Pure Temptation Read Online Free PDF

You’ll be able to better your own lot and provide for your brother’s family.”
    Moira’s eyes widened in disbelief. “How do you propose to do that?”
    Jack perched on the edge of the bed, his eyes crinkling with amusement. “Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a lady? To belong to the gentry?”
    Moira stiffened indignantly, taking his words as an insult. “I am a lady! I may not be gentry, but that doesn’t make me any less a lady.”
    The corner of Jack’s mouth lifted upward. He had her now. “Prove it. Let’s see if you’ve got what it takes to be accepted by London society.”
    Forgetting that she was scantily clad in a threadbare shift, Moira jerked upright, wincing in pain when her injured arm protested the sudden jolt. “Are you daft, sir? ’Tis highly unlikely I’ll be accepted by society, let alone mistaken for gentry.”
    Jack gave her a lazy grin. “Spence and I intend to prove you wrong. You will be accepted, Miss O’Toole. We’ll coach you in etiquette, and when the time is right, you’ll be introduced as my ward, a distant relative from Ireland. We’ll make your father a baron, which will make you a lady. Lady Moira. How does that sound?”
    “Outrageous.”
    “Spence and I will do our level best to see you married to an upstanding member of London society, one wealthy enough to keep you in grand style and provide funds for your brother. If that isn’t enough inducement, just consider the endless hours of entertainment Spence and I will derive from our little charade.”
    Moira’s thoughts scattered. What Sir Graystoke suggested was ludicrous. No wonder he was called Black Jack. His warped sense of humor would get them all in trouble. Pass her off as a relative, indeed. How could anyone believe she was gentry? Her mother had told her many times that her grandfather was highborn, but there was no proof to substantiate her claim. That kind of thinking was dangerous. But so were the alternatives, which were definitely unpalatable. Finding anotherjob without references was next to impossible. She had no funds with which to purchase passage to Ireland, even if she decided to burden her poor brother with another mouth to feed.
    Actually, after careful consideration, Moira thought the idea that the two gentlemen proposed had some merit. The idea of marrying money had much to commend it. One possible drawback was having to deal with Black Jack on a daily basis until she left. The man was too arrogant, too handsome and too damn male!
    “Well, what do you think of the idea?” Spence asked excitedly. He was literally hopping from foot to foot, waiting for Moira’s decision.
    “Why would you go to the trouble? There is more to this than an escape from boredom. What do you have to gain by passing me off as a lady?”
    “A pair of…”
    “Nothing,” Jack interjected, abruptly cutting off Spence’s response. He thought it best not to mention the wager he and Spence had agreed upon. His pair of grays against two thousand pounds. “We have your best interests at heart. The diversion your entry into society will provide will give us endless hours of amusement.”
    Jack’s eyes roved over the upper part of Moira’s body, bared when the blanket dropped to her waist. Her breasts were round and full, though not particularly large; he could see the darker aureoles push impudently against the thin material of her shift. A jolt of blatant lust made him want to reach out and encircle the fleshy mounds with his large hands. His fingers tingled, imagining the warmth of her flesh against his palm. He blinked and looked away, surprised at the direction of his thoughts. Moira recognized the look in his eyes and yanked the covers up to her chin with her uninjured arm. She neither needed nor wanted that kind of attention.
    “Amusement,” Moira said bitterly. “Do the gentry think of naught else?”
    Spence grinned. “What else is there?”
    “Come now, Miss O’Toole, what do you