Coming home late, Rand bid his brother
good night at the main hall and started up the stairs to the east wing of his
home. Loosening his cravat, he
unbuttoned the top of his shirt and tugged it open as he strolled into his
room. There, a warm fire was burning in the hearth, causing a soft glow
throughout the room.
Going to the bar he picked out the
liquor of his choice and poured a class.
He walked to his oversized chair and plopped lazily in it as he
stretched his long legs toward the fire.
Deep in thought, he studied the color of the low burning fire through
the contents of his glass.
He yawned.
It was a long night of dancing and
practicing ballroom etiquette. An
activity he hadn’t done in three years.
Raising the class to his lips, he
swallowed a much needed drink, reveling in the hot liquid as it crept down his
throat to sooth his lust and relax his body.
His thoughts drifted to Presley Hayward and not for the first time this
evening since they parted company.
He had watched her throughout the
evening, she was all smiles and very graceful as she danced with other men. He had put his name down for one of the
dances in the last set and discovered when she wasn’t trying to escape a handsy
Earl, she was quite a graceful dancer.
They talked some while they danced, mainly about how the evening was
going, and he was glad to hear that the Earl had given up his conquest and
found another victim.
Their conversation was easy and flowed
very well for them to have just met. The
chemistry was thick between them, he had no doubt she noticed it to. He wanted to kiss her or steal her away out
into the gardens again, but as soon as the dance was over, she was quickly
claimed her for his dance.
As
much as he didn’t want to release her hand or lose her company, he didn’t
attempt to go to her again. He already
knew where that would lead. He felt her
eyes upon him a few times, never looking away when their eyes met. She was bold, and extremely willing to
experiment it would seem.
That alone could lead to trouble.
Who was she really? Where did she come from?
A frown burred in his brow. He needed to concentrate on Jessie and her
season. It would be best if he just
walked away from Presley Hayward.
However, he was entitled to a little fun
himself this season. It wouldn’t amount
to much. It never did. With a lazy smile crossing his face,
something about this girl caught more than his eye. It wasn’t just her long black curls and
petite, yet curvy frame. It was
something more and it was a bit frightening.
He thought her a beauty with the mask
on, but once he slide it off, it proved to be to his undoing. Her lips where full, pouty, supple and wet... and extremely inviting. They almost glistened… Quite kissable lips
actually. And kiss her he did.