Seven Nights to Forever Read Online Free PDF

watched.”
    She kept the casual, inquiring expression in place, and waited for his response.
    “And does the thought appeal to you?”
    Did he wish for her to engage in such play with him? On only a small handful of occasions had a gentleman made that request. Tame, really, in comparison to activities that went on elsewhere in the house. Still, the experience had not been comfortable. She had not been able to forget about the eyes upon her, watching her every move. Odd, considering her nights here were always a performance.
    But it wouldn’t do to stifle James’s desires if that was what he truly wanted. She was here to please him , and she must never forget that.
    Forcing a sly, teasing smile, she lifted one arm and reached across the short distance separating them to trail her fingertips down his forearm, over the soft wool of his coat sleeve. “It appeals to me if it appeals to you.”
    The moment she reached the warm skin on the back of his hand, he twisted his wrist, easily capturing her fingers.
    “I didn’t ask about me. I asked about you.”
    Was he truly interested in her preferences? Some pretended to care, but it was only a guise, a way to ease their conscience, to reassure themselves they were not taking something against her wishes. As if the exchange of money wasn’t enough to placate any concerns on that front. But the conviction in James’s steady gaze told her loud and clear he was not one of them.
    If he wanted an honest answer then she could give it to him, at least in this. “No. It does not appeal,” she said, her voice just above a whisper.
    His grip loosened, and she slid her fingers free. She shifted, arranging her skirt about her legs, needing to do . . . something. She felt so oddly exposed, as if she sat bare before not only him, but an entire crowd. The word yes flowed so smoothly off her tongue that it had been difficult to get that no out. She wanted to roll her shoulders, try to throw off the discomposure.
    Instead, she gathered herself, pushing that wall to the forefront, distancing herself from her emotions, employing that critical skill she had learned so very long ago. The one that allowed her to get through each and every evening at Rubicon’s. In any case, it was time to give James another little nudge.
    She reached for the tumbler and took another slow sip. Her gaze dropped from his face, down his chest, lingering on the placket of his trousers before sliding back up to his. Then she offered the glass to him.
    “Are you trying to get me foxed?” he asked, a hint of an amused smile playing on his lips.
    “Foxed? No. What use is a foxed man to a woman?”
    “We can have our uses.” His fingers brushed hers as he took the tumbler. Sensation shot up her arm, radiating across her chest. Her breaths stuttered. His coat stretched across the expanse of his back as he leaned down to set the glass on the plush rug by his feet.
    When he straightened, she thought for certain he would move closer. Lean in to taste the sheen of whisky she knew lightly coated her lips. But he sat back and merely turned his attention to her.
    He seemed more relaxed, those shoulders no longer held so rigidly straight. His long legs casually spread. A man at his ease. Still . . .
    She was going to have to be bolder.
    “Yes. I wholeheartedly agree. Men can definitely have their uses.” With a calculated lean of her upper body, one designed to display her assets to their best advantage, she rested her hand on his leg. The powerful thigh trembled beneath her touch. Then his entire body went still. He was most assuredly not unaffected by her. She tipped her head in the direction behind him. “My bedchamber is just beyond that door.”
    He didn’t look over his broad shoulder, but instead kept his gaze locked with hers. “Is it?”
    She arched a brow, her lips quirking. “Yes. Would you care to have a look?”
    His gaze swept over her face, studying, considering. Just when she thought he would not answer,