    Oh
god, the storm, him appearing. Time travel, is that my reality now?
    “I
suppose you are going to tell me the year is something ridiculous like 3003.”
Daniel’s deep voice mocked her, and pulled her out of her internal thoughts. He
seemed to have recovered some of his equilibrium, if the haughty way he looked
down his aristocratic nose at her was anything to go by. And that should make
him a complete and utter asshole, not hotter than hell, surely.
    “No
that would be ridiculous. The year is 2015, My Lord.”
    His
eyes flashed fire at her, and she swallowed hard when he pushed away from the
wall and advanced toward her. Like the prey caught in the headlights of
impending disaster, she couldn’t move, just sat there, all too