Velvet Embrace Read Online Free PDF Page B

drinking and gaming and wenching . It was doubtful that Lord Stanton was any more admirable, Brie thought, recalling the way he had looked at her. With his title and striking good looks, he had at least two of the prerequisites for a first-class rakehell. He probably moved in circles where debauchery was a way of life.
    Brie frowned, remembering her strange reaction to him. Yet she didn't trust his melting smile, no matter how attractive it was. Six years before, when she was seventeen, she had fallen in love with a man whose engaging smile had hidden his true designs. She had even agreed to elope with him, since her father had not approved of the match. Only by sheer chance had she discovered her suitor's intent before it was too late. It had been humiliating to learn he wanted her only for her fortune—and frightening. He had physically attacked her, attempting to force her submission. She would never forget that horrible night. Since then she had been extremely wary of men and their motives, if not actually afraid of them. Physical contact with a man still sometimes disturbed her.
    But Stanton seemed to be a gentleman. Except for those first few moments, he had been polite enough. Nor had he given her any reason to fear him. Still, she was nervous about sleeping in the same house with him. Not that she could sleep now. She had never been more wide awake in her life.
    Determinedly, Brie lit the reading lamp and bent to pick up her novel. She had to have something to keep her thoughts occupied. Otherwise, she would spend the entire night wondering where Stanton was and what he was doing.
    When a short while later a brief knock sounded on her door, Brie regarded the portal uncertainly. It had to be Stanton, but he would never believe she was asleep. "Yes?" she called out hesitantly. Somehow she wasn't surprised when he opened the door and strolled into the room, carrying a glass of brandy and a half-full decanter.
    He had a hard, graceful body, Brie could see now that he no longer wore his greatcoat. His shoulders were broad and well- developed, while his waist and hips were rather slim. He was dressed expensively. An elegant coat of dark green superfine molded snugly to his lithe frame, while buff leather breeches hugged his long legs like a second skin, accentuating his muscular thighs before disappearing into knee-high top boots. He had loosened his neckcloth a little, Brie noticed, and the snowy linen looked startlingly white against his dark complexion.
    He deposited the decanter on the table beside her. "Your room is warmer," he said offhandedly. "I trust you don't mind if I stay here until mine loses the chill."
    Brie rather suspected it wouldn't matter if she did mind, but she wasn't even given an opportunity to reply. She watched incredulously as Stanton claimed the armchair near the hearth. He settled himself comfortably, stretching one long leg out before him as he brought his glass to his lips.
    Brie's eyes narrowed as he sat there leisurely sipping his brandy. The audacity of the man was beginning to wear on her nerves. "Why don't you make yourself at home, my lord?" she asked with a hint of sarcasm. "Are you sure there isn't anything else you require?"
    Meeting her flashing gaze, Dominic raised an eyebrow. "As a matter of fact, I could use some help removing my boots. Would you like to volunteer?"
    Brie's glance automatically moved down his buckskin- covered legs to his boots. The supple black leather was still wet and mud spattered. "No," Brie answered firmly. "Most definitely I would not."
    He chuckled, and Brie was amazed at how his gray eyes softened with laughter. His features, too, lost that hard, cynical expression when he relaxed. "What kind of name is Brie?" he asked, surprising her. "I don't believe I have heard it before."
    The question caught her unprepared. "I don't care for my real name, Gabrielle," she explained. "Brie is a shortened version."
    Dominic nodded thoughtfully. "Somehow it fits."
    It