Seduced At Sunset Read Online Free Page A

man scooping her up into his arms—as if
she weighed no more than a bolt of fabric—and carrying her toward his
home.
    Clinging tightly to the frame of his shoulders, she fought
to stay awake and not faint in his arms. He was rock-solid beneath her hands,
and his exotic spicy cologne smelled delectable. She warmed with appreciation
and something else...
    He mounted his front steps lightly, with no effort at all,
as if they were both floating on air, and his incredible virility had a
strange, appealing effect on her. Every fiber of her being hummed with
awareness, energy, and excitement. A bolt of fear whizzed through her veins
too... though perhaps it wasn’t fear, but something else entirely. Something
exhilarating... something more heady, more dangerous. Indeed, even in her
fantasies she had never projected anything quite like it.
    “That’s it,” he whispered softly in her ear as he shifted
her in his arms to rap the lion’s head doorknocker. “Just hold on to me,
darling. You’ll be fine. My housekeeper will tend to you. One shouldn’t ignore
a head wound, you know. They can be serious.”
    She suspected he was making conversation to keep her
conscious, but there was little danger of nodding off, for she didn’t want to
miss a single moment of this strangely thrilling ordeal.
    Soon the door opened and Charlotte was carried into the
house. She looked around at the walls, the floors, the staircase, and the
pictures on the walls as she was conveyed into a cozy front parlor, decorated
with deep colors and chintz fabrics.
    Clearly this house did not lack a woman’s touch. She
wondered if the gentleman had a wife, and if so, was she at home? What would
she say when she saw her husband carry a strange woman to the sofa and lay her
down upon it?
    The butler appeared—perhaps he was the one who
opened the door—and followed them into the room. “Was there an accident?”
he asked.
    “Yes,” her rescuer replied as he ensured Charlotte was
settled comfortably on the soft cushions. “This woman was robbed, and she
requires our assistance. Please send for Mrs. March and tell her to bring warm
water, bandages, and a washcloth. Send Richard to fetch a constable, but not
before he and Alfred bring the thief inside.” He leaned closer to the butler
and lowered his voice. “Tie him up in the kitchen.”
    “Yes, sir,” the butler said, and left to fulfill his
duties.
    While the gentleman looked out the window to keep an eye
on the thief, Charlotte attempted to rise up on her elbows, but felt a sudden
wave of nausea.
    “Don’t try to get up,” he said. “Wait for the housekeeper.
She’ll be here shortly.” His gaze returned to the street.
    Charlotte watched his cool gray eyes sparkle like silver
in the sunlight. “If I am going to thank you properly,” she said, “I should at
least know your name.”
    He faced her, clasped his hands behind his back, and bowed
slightly. “My apologies, madam. I am Drake Torrington.”
    “Torrington...” Her eyebrows drew together as she tried to
place the name.
    “My uncle is Earl Lidstone,” he explained.
    Ah. So he was a member of the aristocracy. She wanted to
rise to her feet and introduce herself properly, but dared not move from her
position.
    “Your uncle’s estate is near Brighton, is it not?” she
asked.
    “That is correct.”
    “I know of it. I visited there once, when I was a girl.”
    “Did you,” he flatly said.
    Curious to know more about him, she politely inquired, “Do
you have a family, sir? A wife and children?”
    “No, there is only my mother, who is mistress here. I am
not married, and I have only just returned from America.”
    “How long were you away?”
    He glanced down at her briefly, then returned his gaze to
the window for a long moment while his chest rose and fell with a sigh. “Twelve
years.”
    “I see,” Charlotte replied hesitantly. “Are you here only
to visit, Mr. Torrington, or do you intend to stay?”
    “I’ll be leaving