Desire Me Read Online Free PDF Page A

would deem appropriately attractive, an ivory gown sewn of the most
     luxurious of silks. It fit her perfectly, which in itself was remarkable considering she’d purchased it from the display in
     the shop’s window. The cap sleeves edged with delicate lace revealed her upper arms. Then from fingertip to elbow, she wore
     matching satin gloves. The gown’s plunging neckline lifted and squeezed her breasts until they were practically bursting through
     the material.
    She’d also had Calliope do her hair up in light wispy curls that barely brushed her shoulders, just hinting at their softness.
     She very much looked the part of a proper English lady. She fidgeted with the necklace hanging around her neck. To others,
     it would appear to be a simple gold chain, but hanging from the necklace, and hidden beneath the bodice of her gown, was a
     crystal vial with a small amount of elixir. Agnes had given it to her months ago and instructed her to keep it with her always.
    From her vantage point, she saw a man in a greatcoat, the black wool stretched across his broad shoulders. He put on a top
     hat as he stepped off the last stair and into the waiting coach. Then it rolled out of the driveway. She instructed her driver
     to follow.
    She hadn’t yet figured out how she would sneak into the ball or soiree, or wherever he was going, without a proper invitation.
     Perhaps her lovely dress and a well-placed smile would grant her admission. She kept her eye on the carriage so she did not
     lose her man. But her driver stayed close. She wished she’d seen his face, though, as it seemed unlikely she would recognize
     him in a crowd. All men of wealth wore similar coats and hats.
    It took less than twenty minutes for them to pull up outside a three-story redbrick building. The man walked up to the black
     door and entered. Sabine noted there were no identifying markers indicating the type of establishment, though she assumed
     from the neighborhood that this was a business and not a residence.
    The street was quiet as she stepped down from her rig. Nerves fluttered wildly in her abdomen, and she pressed a gloved hand
     against her stomach to calm herself. Now was not the time for her to feel anxious.
    She had a job to do; it was plain and simple. With apinch of her cheeks and a tight nibble at her lips to pinken them, she
     made her way to the door. She would mill about, watch for a while, then find the gentleman in question. The heavy door opened,
     and Sabine found herself standing in a smoke-filled gaming establishment.
    She nearly scoffed. The most prized artifact of Atlantis was in the hands of a gambler. She had half a mind to be utterly
     incensed, but perhaps this could work to her favor. With that thought, she went in search of the marquess.

Chapter Two

    M ax picked up his hand and glanced at the cards, a lousy combination that on its own would win nothing. It was why he loved
     this American game—for the bluffing. Even with a mediocre hand of cards, he could win.
    His table mates were a motley crew, and he had very little difficulty deciphering when they held good hands or when they knew
     they would lose. Two of the older gentlemen had made excuses and left the table when the betting had increased. Now only four
     remained. A grizzled man with a full shock of white hair and a voice deep and cracked. A young man, perhaps one could even
     consider him still a boy, as not even a hint of whiskers appeared on his chin. And the Earl of Chilton sat across from Max,
     a fine opponent when he wasn’t drinking. Tonight, though, the man had had one too many sips.
    The fourth player was, by far, the most interesting. A woman, dressed in a cream-colored confection with a plunging neckline
     that left very little to his well-developed imagination. She was the kind of woman one expectedto see across a candlelit
     ballroom surrounded by suitors, not in a smoke-filled gaming hell surrounded by drunken fools. With her lustrous,