All I Want Read Online Free PDF Page B

thoroughly humiliated. His chasing after her would achieve nothing more than to embarrass her further. Besides, he had already proven that he couldn’t be trusted around her. He had been enraged when he had spotted her there in his gaming room, shocked that she would dare enter—dressed as a man no less—and furious that she would risk her reputation so. But all that shock and fury had quickly turned to a different sort of fire the moment he had gotten her alone. And hadn’t that been a brilliant idea? He took a moment to berate himself for treating her so cavalierly. At the time, kissing her had seemed an acceptable alternative to the throttling she deserved. Obviously he hadn’t been thinking very clearly. No lady deserved to be treated as thoughtlessly as he had just done.
    Not that she had fought him off, he thought, enjoying the memory, then gave himself a shake. The girl was obviously as innocent as a babe. She had probably been overwhelmed by his attention. Hell, he had been overwhelmed himself. But his behavior had been simply unacceptable.
    A quiet shuffling drew his attention. Plunkett still stood just inside the door, but his stunned expression at the sight of Prudence with her drawers on the floor had turned to grim disapproval that the man was directing straight at his employer. Stephen felt himself straighten defensively.
    “I had nothing to do with her trousers falling down.” The words came blurting out without his volition. He really had no need to explain himself to his staff. Still, the words came out, and when Plunkett looked doubtful—as anyone would after seeing the red, swollen, obviously just-kissed state ofPrudence’s lips—Stephen felt compelled to explain further. “Well, I did kiss her, but…it is not as if we have not been introduced. We have met at various balls.”
    That wasn’t strictly true. Stephen had attended several of the same balls as the Prescotts and always noted their daughter’s presence. Prudence was a lovely woman. Her beauty was the sort that shone through like a collection of snow white daisies in a mixed arrangement, not screaming for first attention like a red rose with its hidden thorns, but subtly drawing the eye with its soft loveliness. Of course, with his precarious situation in the
ton
, he hadn’t ever approached the woman until just recently. It was only when the rumors and gossip had begun to circulate about the state of the Prescott finances, when the rest of the
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had begun to draw away, that he had dared ask for a dance or two. He had not wanted to sully her with his reputation.
    But with the
ton
acting as they were, it had given him the perfect opportunity. He had approached under the guise of saving her from being a wallflower, something he had done in the past with other shy young ladies. That had been the ruse under which he had made his polite request, and he had found himself drawn to the girl with her soft voice and quick wit. The only reason he hadn’t recognized her right away that first night outside his club was because of the darkness, the unexpectedness of her presence there, that silly hat she had been wearing, and the way she had been bundled against the cold.
    Aware that Plunkett was still glaring at him like a father who had caught him mauling his daughter, Stephen shifted impatiently. “You say the fighting has ended?”
    Plunkett spent another moment looking down his stub of a nose at Stephen, then nodded slowly. “Had to clear out theclub to do it, though. The place is empty and the doors locked. Should I open ’em up again?”
    Moving behind his desk, Stephen made a face and shook his head. He dropped wearily into his chair. “No. That was enough excitement for one night. Is there much damage?”
    “A couple tables broke and a couple of the serving girls got roughed up. Sally took a nasty poke to the eye. It’s swollen shut and blackening bad, and I think Belle’s got a cracked rib or two.”
    Stephen scowled. For all