Tempest of Passion Read Online Free Page A

to you both.” With a wink, he kicked his horse’s flanks
and set off.
    William watched him go, both
relieved that he was at last alone with Emily once more and
preoccupied. Unless outcasts, wolves were never alone. Did Reeves
come with others? Where was he from? Definitely not London, he’d
know him otherwise. Perhaps, he was an outcast like him. His heart
skipped a beat. Now was not the time to pursue those questions. He
turned his attention to Emily. His mouth dried. She was
mesmerizing. She stared down the road, her features relaxed and
waking in him a desire. William shook his head: A desire for what?
He clenched his teeth. The way she was looking down the path, he
could almost sense her sadness at seeing Reeves go.
    “ Since when do
you know him?”
    Emily pressed her lips
together as if deciding whether to answer his question. Finally,
with a heavy sigh, she gazed at him and back at the path before
speaking.
    “ For the past five years. He
brings fabrics, ribbons and lace from other parts of the
world.”
    “ You seem to
b e on
friendly terms with him,” William noted, barely able to keep the
jealousy from his voice.
    She scowled.
    “ It is of no concern of
yours to whom I willingly give my friendship.”
    “ I suppose not,” he said,
gaining a severe nod from her. She resumed walking and he
followed.
    “ Will you be attending the
assembly?” William asked her after a while of silence.
    Emily’s nose
wrinkled and she pulled her lips into such a thin line that for an
instant William worried he would have naught to kiss in the
future.
    “ I have no other option. My
mother insists that I must attend.”
    “Perhaps then…”
    “ No.”
    “ I haven’t even asked you,”
William protested.
    “ I don’t need you to.” Emily
turned her dark gaze on him. “You are going to ask me to dance and
I am going to decline, so let’s save us both the embarrassment.”
She hastened her footsteps as her house came into view. It was a
modest brick house with a dirt path lined with flowers that led to
a columned entrance.
    “ May I inquire why you will
decline my request?”
    “ I am not fond of
dancing.”
    “ Why?”
    William gaped in wonder as she broke into a full grin that showed
her teeth. She had a straight denture, with the only flaw a
slightly larger gap between her two front teeth.
    Nimbly, she
took her items from his hands. “You are indeed a very persistent man, Mr.
Dalton, but my reasons are my own.” She curtsied, dismissing him.
“Have a good day.”
    Willia m grasped her wrist before she could walk away from him. A
harsh current raced across his arm and he almost released her from
shock. Her loud gasp indicated that she had also felt the
connection between them.
    “ Since you will not give me any
reasons, and I have, as your mother likes to say, saved your
reputation from social shame, I demand two dances with you on
Saturday.”
    Pulling her arm away from his
grasp, Emily stared at him, her eyes dancing over his features as
they searched for something he could not name.
    “ No, ”
she finally said.
    William raised an eyebrow.
    “ Very well, then I shall
accompany you to your house.”
    “ Egad, no! Mr. Dalton…” Emily
huffed his name in exasperation. “Do you want my mother to believe
that you’re interested?”
    William’s lips twitched as he
contained his laughter at her outburst.
    “ I am glad you find this
amusing. I do not.” Emily gave her house a fleeting look. “I will
dance with you if only to avoid you seeing my mother on this day,
for she surely will request not two dances, but twenty.”

“Then I shall indeed walk you to your doorstep,” he declared,
taking a step toward her house.
    Emily’s palm flattened against
his chest, burning right through his clothes. His wolf panted in
excitement. Lust rushed over his body, slamming hard between his
legs.
    “ Don’t you dare,” she said
slowly. “Two dances it will be and not one more. Have a good day,
Mr. Dalton.