Pride and Fire Read Online Free PDF Page B

so, why did you?”
    He grabbed her hand and pressed it against himself so she could feel the evidence of his arousal through his tight breeches. She gasped and quickly pulled her hand away.
    “This is what’s bothering me,” he growled.
    He turned away from her to stare out the window as she had done earlier.
    “You think I’m beautiful?” Michelle asked in a small voice.
    Paul looked at her, an indefinable emotion deep in his chest.
    “You’re too beautiful for my sanity,” he muttered, turning away once more.
    The carriage rolled on for a few more minutes, her sniffles the only sound in the dark interior. By the time they rocked to a stop in front of her home, he’d made up his mind. As she stood to exit, he touched her hand and she blinked at him in surprise.
    “I’ll call on you tomorrow, if that’s agreeable,” he said softly.
    She could only nod, her eyes round. He helped her down from the carriage and took in their location for the first time.
    Before she entered the elegant townhouse she turned and waved to him with a small smile. The door closed and he climbed back into the carriage.
    He leaned his head against the seat. “Damn.”
    He’d come very close to taking her there in the carriage. The way she’d responded inflamed him like no other woman. But she lived in one of the most exclusive sections of town. What would he have to offer her? His title, surely, but little fortune. He closed his eyes and looked forward to seeing her tomorrow. He had no choice but to make the arrangements despite the fact that no one had seen them together. He’d simply think about the rest of it at another time.
    She would be his. No matter what.

Chapter 4
    He hadn’t meant to kiss her.
    Paul readied himself for the day, dressing with care. He wore a white shirt over buff-colored breeches and brown boots and chose a dark green waistcoat and brown jacket. He ran a brush through his hair and regarded himself closely in the mirror over his washstand.
    Michelle had looked so beautiful in the faint light of the lanterns, she made his heart ache. When she’d whispered his name, it was like setting a match to kindling. If not for the bloody bump in the road he’d have taken her, consequences be damned.
    Was he wise in pursuing her? When he’d seen her home last evening, he’d been surprised by the townhouse’s location. His own home was in the West End of London, a respectable location. But Michelle resided near Park Lane, one of the wealthiest streets in town.
    He frowned at his reflection. “It doesn’t signify.” He’d promised to call on her. And he was a gentleman of his word.
     
    * * * *
     
    Michelle awoke the next morning, eager to start the day. Viscount Leed—Paul!—was coming to call on her. She rushed through her toilette and sat in front of her vanity in her chemise and petticoat.
    Her lady’s maid, Betsy, stood behind her, pulling the brush through Michelle’s long red curls. “How’d you wish your hair this day, My Lady?”
    Michelle cocked her head to the side as she considered. “I am not certain where Lord Leed is taking me, Betsy. A simple style, I think.”
    “Certainly, My Lady.”
    Betsy fashioned the golden-red curls into braids coiled at the back of Michelle’s head, leaving several tendrils framing her face. The maid then fetched the gown Michelle had chosen. It was moss green with a bit of lace on the edge of the scoop-necked bodice. The dress hugged her curves yet wasn’t nearly as daring as what she’d worn last night.
    She glanced at the rose gown that hung waiting to be cleaned and pressed. Paul had caressed her through that smooth fabric, and with nothing between his hands and her skin. She flushed at the memory. He’d called her beautiful.
    “I daresay, My Lady, His Lordship’ll be speechless when he sees you,” Betsy said as she took her leave.
    Michelle smiled at her reflection. “Speechless? I daresay he barely speaks two words at a time as it is.”
    She went