Read Lori Brighton - [The Seduction 02] for Free Online Page B

forehead, although she didn’t dare lift her netting to press a handkerchief to the sensitive skin, for then he would know she was nervous, and she had a feeling her weakness would urge him to pounce.
    Upon entering the carriage, Gideon had merely leaned back against the rich leather seat and regarded her with barely concealed boredom. He hadn’t said a bloody word. If she hadn’t noticed the slightest rise and fall of his chest, the slow blink of his thick lashes every few moments, she might have thought he was dead.
    But now the sun had faded, hovering tauntingly upon the horizon. The darkness brought her unease to a new pitch. The lackof light and the small confines made their journey a bit too intimate for her liking. Then again, they could have been an ocean apart and she’d still feel too close to the man.
    They had been in the carriage a good three hours and he’d done nothing but stare. He was like one of the automaton men she’d seen at the spring fair Mr. Ashton had taken them to last year. His gaze cold, his body hard. Was he even human? She had to resist the urge to scoot closer and poke him in the chest to find out.
    Mr. Smith had left hours ago, headed to London, while Will had taken a hired coach to the estate, leaving her alone with Gideon, just as they’d planned. Even Mr. Smith had been uneasy in the man’s presence, pulling her aside when they’d reached his hotel to make sure she still wanted to go through with the insane plan, as he’d labeled it. But she had promised Mr. Ashton. She would see the promise through no matter what it took. So far everything had gone as well as could be expected.
    She stole a quick glance from beneath her lashes. Of course she was nervous. The man was too large, too bloody handsome for his own good. Anyone would be nervous in his presence. Her gaze slid from his face to those broad shoulders. His white shirtsleeves, brilliant in the dim light, were like a beacon. The way that black silken waistcoat highlighted his broad chest, tapering to his waist. He’d left his jacket behind, but considering he was a whore, what did his state of undress matter?
    For a brief moment she’d thought perhaps he might attempt to seduce her. But no. In fact, the only emotion she’d noticed was mild curiosity.
    Ever so slowly, as if he were a wild animal she feared attracting, Elizabeth set her reticule aside. She’d brought with her a small novel of poetry, thinking to pass her time by reading. The absurdity almost made her laugh. As if she could read with the man staring at her so intensely. As if she could do anything but stare back. It was hard to believe this was the very man who hadkissed her so warmly in Lady Lavender’s parlor only hours ago. A man whose touch had been soft, gentle. Now there was something decidedly…savage about him.
    She was being silly. He was merely a man. There was that all too human pulse beating at the side of his neck, the soft curl to his hair, a tiny nick near his chin. She took in a deep breath, torn between making small talk and ignoring him completely. It would be best to act as if she was sitting here with Mr. Smith.
    But Mr. Smith did not make her uneasy. Mr. Smith did not make her breathless. She shifted, attempting to ease the ache in her back from hours of sitting, her skirts rustling with the movement. Her corset felt too blasted tight. It was as if someone had sucked all the air from the carriage. With a frustrated sigh, she jerked the pin from her hat and tossed it to the seat beside her.
    “Much better,” she muttered, forcing a normality into her voice that surely shouldn’t be there.
    No response. Someone that silent should have blended into the upholstery, but not him. No, the man would never blend in anywhere. Mr. Smith had been wrong…so utterly wrong. Gideon was not some witless man thinking of only his basic human needs. No, he was more, layer upon layer of mystery that clouded those steel eyes.
    And so the minutes ticked by,