Page 60 of Lord of Temptation
God help him, he wanted to push her, but he’d seen how she’d suffered with the refusal she’d given her fiancé. He wanted to do nothing that brought back memories of the man who had once—and possibly still—held her heart.
“Seems you could at least be hospitable and offer me a drink. Still hoarding your father’s brandy?”
He saw the gratitude wash over her features because he was squelching his desires.Only for now, sweetheart. Misjudging an adversary on the sea could cost a man his ship and possibly his life. Tristan was not in the habit of misjudging. He was very skilled at biding his time until the moment was right.
With a nod she turned and headed toward her wardrobe. He wandered over to the sitting area and stared into the empty hearth. He couldn’t help but imagine what it might be like to be with her in winter, snuggled beneath a layer of blankets, seeking warmth.
“Here you are.”
He took the snifter she offered, glad to see that she had one of her own. Brandy would serve much better for seduction than a fire.
He wondered if she read his mind, because a wariness touched her voice when she asked, “Would you care to sit?”
“Delighted.”
She sat on one end of the small sofa, drawing her feet beneath her, while he sat on the other, stretching out his legs. She looked young and innocent, cupping the snifter with both hands, watching him over the rim. “My brother informs me that you gave Lady Hermione cause for hope that your interest in her went beyond the ballroom.”
Damnation! It could be Lady Hermione more than this being her father’s residence that had Anne hesitant to welcome him into her bed. “I didn’t.”
“But you are in the habit of leaving women ...” Her voice trailed off into an unasked question.
At every port.“Yes.”
“So this between us is—”
“I don’t know what it is.”
“Or how long it will last?”
“Does it matter?”
“I’m not sure.” She sipped on the brandy.
“Your brother warned you away from me.”
“Yes. He believes you to be barbaric. I told him he was wrong, that you were a perfect gentleman on the ship.”
Tristan couldn’t hide his surprise. “You told him you were on my ship?”
She nodded. “He guessed. He wasn’t happy, and I shall no doubt be brought to task by my father in the morning.”
“What exactly did you tell your brother?”
“Only that you were the captain of the ship. Certainly nothing about the intimacy that we shared.” She gave him a shy smile. “I’m not certain if he would have killed you or dragged you to the altar.”
“I suppose it goes without saying that neither option appeals.”
“And yet you said it.” Her voice had an acerbic edge to it. She furrowed her brow. “Have you no plans to ever take a wife?”
He wished a fire on the grate was producing writhing flames into which he could stare contemplatively rather than into her eyes. But she deserved him holding her gaze. “Surely you weren’t foolish enough to see me as the marrying sort?”
“No.” She sipped her brandy, then licked lips that he wanted to once again kiss. She studied the contents of her snifter as though she could read the answer there. “It was one of the things that made you safe for a night’s indiscretions. You would never demand or desire anything more of me than a quick romp.”
“It was hardly quick.” He set aside his snifter and slid across the cushions until her eyes widened with alarm. He skimmed his fingers along her throat, felt the fluttering of her pulse against his skin. “And I’m still safe. I’m a blackguard to the core. I’ve never claimed otherwise. All I want from you is passion and pleasure. To give. To receive. You don’t want me for a husband any more than I want you for a wife. But you can’t deny there is an attraction between us, like the moon to the tides.”
“And which am I?” she asked on a breathy sigh. Before he could respond, she answered, “The moon, of course. I stay put in London Society while you come and go where the sea takes you.”
“Yet here I am, with you pulling me toward you. Let me come nearer, Anne.”
