The Spy Who Loved Her: Once Upon an Accident, Book 3 Read Online Free

no longer the sandy brown of his youth, but now laced with gray and thinning on top. He had become a permanent part of their lives from the moment his father had died. In a house surrounded by women, Daniel had always been thankful for the friendship offered by Horace.
    “Mother.”
    Horace’s blue eyes danced over his glass as he sipped. “Oh, I understand now. Anxious for you to set up a nursery, is she?”
    Daniel nodded as he glanced in Anna’s direction. “Did she tell you about it?”
    He chuckled. “I would not admit it if she did. But it is normal for your mother to want you to settle.”
    Lord Smythe made a move to step closer to Anna, causing Daniel to frown. The way she was smiling up at the man there was bound to be talk. She should know better than to even give the man any attention. Bloody hell, she had to know his reputation.
    “Ah, I see you have your eye on someone already.”
    Daniel glanced at him. “I do?”
    He gestured in the direction of Anna with his glass. “It is understandable. With her fortune and good looks, she is a catch. Her do-gooder status is a trouble.”
    He shook his head trying to keep track of Horace’s conversation. “Trouble?”
    “Well, my dear boy, you cannot have a wife around that sort of riff raff. Very unseemly.”
    Daniel nodded again, not wanting to get into another argument with him. The one fault that Horace possessed was a bone-deep snobbishness.
    “Either way, I am doing this as a favor to Sebastian and I better make my way over there before the next waltz.”
    “Happy hunting, my dear boy.”
    Daniel fought the need to groan at the image of him hunting for a wife and started on his path again. With each step, his heart sped up, his body reacted. It had been like this since she had come to town several years earlier. He, a man who had been with countless women, who was renowned for his seduction skills, found himself at a loss of what to do when in the presence of Anna. That was, until three years ago. Since then she had avoided soirees of this type. Lately though, it had been easier. She had become more conservative in her dress. Unfortunately, tonight Daniel detected her mother’s hand in her choice of outfits.
    The delicate blue silk draped her curves, making the most of her small waist. It showed entirely too much of her breasts in Daniel’s opinion. Indeed, Lord Smythe was practically drooling as he talked to her bosom. Possessive anger whipped through him as his blood heated and he clenched his fists. Damn her mother for putting her on display like a prize to be won.
    Knowing that it would be better to get the deed done, Daniel approached her. He elbowed his way through the sea of young men surrounding his quarry. The moment he stepped up next to her, he found himself unable to speak. Anna was responding to a question from some wet-behind-the-ears viscount and not even looking at him. But even so, his palms began to sweat. When she turned to him, he felt the blood drain from his head. Those huge blue eyes always did it to him. No matter how many times he reminded himself he could not lust after Sebastian’s sister, his body ignored him. When she met his gaze, every warning he gave himself dissolved.
    “Lord Bridgerton.” Her voice had dipped an octave as it slipped over his nerve endings. Cultured English draped in a layer of sensuality. “I did not expect to see you in attendance.”
    He knew he should throw out a witty rejoinder, but his brain refused to work. It had been months since he had seen her dressed for a ball. The impact of her appearance singed across his senses. Even standing several feet away from her, he could catch wisps of her fragrance. Rose water. He could never smell it and not think of her or imagine spending a night searching out the scent on her flesh.
    Just thinking it brought images to mind, causing his cock to harden. Christ, he had not had this problem in public since…well, the last time he danced with her.
    “Lord