The Stranger I Married Read Online Free PDF Page B

abigail swept in and went straight to the armoire.
“Shopping tomorrow, Pel?” he asked, his voice maddeningly calm. “I do need new garments.”
The most she could manage was a jerky nod.
Grayson sketched an elegant bow and retreated, but his presence lingered in her mind long after he had gone.
* * * * *
    Gerard made it to the hallway that led to his rooms before pausing to rest against the damask covered wall. He closed his eyes and cursed himself. His plan to renew relations with his wife had gone horribly awry the moment he had opened the door.
    He should have been prepared, he should have known how his body would react to the sight of Pel draped in black satin, one creamy shoulder bared as she lounged on a chaise. But how could he have known? He had never felt that way about her before. At least, not that he could recollect. But during those previous meetings in her boudoir, he had been so in love with Em. Perhaps that was what had granted him immunity from his wife’s abundant charms.
    Banging the back of his head lightly against the wall, Gerard could only hope that it would knock some sense into him. To lust for one’s wife. He groaned. For most men, that would be so convenient. Not for him. Isabel had been frightened by his interest.
    Though not uninterested , a voice whispered in his mind. Yes, his seduction skills were a bit dusty, but he hadn’t completely forgotten everything. He knew the signals a woman’s body gave when she lusted in return.
Isabel may be correct in saying they were not the type of people who found love ever after. Lord knows they had both stumbled badly in that pursuit before. But perhaps it did not have to be a grand love affair. Perhaps it could simply be an affair, of indefinite duration. A marriage of friendship, and a shared bed. As much as he liked Pel, they had the foundation. He loved the sound of her laugh—that rich, throaty purr that warmed a man from the inside. And her smile, with its teasing hint of wickedness. The sexual attraction was there in bushels. Besides, they were married, after all. Surely that gave him a leg up.
Gerard pushed away from the wall, and went to his rooms. Garments tomorrow, and the hiring of a valet. Then a slow reintroduction to Society, and a heated seduction of his wife.
Of course, there was her paramour to attend to.
He grimaced. That would be the most difficult part. Isabel did not love her amours, but she cared a great deal for them, and was fiercely loyal. Winning her would take cunning and time, the latter being something he was not accustomed to investing in the pursuit of women.
But this was Pel, and as many would attest, she was worth the wait.

V{tÑàxÜ gãÉ
    Y
ou do not look happy, Isabel,” John, the Earl of Hargreaves, whispered in her ear. “Perhaps you would like to hear a bawdy joke? Or move along to another party? This one is dreadfully boring.”
    Isabel sighed inwardly and offered a bright smile. “If you would like to leave, I have no objections.”
Hargreaves set his gloved hand at the small of her back and gave a soft caress. “I did not say I wanted to leave. I suggested it as a cure for your ennui.”
At the moment, she almost wished she were bored. To have her head filled with nothing of any importance would be infinitely better than having it filled with thoughts of Gray. Who in hell was the man who had moved into her home today? She truly had no notion. She knew only that he was very dark, shadowed with torments she could not understand, because he would not share. He was also very dangerous. As her husband, he could demand anything of her that he desired and she would be helpless to deny him.
Deep in her heart, Isabel could not help but long for the Marquess of Grayson she’d once known. The younger Gray with the ready wit and careless disdain. He had been so simple to manage.
“Well, Isabel?” Hargreaves pressed.
She hid her slight irritation. John was a kind man, and had been her paramour for over two