To Please A Lady (The Seduction Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

very essence.
    “Are you ready?” he asked, his voice smooth and calm.
    “I should…” She wanted to say yes, she realized with a start. She wanted to slip her hand into his and follow him to his bedchamber, to let him touch her, kiss her, and that frightened her more than she wanted to admit. She gave a quick jerk of her head. “No, I’m not… sure.”
    “Let me make you sure.” He gave her a kind smile as he took her bare hand and led her toward the chair where she’d been sitting earlier. The feel of his skin on hers sent her heart hammering. Fingers wrapped around fingers, palm to palm, it was much too intimate.
    “If I decide to partake, I… I should not like to run into anyone in the halls,” she said as she settled on the chair.
    “Don’t worry,” he said. “We do not partake in the halls.”
    She flushed; he smiled.
    “I apologize. I understand that you’re a tad nervous.” He settled in the chair next to hers. “But Lady Lavender provides the highest of discretion. She staggers the appointments so that you will not run into any other client.”
    “I see.” For one long moment they merely stared at each other. Her heart hammered madly in her chest, so hard she thought for sure it would break free, run out the front door, and race back to London without her. Ridiculous. She was a grown woman; he was practically a child. Why was she so bloody nervous near him? The heat that had come on so quickly earlier returned. She couldn’t breathe.
    “Are you well?” Suddenly he was beside her, kneeling by her chair, his palm pressed to her thigh as if he was truly concerned.
    When she didn’t respond, just stared at his bold touch, he reached forward and undid the strings of her bonnet. She was too weak to care. What was wrong with her? She thrived on controlling her emotions. She never showed weakness. Ever! Yet here she was acting like a virginal debutante.
    James lifted her bonnet, setting it on the side table. No longer hidden, she waited for his reaction. His warm gaze ran over her face, taking in every detail from her slim nose to her full lips and large blue eyes. He did not change his expression, did not wax poetically about her beauty, nor did he gasp in wonder as men had done in the past. “Would you like a drink?”
    She nodded, thankful he did not spout any romantic nonsense; she wouldn’t be able to stand the falseness of it all. As a young girl, she’d been flattered by the attention men had given her. Now it merely annoyed. James stood and moved to the sidebar. Eleanor released the air she hadn’t realized she held. Lord, they were in Lady Lavender’s study; anyone could come in at any moment. So why didn’t she leave while she could?
    He moved back toward her and held out the glass. When she didn’t reach for it, he leaned forward and settled the drink againsther palm, their fingertips brushing. Heat shimmered through her body. Yes, he was attractive, but she knew it was the suspense of his touch that was truly making her nervous.
    “Drink,” he demanded kindly.
    Eleanor swallowed an unladylike gulp of the brandy. The liquid lit fire to her throat. She gasped, shoving the drink back into this hand. Fortunately he didn’t laugh, merely set the drink on Lady Lavender’s desk.
    “Are you sure, my lady?” He looked so bloody sincere she wanted to laugh, or perhaps she wanted to cry. “Are you sure you want this?”
    She took in a deep breath. She’d come here; her reputation was most likely already ruined. She was tired of being a coward, damn it all. “Yes, I’m sure.”
    He smiled, a kind smile that for some reason set her at ease, and she suddenly found herself smiling back. Her smile fell as he took her hands and pulled her to her feet. She tried not to stiffen, yet her body now had a mind of its own. And so she stared at his neck, at the pulse thumping in a steady beat. For a brief, insane moment she wondered what it would be like to kiss that spot. Slowly her gaze