Rule's Bride by Kat Martin Page B

theater. Leading herdown the hall, he guided her into one of the velvet-draped boxes that formed the second-floor balcony.
    A wide stage rested against the back wall, she saw as they sat down inside the box, and the pit yawned below, lined with rows of seats.
    â€œThere is open seating on the third floor,” Rule said, “but the boxes provide the best view of the stage.”
    And a bit of privacy, as well. With the curtain back in place, it was difficult if not impossible to see inside the box, and she wondered if Rule had used that privacy in his seductions. And if he would attempt to do so tonight.
    A little thread of heat slipped through her that Violet firmly ignored. He hadn’t kissed her again since the night of the ball, though he had vowed that he would. A kiss she could endure, she told herself, but she would allow nothing more.
    They chatted pleasantly for a while, until all the seats were filled and the gas lights began to dim.
    The action began on the stage and eventually she forgot the tall man beside her and found herself caught up in the excitement of the play. A cardboard ship held captain and crew and, of course, the heroine—the daughter of the wealthy ship owner, a young woman traveling to see her father.
    Fake waves moved up and down, making it look like the ship was at sea. A medley of songs were sung and the audience laughed at the players’ antics. Near the end of the first act, pirates attacked, firing their cannons at the cardboard ship, sending sparks and smoke into the air.
    Violet wasn’t sure exactly how the effect was achieved, only that it didn’t go exactly the way it was planned.
    And that was when the trouble began.
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    Rule’s eyes remained on Violet, watching her as he had all evening, wishing the play was over and they were backin the house, determined that tonight he would kiss her, touch her, continue his seduction.
    Damn, he wanted her. Every time she took a breath, her lovely breasts rose enticingly above the bodice of her gown, soft twin mounds ripe for the tasting. Just a glance at the delicate line of her jaw, the sweet curve of her lips, made him hard. He’d been hard off and on since the moment he had watched her gracefully descending the staircase at his house. He was so enchanted, so filled with lust for her he was barely able to watch the play.
    And so it took a moment for him to realize that something was wrong, that there was a stirring in the audience, that people were rising from their chairs.
    â€œRule…?” He heard the note of worry in Violet’s voice the instant before he realized that part of the fireworks display used in the pirate attack had gone awry and the stage curtains had caught fire.
    He stood up abruptly and gripped her hand. “Hold on to me and whatever happens, don’t let go.” Quickly, he moved toward the door leading out of the box, taking Violet with him.
    On the stage, the flames were moving fast, racing along the walls, catching on to the red-flocked wallpaper, leaping from curtain to curtain, spreading along the sides of the theater toward the people in the pit, who were screaming now and running toward the entrance.
    The hallway outside the box was already filled with frightened people, the women’s elegant skirts taking up huge amounts of space. Some of them were crying as they were shoved and jerked forward, the men doing their best to make way for them as the crowd surged down the hall.
    â€œTry to stay calm. I’ll get us out of here, Violet, I promise you.”
    She only nodded, her pretty green eyes frightened butsteady as she moved into the massive wave of people pushing and shoving along the corridor. The terrified mass surged forward. Smoke filled the hallway and, through one of the boxes, he saw that the fire had nearly reached the staircase on the opposite side of the theater. There were shouts and then panic as the choking smoke filled patrons’ lungs and the