for safekeeping and this ball to which Christian had been invited, with Lord Stourbridge’s lawyer’s permission, had been the perfect opportunity to retrieve it. Yes, he should tell her the truth, but he was enjoying her company and wished to prolong it a while.
‘Dear me. You have a strange preoccupation with seeing me hang. As a gentleman and a peer of the realm, I assure you that will not be my fate. You must know that London is a dangerous and corrupt city. Crime abounds and though the legal system has its limitations, allowing criminals to flourish, that does not mean that they cannot be caught. So have a care lest I inform Lord Stourbridge of your intention to steal from him.’
* * *
Linnet’s face blanched beneath the mask. The utter humiliation of being arrested and publicly conveyed out of the house by a constable, and subsequently brought before the magistrate and thrown into prison for thieving, would be mortifying. ‘I will not take anything else,’ she said quietly, the words almost sticking in her throat. ‘There is nothing else that I want.’
* * *
Having got what he wanted, Lord Blakely was surprised to find he was reluctant to leave his female thief. A vision of what she might look like without the concealing mask caught hold of his imagination. He knew nothing about her, yet the strength of his desire was unexpected. He was certain this young woman possessed a healthy concern for her skin and he felt that fear was the determining factor in her decision not to take anything else from Stourbridge’s collection.
‘The evening need not end here.’ He moved closer, his eyes appraising.
* * *
His voice was deep and seductive and brought a warmth to Linnet’s cheeks. She stood in shock beneath his leisurely perusal—and was she mistaken, or did his gaze actually linger on her breasts? His close study of her feminine assets left her feeling as if she’d just been stripped stark naked. The gall of the man, she thought with rising ire. He conveyed an air of arrogance and uncompromising authority which no doubt stemmed from a haughty attitude which was not to her liking. Recognising his obvious admiration, she suddenly became aware of the boldness in his eyes, his masculinity and the impropriety of being alone in this room with this stranger.
‘Please don’t come any closer,’ she murmured, her tone less commanding than she’d intended.
* * *
The huskiness of her voice entered Christian’s ears like a caress. It was as tempting and appealing as her body and the lustrous eyes looking back at him from behind the mask. Both aroused him in an unexpected way and this bewitching young woman aroused a hungering ache he hadn’t known in a long time. Lust and desire were collecting heavy and thick deep in his body and he sensed she could fulfil his needs and bring some brightness to his life after many months of darkness. The conviction was profound. He narrowed his eyes, mentally stripping her of her delectable gown, draping her instead in a diaphanous fabric that was so light her body would be open to his gaze. The thought warmed his body and encouraged his erotic thoughts. Alluring and provocative, she was a natural temptress. Christian had to fight the insane impulse to take hold of her lithe, warm, breathing form, crush it beneath him and kiss her soft, inviting lips. He wanted her and he had methods of persuasion and powers of seduction to call on if necessary. Thoughtfully he contemplated the young woman before him and, drawn by an urge that was stronger than reason and eager to see the fullness of her features, he raised his hand to remove her mask. Aware of his intent, she immediately shoved his hand away and backed away.
‘Please don’t touch me.’
His smile was slow, sensual and brilliant. ‘I would dearly like to see your face. I am more than willing to take you under my protection for the time you are here.’
‘I am perfectly capable of protecting myself,’ she retorted, shocked by his temerity, ‘and I do not intend remaining longer than I have to.’
‘Pity. I was already imagining an evening of pleasure.’
‘With a thief, sir?’
‘If that is indeed what you are,’ he said softly, ‘then yes.’
His eyes captured hers, a lazy, seductive smile curving his lips. His stare travelled over her before coming back to her face. He lifted one eyebrow slightly in a silent challenge. Something in his stare quickened her pulse. There was a sweet warmth in her chest. They stared at each other for a moment, with just two yards between them. Linnet barely realised she was holding her breath. Bowled over by the delicious magnetism of the man, she felt herself being drawn towards him, knowing she should step back and walk away, but she was too inexperienced and affected by him to do that. ‘You don’t even know me.’
‘No, I don’t, but I am willing to remedy that situation. What is your name?’
‘That is for me to know, sir. I do not intend sharing the personal details of my life with a perfect stranger.’
* * *
Lord Blakely tilted his head to one side and regarded her with a critical, masculine eye. He was becoming more intrigued by her by the minute. He wondered who and what she was. Earlier he had seen her with an older woman and assumed she was this young lady’s chaperon. It would appear he had been mistaken. An unprotected female roaming the passageways of Stourbridge House led him to think that perhaps she was an actress or even a courtesan, forced to earn her living as best she could. She had charm and feminine graces in abundance—eminently agreeable qualities in a mistress.
* * *
Linnet drew a deep breath. Those dark eyes seemed to see more than she wished him to see. She was aware that her body trembled slightly as she tried to figure out a way of extricating herself from this situation that seemed to be running away with her. This man seemed determined to detain her and she suspected he did not give up easily. ‘If you are suggesting what I think you are, then your proposal is most indecent. If you are here in pursuit of pleasure, then you must look elsewhere.’
Even as she said the words Linnet knew that because of the inferior role she had assumed he could not be faulted and the difference in their social status—if indeed he was a peer of the realm, as he professed to be—was an open invitation to seduction. Ladies did not infiltrate events such as this alone and with criminal intent.
‘I’m sure we could come to an arrangement that would suit us both. I assure you that you will find me most generous.’
‘I do not think I would care for your kind of generosity.’
‘Are you not tempted to know me better? I think you would find it interesting to discover more.’
‘I doubt it. You think too highly of yourself, sir.’
‘That is a failing indeed.’
He shocked her when he touched her gently under her chin. Linnet caught her breath sharply as he tilted her face upward and looked into her eyes.
‘Perhaps you are afraid, is that it?’
Her heart pounded at the light but sure pressure of his warm fingertips against her skin, but she managed to meet his gaze squarely. ‘I’m not afraid of you, sir. I’m not afraid of anyone.’
‘I’m relieved to hear it.’
He continued to peer down at her, into her very soul. A lazy, seductive smile passed across his mouth, curling his lips, and Linnet felt herself being drawn towards him, knowing she should step back and walk away, but she was too affected by him to do that. Feelings she had never experienced before began to appear within her and she could not deny that she was attracted by him. Belated warning bells screamed through her head and her eyes became fixed on his finely sculptured mouth. As he came closer still, to her helpless horror she knew he was going to kiss her.
When he reached out and took her hand, drawing her into his embrace, she knew she was trapped as securely as a rabbit in a snare.
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