Destiny's Daughter Read Online Free PDF Page B

she arched an eyebrow. "I don’t know what you mean."
    "Don’t you? You recognized the code. You returned my wink. I don’t know how you dreamed it up so quickly, but that was a neat piece of work. You created the perfect diversion."
    Code? Wink? She heard those words, then immediately dismissed them. The only thing that stayed in her mind was last night’s incident. How could he dare to mention last night? He was referring to her humiliation in the salon. Heat stained her cheeks. Her eyebrows knit into a frown. "I have no idea what you’re talking about."
    He studied the incriminating blush that colored her throat, and crept slowly over her face.
    "Oh, I think you do, Annalisa. What’s more, I’d like to make you a proposition."
    As she tried to pull away, he caught her shoulder, holding her still. At his touch her heart slammed against her ribs. She felt as if her breath had been squeezed from her lungs. It almost hurt to breathe. And yet. And yet she wished he would keep on holding her, just to see if the effect would stay the same.
    "What do you think about carpetbaggers, Annalisa?"
    She pushed against his chest. He tightened his grip on her shoulders. "I’m sure the good sisters have taught you current history. You must know all about the intruders here in your homeland."
    In the convent, Annalisa had been sheltered from the cruelties of the war that ravaged the countryside. Although she had been well taught, the reality of it hadn’t touched her.
    "I resent them. Everyone does."
    "That’s right," he hissed against her temple.
    She felt the warmth of his breath feather her hair, and fought down the little splinters of fire and ice that raced through her veins.
    "They’ve swarmed over this land like a band of locusts, grabbing up farms and plantations, stripping the South of everything of value."
    "I don’t see what that has to do with me."
    "I’m going to be involved in a game tonight in the salon. One of the men is a thieving carpetbagger, who has stolen, lied, and cheated his way to the top. Some of the money in his pocket is mine. And I want it back."
    Annalisa heard the thread of steel in his tone. She found herself thinking that she would never wish to have that anger directed toward her. Chase Masters was not a man to cross.
    "Why are you telling me this?"
    "Because I may need your help to win my money back."
    Instinctively she covered her ears. "I don’t want to hear this. I don’t understand why you’re telling me."
    His grip on her shoulders tightened. "Listen to me, Annalisa."
    She stared at his offending hand, still clutching her shoulder. "First take your hands off me."
    The command in her voice surprised him. His mustache twitched. A hint of a smile curled his lips. So he had been right. There was fire simmering just below the surface of this prim and proper little actress. Almost casually he dropped his hands to his sides.
    With one hand she flicked her hair from her shoulder, then lifted her chin in a gesture of defiance. Without the warmth of his touch, she felt her strength, her determination return.
    "Are you ready to listen?"
    She nodded, boldly studying his face as he spoke. It was a handsome face, she realized. Almost too handsome. Her reaction to the nearness of him frightened her.
    "Last night, my luck was going very badly. When you acknowledged my wink, I knew you would find some way to create a diversion."
    "But I . . ."
    He touched a finger to her lips to silence her. At once he felt a surge of desire as his finger brushed the velvet softness of her mouth. Swearing softly, he dropped his hand.
    "That trick with the tablecloth was a stroke of genius. In those brief moments I was able to change cards, and change my luck."
    "You cheated!" She was scandalized. The man was a villain.
    "I simply—changed my luck," he said calmly. "Now. What I want is for you to arrange to be in the salon again tonight. If my luck is holding, I won’t need your help. But if I should wink, it will mean