The Seduction by Laura Lee Guhrke Page A

Edgeware making sheep's eyes at me for weeks. It was a very disappointing experience altogether."
    Trevor set down his glass and began to walk toward her. "Is it adventures you want, Margaret?" he asked softly. "If so, I can provide them, and I guarantee that you won't find them a disappointment."
    She took several steps back as he approached, but the backs of her thighs hit the edge of a sofa table, bringing her to a halt. She froze, watching him warily, and felt as if she were being led into a trap. But she also felt an irresistible desire to know more. "What sort of adventures are you suggesting, my lord?"
    "For a start, I was thinking that you might wish to explore the Carnival firsthand, instead of simply watching it from the balcony."
    How could he know that was exactly what she wished? Wildly, she wondered if he could somehow read her mind. "Are you offering to be my guide?"
    "Yes. Guide, bodyguard, and fellow adventurer. What do you say?"
    Suspicious, she reminded herself again that he was probably just another fortune hunter. "What reason could you have for making me such an offer?"
    "For the last ten years, I have lived a rather unorthodox life. I have spent my time in adventurous and often dangerous pursuits. Now that I have left that life behind and am back in what you might call civilized society, I find myself bored stiff. Balls and routs may be necessary social demands for an earl, but they can also be quite dull. You seem to share a similar view, and I think both of us would enjoy what I am proposing."
    "I see." It sounded reasonable. Nonetheless, she was still wary. "If adventure and excitement are what you seek, wouldn't a man be a better companion for you?"
    "Not at all. Men spend a great deal of time in the company of other men. We drink together, we play cards together, and we have all sorts of adventurous escapades. There would be nothing unique in that."
    "What would we do?"
    "Whatever you like," he promised. "I am at your service."
    A quiver of excitement overpowered her suspicion for the moment. He could take her places she would never be able to go otherwise. He could show her things no one else ever could. Even if he were a fortune hunter stalking her, the bait he dangled to tempt her was irresistible. "What you're suggesting is highly improper," she said breathlessly.
    "What of it? As long as we are careful, no one will know."
    She licked her suddenly dry lips. "My father told me to stay away from you."
    "Did he?"
    An enigmatic smile curved Trevor's mouth, and he took another step toward her, closing the distance between them. He lifted his hands to cup her face, and the excitement within her grew stronger as his thumbs swept back and forth across her cheeks in a slow caress. She could feel his forearms brush against the sides of her breasts, and her heart began to hammer at the intimate contact. She knew she should reject his offer, push him away, and make a haughty exit, but she could not seem to find the will to move or speak. Instead, she could only stare into his dark blue eyes, mesmerized by the intensity of his gaze and the warmth of his body so close to hers.
    "I'm not surprised your father told you to stay away from me." He bent his head until his mouth was an inch from her own. "But we both know you don't always do as you are told."
    "That's true," she admitted in a whisper. "I don't."
    "Nor do I," he murmured. "It seems we both find forbidden fruit to be the sweetest." His mouth came down on hers, capturing her lips in a kiss that was totally unlike the kiss of a dream lover. There was none of the sweet gentleness she had longed for, none of the chivalry and romance she had imagined. This man was real, and his kiss was something raw and powerful that heated her blood and made her ache.
    She clung desperately to the table behind her even as her lips parted beneath the pressure of his. His tongue entered her mouth, tasting deeply of her, and his hands slid down to her waist, pulling her