The Desires of a Countess Read Online Free PDF Page A

Simon
turned from the fireplace. His gaze locked with hers. For what
seemed like forever, the world slowed to an almost unbearable pace
and she was drawn to the intensity of his stare as easily as if
he’d reached out and physically pulled her nearer. Worse, the
sensations his mere look inspired were anything but
unpleasant.
    Using the remainder of her dwindling
willpower, Ginny broke their stare and took a step into the room.
Icy detachment was the best course of action. She’d learned that
over the years.
    With a thin smile, she said, “Good
evening, Mr. Webber. I hope you weren’t forced to wait long.”
    His gaze, which had maintained its
intensity even when she looked away, softened with his smile. “No,
my lady, not this time. May I fix you a drink?”
    A drink was the best idea she’d heard
in what seemed like years. Yes, a drink to make her hands stop
shaking, to help her stay relaxed as she faced off with this devil
who hid behind a handsome exterior.
    “ Sherry, please.” As he
turned to the bar, she gripped the back of the chair and screwed up
what courage she had left. “How is the cottage?” she managed to
squeak out.
    His shoulders stiffened and her heart
sank. Despite a friendly attitude when she first entered the room,
he was angry. She
straightened her spine and prepared for the harsh words she knew
would come.
    But when he turned, his face was clear
of anger. In fact, an amused twinkle brightened his eyes before he
cloaked the reaction with a hooded glance. “Our accommodations are
fine, thank you.”
    Ginny barely kept her mouth from
falling open in shock. The accommodations were fine? There was a
foot wide hole in the roof that she had ordered placed there. On a rainy night like this one, the
cold and damp would permeate everything and everyone who dared to
take shelter behind its damaged walls.
    His smile widened and took on a rakish
air that made her stomach flip flop. “And I hope you haven’t put
your schedule off by having a formal supper prepared. You’ve gone
to so much trouble as it is.”
    He arched one dark brow and there was no doubt in
the challenge of his stare. Ginny somehow swallowed past the sudden
lump in her throat. She’d all but forgotten her earlier lie about
not having formal suppers. It was so hard to keep all the lies
straight, especially with a man who seemed to see her soul with his
blasted, beautiful eyes.
    “ We-well,” she stammered as
her fingers dug harder into the back of the chair. “I thought we’d
make a special effort for your first night here, Mr.
Webber.”
    He smiled and her eyes strayed to the
drink he’d prepared for her. Wasn’t he going to give it to her? She
needed it now more than ever. She was shaking so hard she was
afraid she wouldn’t stay upright for long.
    As if he’d read her mind, he took a
long step closer. His stare never left her as he held out the
drink. With trembling fingers, she reached out to take the glass,
but they slid from the damp crystal and instead brushed across his
hand.
    The electricity that shot between them
at the inadvertent touch stunned her. Ginny blinked up at him, and
the flash in his eyes made it clear he’d felt the heat, too. And
that it confused him as much as did her.
    But she’d just met him! There was no
reason for him to inspire any strong emotions beyond wariness and
anger. No reason for her to be slowly leaning toward him as she was
doing at that moment. Yet she couldn’t seem to control the slow
sway of her body any more than she could control the wild cadence
of her heart.
    “ Ginny?” Harriet’s voice
came from the door.
    The sound of her name startled her
back to reality. Ginny dropped her hand from Simon’s fingers to
take a stumbling step back. The spell between them was broken, but
from the look in his eyes it was one neither would soon
forget.
    Damn devils and their
charms.
    “ Harriet.” She turned toward
her friend with a wide smile that felt more false than any
expression in her