Free Seduce Me Please by Nichole Matthews Page A

faintly heard, held a slight hint of annoyance as it floated out to the terrace. “I saw you come this way, darling.”
    Graydon glanced past her shoulder and frowned as jagged shards of frustration slashed through his body at the untimely interruption.
    Piper pulled on her wrist trying to dislodge her hand from his grasp, searching his shadowed features.
    Graydon tightened his grip, his fingers fixed as he watched her bright blue eyes become dull, suddenly devoid of any warmth. He concealed his disappointment with a wry grin, “My dear, it has been an unexpected pleasure.” He looked into her eyes, bringing her hand back up to his lips, kissing the tips of her gloved fingers.
    Piper blinked, uncertain of the proper response to his touch, to his words, to his game. She wanted to feel anger, but the feel of his lips made her feel something wholly different. She shivered, fixing her narrowed eyes on him; unable to say a word. Yanking her hand away she stared at him with a disbelieving expression reflected in her wounded blue eyes.
    He placed his finger over her lips to silence any verbal complaint, then with a wicked wink, Graydon straightened and walked back into the ballroom.
    Moving to the door, Piper peeked back into the ballroom just in time to watch Lady Carleton drape herself on Rockwell’s arm. Blast !
    Piper’s eyes widened when Rockwell glanced back over his shoulder and winked at her once more.
    Gasping at his audacity, Piper spun around and pressed her back firmly against the ivy covered brick wall. Holding her breath, she squeezed her eyes closed and counted to ten. Conscious only of her heart pounding out a wild beat against her ribs.
    He was good. He was either truly an expert at trapping desperate women in his web of seduction, or she was more of a simpleton than she wanted to believe. And she most assuredly didn’t classify herself in the category of simpleton.
    Silently she cursed Rockwell for making her feel this way.
    For making her feel vulnerable.
    For making her feel insecure.
    For making her feel… flushed and hot.
    And most of all, for making her feel exhilarated.
    She hadn’t felt excitement like that in…well, never...
    Blast the man! She caught her bottom lip between her teeth, then opened her eyes to stare out into the moonlit garden enhanced by the twinkling fairy lights swinging from the trees. How dare he touch her one minute as if he had every right and then the next stroll through the ballroom with another lady plastered to his side. A very unladylike snort escaped at the word. There was nothing to it. She was going to have to remove him from her every thought, but how? She was gaining no benefit from losing herself in a daydream that incorporated a completely inappropriate example of a gentleman. She sucked in a long, slow breath and released it on a hiss. Sagging back against the wall, she fanned herself vigorously with her fan.
    How dare she wish it were her glued to him instead?
    Abruptly she pushed off from the wall, straightened her back and squared her shoulders. Smoothing the wrinkles in her skirt, she turned and strode into the ballroom; chin held high with a smile pasted on her face.
    As soon as she walked back into the ballroom, she was immediately hemmed in by more than a few desperate men in need of a wealthy wife. She smiled and simpered to the best of her ability, but in her mind she compared them to him , and each were found wanting.
    At that moment she became irritated with Miss Harris. Because each time she looked up, she could only see blurs and splashes of color. What was so awful with spectacles? Hers were of the highest quality, even better than most of the paste jewels worn tonight that barely sparkled in the light of the hundreds of lit candles. She fought back annoyance due to the fact that she was unable to see more than a few feet in front of her face without her spectacles perched high atop her nose. What did it matter if she wore spectacles anyway? How were