Secret Fire by Johanna Lindsey Page A

Alexandrov,” Katherine warned in a frigid tone. “What the devil do you mean, no?”
    “Katya, please, I thought we had dispensed with formality,” he chided gently.
    “Must I remind you we haven’t been introduced?”
    “So proper? Very well.” He sighed. “Dimitri Petrovich Alexandrov.”
    “You forget your title,” she sneered disdainfully. “Prince, isn’t it?”
    A single dark brow rose questioningly. “That displeases you?”
    “It doesn’t matter in the least to me one way or another. Now I would appreciate some privacy so I can dress and leave this place, if you don’t mind.”
    “But what is your hurry? I have ample time—”
    “I don’t! Good Lord, I have been kept here all night. My father will be frantic with worry!”
    “A simple matter. I will send someone to let him know you are safe, if you’ll just give me the address.”
    “Oh, no. I’m not about to give you the means to find me again. When I leave here, it will be the very last you will see of me.”
    He wished she hadn’t said that. It struck a chord of regret in him that was wholly unexpected. He realized that if he had the time, he would delight in getting to know this young woman better. She was so totally refreshing, the first woman he had ever encountered who seemed genuinely unimpressed by his title, wealth, and charm. And not to overstate the case, he knew he appealed to women physically. Yet the little dove couldn’t wait to fly the coop.
    Impulsively Dimitri rolled to face her and asked, “Would you like to visit Russia?”
    She snorted. “ That doesn’t deserve an answer.”
    “Careful, Katya, or I will begin to think you don’t like me.”
    “I don’t know you!”
    “You know me very well.”
    “Being acquainted with your body is not knowing you. I know your name and that you’re leaving England today. That is the most I know about you—no, I take that back. I also know thatyour servants go to criminal lengths to please you!”
    “Ah, now we come to the heart of the matter. You object to the manner of our first meeting. That is reasonable. You had little choice in the matter. But, Katherine, neither did I. Well, that is not exactly true. I did have a choice. I could have left you alone to suffer.”
    She glared at him for that pointed reminder. “If you expect me to thank you for your assistance last night, I must disappoint you. I’m not stupid. I know exactly why I was given that foul drug. It was for your benefit, because I had refused to go along with your plans for the evening. And that reminds me: I want your man brought before a magistrate. He’s not getting away with this.”
    “Come now, no harm was really done. True, you are no longer a maiden, but that is a matter to rejoice in, not bemoan.”
    If it hadn’t been such a horrid situation and she the victim, Katherine might have laughed at such an absurdity, for she had no doubt he was sincere. He actually believed she had suffered no great loss, which stated clearly the extent of his libertinism. But to treat that as she would have liked would only confound him, considering who he thought she was, or rather, what she was. And yet she had the feeling that his opinion would be no different if he knew the truth.
    She had to willfully control her temper. “You conveniently overlook the fact that I was kidnapped, literally dragged off the street, tossed into a carriage, gagged, and then secreted in this house, where I was detained all day in this room. I was abused, threatened—”
    “Threatened?” Dimitri frowned.
    “Yes, threatened. I was quite ready to scream my head off and was told the guards posted outside my door would not hesitate to restrain me if I did so. I was likewise warned force would be used if I didn’t bathe or eat.”
    “Trifles.” Dimitri waved a hand dismissively. “You weren’t actually hurt, were you?”
    “That is beside the point! Kirov had no right to bring me here or keep me here all against my