Lady Iona's Rebellion Read Online Free PDF

look of determination sparked in her eyes.
    He crossed his arms and held his place, half expecting her to direct the attentive Lord Grainger Talbot or Mr. James Harlow to march over and warn him off on her behalf. But she didn’t. Her pink lips curled into a wry smile. She dipped her head in a mock bow and, sending the hem of her blue gown fluttering, disappeared.
    Encouraged, Nathan picked up his pace. He had to guess at the turns to take in the blasted leafy labyrinth, not at all sure what he would do if he caught up to Iona and her group of friends. They would surely give him the cut direct, pretending to not notice his presence. That’s what proper young women were taught to do when found in the same company with a dangerous rogue.
    More’s the pity.
    He turned a corner, thinking he was steps from the center of the maze and discovered he’d reached a dead-end.
    “Are you lost?” a sunny voice asked.
    He whirled around.
    Iona, pretty as a spring flower in the nearby garden beds, blinked up at him. Her peacock blue dress shimmered in the afternoon sun as if it had been sprinkled with dew. A smile lit her face. She tilted her head and studied him without a blush of shame.
    “Where is your gaggle of friends?” he asked. He looked beyond her shoulder and saw no one.
    “They took a different path. I made a small wager with the others that a group couldn’t find their way to the center of the maze before an individual.”
    He glanced at the dead-end alcove where they were both standing and then back to her. “It appears you are about to lose your wager.”
    She took a bold step toward him. “I never wished to win in the first place.” She took another bold step, closing the distance between them. It was improper for an unescorted maiden to stand so close to him, a renowned rogue. “I wished to steal a few moments alone with you.”
    “With me?” He swallowed hard.
    He couldn’t think of one reason a proper lady would want to meet with him alone—unless that lady was overly bold and in search of a dalliance.
    Good Lord, could it be true? Could women be seeking him out thanks to his reputation? Not that he had any trouble picturing the lovely Lady Iona sprawled out underneath him. Naked. Willing. And eager to please.
    That was probably one of her most alluring traits. She had an eagerness to please others. Every member of the ton knew how she’d sacrificed her happiness time and again for her sister’s benefit. Once he convinced her to become his wife, he’d reward her eagerness to please by filling her nights with sensual bliss.
    The bodice of her peacock blue walking dress was cut daringly low, as the latest fashion dictated. His gaze was drawn to the exposed tops of her plump virginal breasts. He fiddled with his tan gloves feeling every inch the big bad wolf society believed he’d become.
    It would be easy enough to act on the urges that were suddenly banging around in his head. With a few carefully worded compliments, he could easily lure her away from prying eyes.
    But blast it! This was Lady Iona, the paragon of propriety. Did she truly wish to—
    “Surely you’re jesting.” He retreated from her until his backside was pressed into the prickly hedge. A branch snapped.
    If he were to take advantage of her desires—or his—he’d destroy any chance at repairing both his reputation and his relationship with his family. No. No. No . Not even for a chance to sate his long-repressed hungers would he take such a risk.
    “I rarely jest,” she said softly. She reached out and placed her slender, lacy-gloved hand on his chest.
    He raised a brow. He didn’t enjoy feeling like a fox being run to ground. “Why are you seeking me out like this?”
    “I have a request.” Her chin jutted upward. “You and I have grown as different as the East is from the West.”
    “We have,” he agreed, unwilling to guess the nature of her request. Guessing was only getting him overly hot. To do any more would only lead