Dragon and the Dove Read Online Free PDF Page A

arrival of
Mr. Andrew Strachan from the North Star Line
.
    George Leeds had his unsavory moments, but
there were lines he never crossed when it came to women. Andrew
Strachan had his noble traits, but none of them applied when it
came to women, especially beautiful women.
    Cooper had gotten on the plane because, as
Jessica’s employer, he had responsibilities for her well-being. She
was out of her area of expertise when it came to dealing with
Strachan. He’d also felt an uncomfortable measure of guilt for
sending her off so ill-prepared
. Of course, that
had been the whole idea behind his decision, for her to be
ill-prepared
for a man like Leeds. That he’d
thought about her more often than he’d liked over the last few days
had been a minor consideration.
    It had also been as compelling as hell.
    She was sitting in the last booth with her
back to the wall, and he wondered if the precaution was instinctive
or learned. He knew Leeds wouldn’t have allowed her to accidentally
take his preferred spot. She had to have maneuvered herself into
it, and for reasons all too obvious from Cooper’s point of view,
Leeds didn’t seem to mind.
    Light from an overhead glass globe cast soft
shadows over her face and played with the highlights in her hair,
giving her an air of mystery she had not had when he’d seen her
standing in his office all wide-eyed and staring. Her iridescent
blue dress was slightly disarrayed, baring one satiny shoulder.
Unwillingly, Cooper followed the naked curve with his eyes. It was
a sweet sight, but arousal and assistants were mutually exclusive
by his rules.
    Or they were supposed to be. Dammit.
    He lifted his gaze to her face. She looked
consummately at ease in the dreary surroundings, her smile flashing
every few moments at what Leeds was saying, her hands embellishing
her own words with graceful movements. She had pinned her hair up,
and a few tendrils had fallen back down to curl against her neck.
She was more than attractive, lounging in a buttoned and rolled
Boarshead booth. She was beautiful.
    She was also drunk. The lineup of empty pint
glasses on the table didn’t leave him a doubt. He’d never expected
the woman to be so much trouble, or so damned tenacious—or so
damned intriguing. Anyone else would have quit.
    But not Ms. Langston, he thought with a
grudging, wry grin. She looked ready to give everything right down
to her virtue for the good of the company, and Cooper knew Leeds
would be glad to take whatever was offered. Strachan, on the other
hand, had never been known to wait for an offer. Fortunately,
Cooper had arrived in time to save her from the Scots wolf.
    He stepped closer to the booth, drawing her
attention, and he knew he’d once again misjudged her. She wasn’t
drunk, not by a long shot. The look she gave him was lucid and
piercing, with an element of surprise she quickly hid. As he took
his final steps her gaze dropped to his bad leg and his limp. Her
eyes softened, then she hid that emotion too.
    “Leeds,” he said, startling the other man
into spilling his beer.
    Leeds looked over his shoulder and
immediately stumbled to his feet, his pockmarked face stark with
surprise. “Coop, hell, man. I didn’t—I mean, I didn’t expect, or,
uh, do anything. Nothing. I swear. Hell, look at her.” He swung one
brawny arm wide, encompassing half the bar before sweeping past
Jessica Langston. The action upset his equilibrium and sent him
tumbling back into the booth. Once his head got lower than his
heart, the rest was history. Leeds slid under the table in a state
of blissful unconsciousness.
    Cooper didn’t believe what he’d just seen
any more than he believed what Leeds was wearing. The reprobate had
on a suit coat with matching pants. He was even
wearing a tie and, of
all things, a collar bar, a gold one to match the ring in his ear.
The man had gone all out to impress someone. When Cooper looked up,
he found that someone scooting out of the booth, a concerned frown
on