Led Astray by a Rake Read Online Free
Author: Sara Bennett
he was also a lonely man. He’d admitted he found her attractive. Perhaps it was time to bring into play some of her feminine wiles, Olivia thought, with a little smile. If cool, rational argument did not work, then an appeal to the senses might.
And Nic Lacey was a very sensual man.
Nic, shaken, bemused, and enchanted, swallowed his tea without tasting it. Olivia Monteith was a beauty, with the sort of glacial air that spoke of little emotion. Except that Nic had seen a great deal of emotion in her sapphire blue eyes. It bubbled and seethed below the tranquil surface like a volcano that might erupt at any moment.
When he had met her before, she’d been a child—amusing and charming, yes, but a child nonetheless. Three years ago he’d realized she was growing up. It was at one of their innocent little trysts when he’d seen that they must stop. It was the turn of her head that did it, the curve of her cheek, the soft pout of her lips. All of a sudden he’d seen that to continue meeting was to invite the sort of trouble he didn’t want. He’d been thinking of her as a child but she was nearly seventeen, and showing promise of the woman she’d become—intriguing, delicious, and oh so tempting.
Clearly she’d now fulfilled that promise.
A hot wave of lust made him shift uncomfortably in his chair. What he wouldn’t give to bethe one to bring about the full transformation from virgin to woman. To have the cool and lovely Olivia Monteith squirming and panting in his arms. Could he make her scream with pleasure? He thought he could; at any rate he’d like to try.
Regretfully he set down his cup. Fantasies were all very nice, but in this case they were a waste of time and energy. Olivia was not for him, and the less he thought about her the better.
But how the devil could he have forgotten that long-ago interlude by the stream? The memory seemed idyllic now, the scents of summer and the splashing water; the child with her golden hair and dark-lashed blue eyes, and his own youthful idiocy. Later, they met as friends. How could he ever have imagined that she would demand he honor his reckless promise? Any union between them, sanctioned by the church or otherwise, was completely and utterly out of the question.
Nic had vowed long ago never to marry and place himself in the power of someone else. He’d been burned too badly by circumstance and was determined to live his life on his own terms, asking nothing and being asked for nothing in return.
Delicious as Olivia Monteith was, he would have to forgo her. There were plenty of other women available to him, the sort of women who knew exactly what he wanted—a monetary transaction for physical release and a very littleconversation. Nic found himself looking forward to the approaching demimonde ball, an event he attended every year, and made a determined effort to put the tempting Olivia Monteith from his mind.
Chapter 2
O livia poured coffee, added cream, and sipped the delicious brew, her elbows impolitely propped on the table. It didn’t matter. The breakfast room was empty, her father having long ago retired to his study to answer letters, and her mother was busy elsewhere about the house. Sunshine slanted in through the narrow windows.
It promised to be a fine day for her enterprise.
Olivia smiled to herself as she imagined what was to come. She’d composed the note and sent a servant to deliver it to Castle Lacey the evening before. A reply had come back with the same servant, a scrawl in Nic Lacey’s hand.
What do you mean meet you by the stepping stones at two o’clock tomorrow afternoon? I do not make assignations with respectable young ladies. You say the matter is urgent. I don’t believe you.
Olivia didn’t answer him; silence was the best option. He might say he wasn’t coming but shewas certain he would. And if he didn’t? Her certainty wavered, but she refused to let doubt color her optimistic mood. The Nic Lacey she believed him to
And Nic Lacey was a very sensual man.
Nic, shaken, bemused, and enchanted, swallowed his tea without tasting it. Olivia Monteith was a beauty, with the sort of glacial air that spoke of little emotion. Except that Nic had seen a great deal of emotion in her sapphire blue eyes. It bubbled and seethed below the tranquil surface like a volcano that might erupt at any moment.
When he had met her before, she’d been a child—amusing and charming, yes, but a child nonetheless. Three years ago he’d realized she was growing up. It was at one of their innocent little trysts when he’d seen that they must stop. It was the turn of her head that did it, the curve of her cheek, the soft pout of her lips. All of a sudden he’d seen that to continue meeting was to invite the sort of trouble he didn’t want. He’d been thinking of her as a child but she was nearly seventeen, and showing promise of the woman she’d become—intriguing, delicious, and oh so tempting.
Clearly she’d now fulfilled that promise.
A hot wave of lust made him shift uncomfortably in his chair. What he wouldn’t give to bethe one to bring about the full transformation from virgin to woman. To have the cool and lovely Olivia Monteith squirming and panting in his arms. Could he make her scream with pleasure? He thought he could; at any rate he’d like to try.
Regretfully he set down his cup. Fantasies were all very nice, but in this case they were a waste of time and energy. Olivia was not for him, and the less he thought about her the better.
But how the devil could he have forgotten that long-ago interlude by the stream? The memory seemed idyllic now, the scents of summer and the splashing water; the child with her golden hair and dark-lashed blue eyes, and his own youthful idiocy. Later, they met as friends. How could he ever have imagined that she would demand he honor his reckless promise? Any union between them, sanctioned by the church or otherwise, was completely and utterly out of the question.
Nic had vowed long ago never to marry and place himself in the power of someone else. He’d been burned too badly by circumstance and was determined to live his life on his own terms, asking nothing and being asked for nothing in return.
Delicious as Olivia Monteith was, he would have to forgo her. There were plenty of other women available to him, the sort of women who knew exactly what he wanted—a monetary transaction for physical release and a very littleconversation. Nic found himself looking forward to the approaching demimonde ball, an event he attended every year, and made a determined effort to put the tempting Olivia Monteith from his mind.
Chapter 2
O livia poured coffee, added cream, and sipped the delicious brew, her elbows impolitely propped on the table. It didn’t matter. The breakfast room was empty, her father having long ago retired to his study to answer letters, and her mother was busy elsewhere about the house. Sunshine slanted in through the narrow windows.
It promised to be a fine day for her enterprise.
Olivia smiled to herself as she imagined what was to come. She’d composed the note and sent a servant to deliver it to Castle Lacey the evening before. A reply had come back with the same servant, a scrawl in Nic Lacey’s hand.
What do you mean meet you by the stepping stones at two o’clock tomorrow afternoon? I do not make assignations with respectable young ladies. You say the matter is urgent. I don’t believe you.
Olivia didn’t answer him; silence was the best option. He might say he wasn’t coming but shewas certain he would. And if he didn’t? Her certainty wavered, but she refused to let doubt color her optimistic mood. The Nic Lacey she believed him to
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