Free Enemy of Mine by Red L. Jameson Page A

insistence upon independence?”
    Erva shook her head with a pursed smile. “If I told you, then that would be cheating.”
    Both the Howe brothers chuckled.
    The night couldn’t be more perfect. He had his arm around a woman who’d somehow already captured his...well, his body positively liked her. He liked her. He knew that much. Whenever he’d pulled her nearer, she’d willingly accepted. She had been fidgeting with her hands while talking to the Howes, but while they laughed, her hands relaxed by her sides. One of them slipped across his leg. Her touch had been much lower than before, which he had known was an accident. A fortunate one, at that. Just thinking about it and his cock almost came to life, of all the damned times.
    As the brothers talked about loving a woman with a healthy sense of humor, Erva flittered her fingers against his leg again. This time, he was fairly certain it hadn’t been happenstance.
    Seduce her , Will thought of the order from his sergeant. Men would laugh and tease each other about women, about having sexual intimacies with them. But Sergeant McDougal hadn’t been joking.
    And neither was Will.
    The problem was he’d never done such a thing. Julia had basically attacked him, and as much as he would never admit it, that had been his first time. After Julia...Granted, his body would somehow spring to life, have wants and needs, but he’d never sought an end to that means, at least not with another. He had a hand after all. It pained him to admit how utterly unsophisticated he was with women. There were few women he’d had intimacy with after Julia. God, how pathetic. And ironic, for he knew well of his reputation.
    He thought it was beyond bitter to a point where he’d laugh at his rakish status. Until that moment, he hadn’t cared about it. Well, he had, but there was nothing to be done, he’d thought. But now that he’d met Erva, sweet, strong Erva...
    Seduce her .
    Will swallowed. Erva stood slightly in front of him. Well, half of her blocked the Howe brothers from the leg her fingers swept across again and again. He grasped her delicate hand with his own. Her breath caught, but other than that she proceeded on with her conversation—something about the size of Richard’s cannon balls in his ship, which of course, all parties laughed at the innuendo. God, she was brilliant.
    Slowly, he dipped his fingers between hers. She stilled, but remained smiling. Will pushed his hand closer to her own, wrapping each finger with hers. He curled his digits until they clung to her hand, then just as she reciprocated, he loosened his grip. His thumb swept across the inside of her wrist. Such pale skin she hid there, where her pulse bounced against him. And there, right where his thumb met her soft flesh, he saw another light-colored dove. This flying bird was almost white, and he traced the outline of it, wondering about her birthmarks. It was then he noticed that Erva held her breath. Gently he caressed her wrist until he heard a tiny, ever so slight moan come from her throat. Almost imperceptible, but her breath quickened too. She was doing her best to cover it, he thought. But her tiny shoulders rose and fell in a completely satisfactory way. Her scent curled around him, pulling him closer. She smelled deliciously dark and feminine, like night jasmine. He found each of her fingers and again inserted his own between hers. She clutched at him. Ferociously, at that.
    His cock tingled with energy. Lord, at a banquet no less. Luckily, her dress’s skirts blocked that part of his anatomy from view.
    The Howe brothers said something about needing to leave, how they wished they could stay...Will could hardly believe his luck. He could rush Erva away. In the carriage, he would hold her ungloved hand and—it was time to think of what else she might like. He could kiss her sensitive wrist. Start there, yes. Then crawl his kisses up her arm. He hoped she would like that.
    Lord, he was the least