Assassin's Heart Read Online Free PDF

with her. She shook her head.

    “You disappoint me, Octavian. I never thought you would be in the camp of those who prefer the patrician class to remain pure. The fact that Maximus is your friend only makes it worse.”

    Without allowing the man to utter a response, she moved away from him. As hostess, she found it necessary to stop and greet several prominent guests she’d invited at her father’s request. It seemed to take an interminable amount of time to make her way around the shallow, water-filled impluvium with its resplendent mosaic to where her general and her father stood. When she finally reached the two men, she saw Maximus grow rigid with tension. His physical reaction made her bite back a smile. He was aware of her more than he cared to admit. “Father,” she murmured a greeting as she kissed his cheek before she turned to the man she intended to conquer. “General, I’m delighted you could join us.”

    Her hands outstretched, she forced him to take her hands in his. They were large hands, rough and strong. The hands of a soldier. She wanted to feel their roughness against her skin. As she stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek and then the other, he had no choice but to lower his head toward her. Her cheek brushing against his, she pressed her mouth against his ear.

    “There isn’t a woman in this room who can take their eyes off you. Including me.”

    At her whisper, he pulled back abruptly, his eyes narrowing as he stared down at her. The vivid green of his gaze studied her for a long moment before he looked at her father. She glanced over her shoulder to see her father barely restraining his amusement.

    “Forgive my daughter, Maximus. I’ve given her free rein for so long, it’s impossible to

    control her.”

    “Perhaps it’s simply a matter of finding the right hand to gentle her.”

    The amused note in Maximus’s voice sent irritation spiraling through her. This wasn’t the way he was supposed to respond to her. She suppressed her annoyance and forced a smile to her lips as she summoned Adela to her side with a wave of her hand.

    With only a small command, the freedwoman hurried away to find the dancers hired as the evening’s entertainment. As music filled the room, she looked up at Maximus and offered him her most beguiling smile. His green eyes darkened, and she quickly turned her gaze to the erotic dance being performed in front of them. Suddenly, she realized it might be difficult to make him dance to her tune.

    Another senator hailed her father from across the room, and he excused himself, leaving her alone with Maximus. Tension as finely taut as a spider’s web wove through her as she watched the dancers. After a long moment, she braved a quick glance up at him. To her surprise, he was openly studying her, and she could feel the heat of a blush cresting over her cheeks.

    “You blush like a vestal virgin, my lady.” The whisper was almost a caress against her skin, and the sound of his voice sent the blood pounding through her veins.

    “Do I?” she choked out.

    “Most certainly,” he said with a soft laugh that made her legs go weak. “It enhances your beauty.”

    “You think I’m beautiful?” Startled, she looked up at him in surprise.

    No one, not even her father had ever said she was beautiful. A look of hunger swept across his face and it sent a thrill whirling through her. Strong fingers bit into her upper arm as he quietly pulled her away from the festivities, through the peristylium, and into one of the empty rooms reserved for the family’s use. The scent of the flowers in the large garden that was the peristylium drifted into the small room as he pulled the privacy curtain closed behind them. Her heart skipped a beat, and she breathed in Maximus’s raw male scent as he advanced on her until her back came up against a cool marble column. She was certain it was her imagination, but she could almost feel his fingers caressing her throat before they