Secrets of Surrender Read Online Free

Everything up there was ill-gotten and I want no reminder of the man who gave it.”
    “You have more than paid for every garment and jewel. You would be a fool to leave them behind.”
    Her exquisite face remained calm and perfect, but the glints in her eyes dared him to make a horrible night worse.
    “As you wish.” He shrugged off his frock coat and placed it around her shoulders. He beckoned her to follow him.
    “I am not going with you.”
    “Trust me, you are. Now, before Norbury thinks twice about allowing it.”
    She kept her gaze skewed to the side of his head. She might have been looking past an obstructing piece of furniture.
    He admired her pride. Right now, however, it was ill-timed and a nuisance. He wondered if she realized how perilous her position had been back there, and still was.
    “I am sure that you know that I did not agree to that spectacle, Mr. Bradwell.”
    “You didn’t? Well, damnation. How disappointing.”
    “You sound amused. You have a peculiar sense of humor.”
    “And you have chosen a bad time and place for this conversation.”
    She refused to budge. “If I go with you, where will you be taking me?”
    “Perhaps to a brothel, so you can earn back what I will be paying Lord Norbury. To be deprived of both the price and the prize doesn’t seem fair, does it?”
    Her attention abruptly shifted to his face. She tried to make her gaze disdainful, but fear showed enough to make him regret his cruel response.
    “Miss Longworth, we must leave now. You will be safe, I promise.” He forced the matter by placing his arm behind her shoulders and physically moving her out of the reception hall.
    He got her as far as the carriage door before she resisted. She stopped cold and stared into the dark, enclosed space. He forced himself to be patient.
    Suddenly his frock coat hit him in the face. He pulled it away and saw her striding down the lane, into the night. Her pale hair and dress made her appear like a fading dream.
    He should probably let her go. Except there was no place for her
to
go, especially in those flimsy slippers women wore to fancy dinners. The closest town or manor was miles away. If something happened to her—
    He threw the coat into the carriage, told the coachman to follow, and headed after her.
    “Miss Longworth, I cannot allow you to go off on your own. It is dark, the way is dangerous, and it is cold.” He barely raised his voice but she heard him well enough. Her head turned for a quick assessment of how close he was.
    “You are safe with me, I promise.” He walked more quickly but she did too. She angled toward a woods flanking the lane. “Forgive me my crude joke. Come back and get into the carriage.”
    She bolted, running for the woods. If she reached them he’d be searching for her for hours. The dense trees allowed little moonlight to penetrate.
    He ran after her, closing fast. She ran harder when she heard his boots nearing. The scent of her fear came to him on the cold breeze.
    She cried out when he caught her. She turned wild, fighting and scratching. Her claws found his face.
    He caught her hands, forced them behind her back, and held them there with his left hand. He imprisoned her body with his right arm and braced her against him.
    She screamed in fury and indignation. The night swallowed the sounds. She squirmed and twisted like a madwoman. He held firmer.
    “
Stop it,
” he commanded. “I am not going to hurt you. I said that you are safe with me.”
    “You are lying! You are a rogue just like them!”
    All the same she suddenly stilled. She gazed up at him. The moonlight showed her anger and anguish, but determination entered her eyes.
    She pressed her body closer to his. He felt her breasts against his chest. The willing contact startled him. He reacted like any man would, instantly. His erection prodded her stomach.
    “See. Just like them,” she said. “I would be a fool to trust you.”
    He barely heard her. Her face was beautiful in