The Perfect Temptation Read Online Free PDF Page A

another
investigator."
     
    ''Where?'' he inquired,
chuckling. "You've already interviewed
    all of the reputable ones in
London."
     
    "Excuse me?" she asked,
stunned that he somehow knew.
     
    He settled his broad shoulders
into the corner of the carriage,
    stretched his long legs out,
folded his arms over his
    chest, and grinned . The
pit of Alex's stomach tightened even
    as her skin warmed and tingled.
     
    "You said that you put the
injured guard on a boat for India
    three weeks ago," he began.
"Given your determination
    to protect your ward, I'm
obsessing that you haven ' t spent the
    last three weeks forgetting to
hire a replacement guard. I
    think you've
made the rounds and went to Emmaline for a
    recommendation only when the
obvious, more - publicly
    known choices didn't meet your
standards. Barrett is a very
    private investigator . You
only know about him by personal
    reference. So, following the
deductive logic to the end ...
     
    You have two options, Miss
Radford. It's me or go it alone."
     
    He might actually do a decent job
of protecting Mohan.
     
    His mind worked with surprising
precision and clarity. Not
    that she was about to share that
bit of appreciative insight
    with him.
And not that she was willing to surrender control
    of any situation to him, either.
''What credentials and experience
    do you have, Mr. Terrell?"
     
    He laughed silently and she knew
that he was thinking,
    Change of subject. Blessedly,
though, he found some grace
    and didn't torment her.
"Relatively few, actually. I was once
    ten years old and have younger
brothers, so I do have a basic
    understanding of what goes
through the minds of boys.
     
    Beyond that ... " He
shrugged. "Barrett has decreed that I shall
    spend my life productively. I've
discovered that, for the time
    being, it's easier to acquiesce
than fight him on the matter."
     
    "Do you always take the
easiest course?"
     
    "Rarely, actually. I'm
reforming at the moment."
     
    Alex arched a brow, wondering
just how much of an improvement
    she was seeing.
     
    "No, not happily and not by
much," he supplied, apparently
    able to read her mind. "But
since a child's life is in
    danger, I'll manage to trudge
along."
     
    She understood the edgy
resignation she heard in his
    voice; she'd spent all of
her life trudging through one duty
    after another. Nevertheless ...
"I don't find that attitude
    very reassuring, Mr.
Terrell."
     
    His smile faded slowly and, as
they had the last time
    she'd prodded him, his
eyes darkened. "I'll do what I must to
    protect Mohan for as long as
necessary. How you feel about
    me in the process really doesn't
matter one whit."
     
    Why on earth that taunt bothered
her-and bothered her
    deeply-she didn't know. It was,
however, quite liberating if
    not completely honest to counter,
"Which sums up perfectly
    my sentiments concerning your
opinions of me, Mr. Terrell."
     
    "Good," he said, openly
assessing her. 'We have an agreement.
    Our first." .
     
    "And quite likely our only
one."
     
    "No. One more is absolutely
essential. I'm responsible
    for the child's protection and
I'll make decisions in that regard.
    You'll agree to respect
them."
     
    "Only if I consider them
wise ones, Mr. Terrell. I won't
    surrender my good judgment to you
or anyone else."
     
    There was a long moment of
silence during which the
    rented carriage slowed and drew
out of traffic. As it eased to
    a stop in front of Emmaline's
shop, Terrell leaned forward in
    the seat, took the door handle in
hand and said, "I'm a fairly
    reasonable man. I'm willing to
discuss whatever issues may
    arise, but only to a certain
extent. When I m:aw the line, it:s
    drawn and I won't tolerate
dissension or reSIstance from eIther
    you or Mohan." . .
     
    "How very imperial of
you," Alex observed.
     
    He grinned, dimpling his cheek
and sending anotherjolt
    into the center of her being. ''I can go toe to toe WIth the best.
     
    You've met your match,
duchess." Then he winked, popped
    open the door, and