Free Two Shades of Seduction by Monica Burns Page A

me.”
    “I simply speak my mind. The thought of bedding you is one I’ve contemplated quite a bit since our kiss yesterday,” he said as he looked down at the plate she’d handed him.
    The telltale hiss of her sucking in a sharp breath made him suppress a smile as he bit into a chunk of cheese. He lifted his head to see her studying her plate of food. From the color riding high in her cheeks, he was certain their kiss had been a source of contemplation for her as well. The thought pleased him, almost as much as the thought of hearing her moan softly into his mouth.
    His gaze met hers as he picked up a piece of cheese and slowly bit into it. She quickly looked away to continue eating her meal in silence. Amused, he took a swig of wine, studying Sophie over the rim of his cup. It was obvious she enjoyed the meal. Unlike many women he’d met, she didn’t eat like a sparrow. He’d always liked his women softly rounded.
    Setting his plate aside on the blanket, yet well within his reach, Quentin stretched out his legs and reclined back on one elbow. Determined to learn more about the enigmatic woman he was to marry, he nodded toward the white stallion tied to a nearby bush.
    “You ride well. There aren’t many women who can handle a horse of that size.” At his compliment, a mixture of surprise and delight swept across her heart-shaped face.
    “Thank you,” she said quietly as she looked at the horse and a brief glimmer of fear shone in her hazel eyes. “Augustus is one of the few pleasures in my life. I would hate to lose him.”
    “Lose him?”
    “My father…if he knew how much I loved Augustus, he’d quickly find a buyer for Augustus.”
    “I see. Then I’ll make arrangements to buy the animal for you through an agent,” he said quietly, well aware his funds were limited until the steel from his mill in America reached the London docks.
    “You would do that?” she asked with a soft gasp as joy swept across her lovely features.
    “Consider it a wedding present.”
    “Thank you, my lord,” she said as she leaned forward and squeezed his hand.
    The heartfelt emotion in her voice and touch made Quentin stiffen as he realized how much he enjoyed making her happy. The knowledge sounded an alarm in his head which he silenced with a healthy dose of scornful mockery. He had no illusions about his impending nuptials. It was a business arrangement that would afford him the pleasure of indulging himself with Sophie, while destroying the man who’d taken everything from him.
    Quentin’s mouth tightened with repressed anger at the thought of the baron. His gaze fell on Sophie again as she took a sip of wine from the tin cup Cook had packed with their picnic. Sophie had indicated her father had betrayed her, but something about her response seconds ago told him there was more to Sophie’s story than she’d revealed.
    “Are you certain you wish to give me your father’s books?”
    Quentin bit down on the inside of his cheek. What the hell was he thinking? She was going to give him the means to destroy Townsend. Why in god’s name would he offer her a chance to retract her offer? Sophie’s gaze met his and she nodded.
    “Yes.” Her eyes darkened with pain despite the firm reply.
    “I’m surprised your father isn’t as devoted to you as he is to Eleanor.”
    “He’s not…my father loved my stepmother very much,” Sophie said as she turned her head away in an obvious attempt to hide her expression. “Eleanor looks like her, and it’s understandable why he is devoted to her.”
    “You must look like your mother. You certainly don’t resemble Townsend,” he said quietly.
    “No, I don’t…I don’t look like him at all.” The slight hesitation in her response made Quentin eye her with curiosity.
    “And he’s made you pay a price for not looking like him.”
    It was a stab in the dark, but there was something elusive about Sophie that made him probe deeper than he had yesterday. Sophie flinched and