The Seduction of Emily by Rachel Brimble Read Free Book Online

looked at the man. The look of flirtation in her eyes was clearly reserved for him and him only.
    The tempo changed and she whirled back into his arms. “Are you not as equally interested in me as I am you, Miss Darson?”
    She flinched and her confident smile slipped. “Of course not.”
    “Are you quite sure?”
    She opened her mouth in response but no words came forth.
    He winked. “As I thought.”
    Will glanced toward Milne and her father. Milne looked fit to explode. His usually pale skin had reddened to the color of a fresh tomato and his mouth was so tightly drawn, his lips were invisible. Will resisted the urge to laugh out loud.
    “You’re right.” Her concurrence turned his attention and his humor waned.
    He hadn’t expected her agreement but rather anger. “I am?”
    “I want to know who you are.” Her eyes flashed with determination.
    Damn, he liked this woman. He liked everything about her. He smiled. “In that case, I’ll enjoy getting to know you and you I.”
    He turned and flashed a wide smile at his adversary. Milne immediately stepped forward, only to be restrained by Mr. Darson’s hand on his forearm. Interesting.
    Miss Darson had turned to look at them too. “Something amusing, Mr. Samson?”
    Will lifted his shoulders. “I am merely wondering how long it will take Mr. Milne to return to his normal pallor. The man looks as though a vein might burst from his temple.”
    “As he continues to be a concern to you . . . which I very much doubt is genuine, don’t look at him.”
    He faced her and the need to kiss her grew more ardent. His gaze drifted lower and his blood burned with desire. The neckline of her dress plunged low. The curve of her breasts showed just enough to be acceptably provocative. Agonizing.
    He needed to concentrate on the job at hand. This extraordinary beauty, who fit against him so succinctly, represented an open door. He needed a way in. He cleared his throat.
    “Am I to assume by your indifference to Mr. Milne’s study of us, he has displeased you in some way?”
    Another twirl.
    She moved in front of him, their faces barely inches apart. The happiness in her eyes evolved to wariness and her fingers tightened around his. “He is my fiancé. My happiness is at the forefront of his mind at all times.”
    Will said nothing but purposely studied her, provoking her ill-ease, provoking her truth. He silently berated himself for doing so. He liked Emily Darson. She was beautiful, intelligent, and quick-witted. Yet she didn’t wear the expression of a woman adored by her intended. She wore the expression of someone who’d had her mask ripped from her face to reveal the pain beneath.
    The tension between them grew; the music rang louder. She snapped her gaze from his to look around the room. “You know, I surmised upon our first meeting that you were not all you appeared to be and it seems I was right.”
    Will smiled past the wariness inside him. “Not all I seem?”
    “Why are you so concerned about the ins and outs of my courtship?”
    “I sense more in you than marriage.” Why had he said that? He shouldn’t be sharing his inner thoughts with her. Fool. Damn fool.
    She halted. “What on earth do you imply by that?”
    Will arched an eyebrow in an effort to hide his shock. “The dance, Miss Darson.”
    She looked left and right as though remembering where she was and stumbled into her next step. Her panicked gaze and cheeks dark with color conveyed her annoyance—and the truth. The marriage was arranged. By no means unusual but extremely convenient in every way. If she didn’t love him but Milne loved her . . . Will’s gut knotted. Nothing could be more perfect.
    “When you’ve quite finished staring at me like the cat who got the cream . . .” Her eyes burned with anger. “Clearly the end of this dance marks the end of any further interaction between us.”
    “Is that the way you wish it?”
    Her gaze dropped to his mouth and lingered there. “What