A Taste of Seduction (An Unlikely Husband) by Mary Campisi Page A

Alexander. “You didn’t believe me.”
    Guilt crept over him, smothering him until he found it hard to breathe. No, he hadn’t believed her, hadn’t believed she wasn’t trying to take advantage of the earl by creating a monster in Amberden.
    But the monster was real. And deadly.
    His next words stuck in his throat like a foreign language, hiding behind his tongue, until he pushed them out with great effort. “I apologize for my misjudgment.”
    Francie stared at him, her blue eyes filled with sadness and tears. Her bottom lip quivered as she tried to speak. “Please...” She sniffed twice and swiped at her eyes. “Please make him pay.”
    Alexander stared at the beautiful young woman kneeling on the ground cradling her aunt, and in that instant, he wanted to be her prince, wanted to slay her dragons and dry her tears. He wanted her to believe in humankind’s innate goodness, even when he himself did not. Knowing he’d regret it, he opened his mouth and let the words fall out.
    “I’ll make him pay. By God, I’ll make him pay.”
    ***
    Alexander had been watching her sleep for the past half hour. She lay perched in an old rocking chair, legs tucked underneath her gown, head tilted to one side. A pair of serviceable brown shoes rested on the floor a few feet from one another. No doubt, she’d kicked them off.
    Beautiful. With her wild mass of sun-kissed red hair cascading about her shoulders, a few loose tendrils falling over one cheek, Francie was the vision of beauty and innocence. Long dark lashes lay in contrast against her creamy skin. Though he couldn’t see them from where he sat, Alexander knew a light dusting of freckles covered the bridge of her nose. He’d been close enough yesterday, during one of their … discussions , to notice. And the mere fact that he had noticed bothered him. He pinched the bridge of his nose. He wouldn’t notice anymore. Period.
    He cursed himself for promising to deal with Jared Crayton. It was an irrational, impulsive decision, driven by one woman’s tears. What was the matter with him? If there were two things he abhorred most and never displayed, they were irrational and impulsive behavior. Yet, he’d exhibited both this afternoon without a second’s consideration.
    Blast Francie Jordan! He should have turned his back on her tears, kept to a firm resolve, and simply refused. No one expected such things from him, such involvement where it was not his concern. But Francie Jordan did. Some sense of duty drove her, some commitment to righteousness rare in the world and almost nonexistent in polite society. And she was hell-bent on dragging him along on her crusade of good against evil.
    She shifted in her chair and sighed, let out a low moan, and snuggled further into the chair, heaving another sigh. Alexander’s groin tightened. Damn! He sprung from the chair, nearly toppling it over, grabbed his jacket, and headed for the door. Once outside, he sucked in the brisk, evening air and cursed the smallness of the cottage. That’s why he’d noticed her. That was the only reason.
    If he’d been at Drakemoor, he’d be working on his books right now, or visiting Tess, perhaps. Or maybe relaxing in his library with a good book and a glass of sherry. Any number of things from his evening routine. But not watching Francie Jordan sleep. And not being so depraved as to get an erection over an innocent sigh.
    Alexander cursed under his breath. Circumstance. That’s all it was. He needed to get back to Drakemoor and pay Tess a visit. Then he needed to take Baron out and run the hills. It was the only time he forgot to be a gentleman and was as wild as the animal he rode. In truth, it was the only time he felt alive.
    The only time he felt free.
    “I was hoping to find you alone.”
    Alexander spun around. Bernard stood several paces behind him.
    “I needed some air.” Alexander dug his hands in his pockets. “It was stifling inside.”
    Bernard nodded and pulled a pipe and