Free A Dangerous Man by Janmarie Anello

plucked a glass
of champagne from the tray of a passing servant. "I thought
you understood discretion, yet you flaunt yourself before my
wife? Touching my arm? Murmuring throatily? Were I a different, less honorable man, I would be tempted to throttle
you"
    She fluttered her fan, then drew it down her neck, an obvious ploy to drag his gaze to her overripe breasts barely concealed by the outrageously low neckline of her dress. "I am
sorry, Richard, truly, I am. It is just that I miss you"
    He watched her hazel eyes fill with tears, and he gave an
exasperated sigh. Over the month of their association, he had
learned what a talented actress she could be when it suited her
needs. Obviously now, it suited her needs.
    But to what purpose? After all, he had broken off their
arrangement. "I never made you any promises. Nor you, me. Ours was an affair of convenience, a fact to which we both
agreed when you first invited me into your bed. Not to mention, the discretion" Upon which he had insisted.

    Though Margaret, as a widow, possessed more freedom
to take lovers as she saw fit, Richard had suffered a strong
aversion to finding himself suddenly trapped into marriage.
    Such brutal irony. If Margaret only knew.
    The tears disappeared as quickly as they arrived. "You said
you would never marry anyone, yet you show up tonight with
a wife on your arm. What happened, Richard? Get caught
with your breeches 'round your knees?"
    His hand tightened on his glass until he thought it might
shatter. "Let me make something perfectly clear, Margaret. I
expect you treat my wife with all due respect"
    Her sudden loss of color showed she did not mistake the
cold menace in his tone. As he swallowed the last of his
champagne, he cursed his own stupidity. Given the haste of
his marriage, he had known gossip would run rampant. Now
it appeared speculation would run from the merely tawdry to
the viciously depraved.
    He would have to play the besotted fool.
    Having seen Leah's earthy beauty, the wolves of the ton
would have no difficulty believing Richard's lust had overcome his reason. As he searched for sight of her yet again
through the crowd, as the heat of desire surged through his
veins, he stifled a disgusted sigh. He was doing well enough
with that plan already-and he wasn't even trying.
    "You are despicable. You know that, don't you?"
    "Yes, I do" More so lately than usual, he thought. Ever
since he had met Leah, his behavior seemed better suited to a
dastardly rogue than a finely bred English gentleman.
    "I will try to forgive you," Margaret said, fluttering her
lashes. She dropped her voice to a sultry whisper. "And if you
come to me tonight, I'll endeavor to keep you amused"
    And he knew from experience that she could. But to his surprise, he wasn't even tempted. "Do not waste your tricks
on me. Save them for your next conquest"

    "There won't be a `next conquest.' You're all I want, all
I need. Your marriage needn't make any difference to you
and me."
    "You sell yourself short, madam. You should cast your
lures about you for a husband"
    I did cast my lures ... toward you. But it seems I didn't
have the proper bait. Oh, for heaven's sake," Margaret said,
waving her fan before her face. "Do not glare at me. I admit
it. I knew you did not want to marry me. I wanted you then.
I still want you now. I see no reason we cannot continue as we
were"
    He searched the room for Leah. She was walking beside
Geoffrey, laughing at something he said, and the beauty of
her smile, so unaffected and pure, called to him like a siren's
song. Bewitching, beguiling ... dangerous. "No, it is over."
    "Who is she?" Margaret asked, dragging Richard's gaze
from his wife. "Where did you meet? How long have you
known her?"
    "Why could you possibly want to know?"
    "Curiosity? Jealousy? I imagine any woman would want to
know about her replacement. You owe me that much, at least."
    "No, I do not. We agreed" Margaret was a problem that