The Perfect Temptation Read online

  windows that can aid someone bent on getting to Mohan.

  And yes," he added before she could suggest it, "I could very

  well go out and stand at the side and rear of the house to

  make that survey. However, I'm here and it's a simple matter

  of opening the door and letting me in to look from the perfect

  vantage point."

  "I assure you that my windows are perfectly secure."

  Still no fire; still wary. He held his ground. "I want to see

  that for myself. Please."

  She caught the inside of her lip with her teeth and he

  knew that in the end she would relent. He waited, willing to

  be patient for the sake of earning her trust. God, she was

  beautiful standing there, loose ringlets of dark hair framing

  her face and looking a little confused, a little wary, and so

  very determined to keep him from knowing that. So young,

  so vulnerable. So at odds with the duchess she pretended to

  be.

  Without saying a word, she turned and walked off in the

  direction of her room. Aiden expelled a hard breath in relief

  and went after her before she could change her mind.

  Her hand on the doorknob, she looked up at him and said,

  '''There will be absolutely no comments of a personal nature."

  Aiden resisted the urge to laugh, drew a quick X over his

  heart, and held up his hand, palm out.

  And regretted the casually made vow the instant she flung

  wide the door. The windows were shuttered with panels of intricate

  wooden fretwork that threw a thousand delicate swirls

  of shadow and afternoon sunlight over the contents of the

  room. Which were, with the exception of the four-poster bed

  and a rattan sofa, most decidedly non-English. The coverlet

  was a deep, deep gold. Almost an amber. An intensely rich

  rainbow of pillows had been invitingly piled about the bed and

  every comer of the room, all of them plump and full, covered

  in rich silk fabrics of one sort or another. A thick carpet of

  reds and golds and greens covered almost the entire surface of

  the wood floor. Gleaming silver and gold pieces sat on her

  dressing table, a true masterpiece of hand-carved artwork.

  But all of that paled beside the fact that Preeya had apparently

  done the washing that morning. On the bed, lying in

  brilliant contrast against the dark coverlet, was a white

  corset of sheer, sheer fabric and trimmed with lace and ribbons

  in all the right places. A saffron-colored nightgown of

  impossibly transparent fabric had been draped over the foot

  of the bed. Between it and the corset was a pair of equally

  seductive pantaloons.

  Clearly none of it was made of English fabric. And it was

  equally obvious that the garments didn't reflect so much as a

  hint of typical English reservation. Alexandra Radford had

  excellent taste. As well as what appeared to be an excellent

  understanding of what men considered irresistibly erotic.

  Who would have guessed? He certainty hadn't. But, as unexpected

  discoveries went, it was definitely the best one he'd

  made in a long, long time.

  And it was probably wise to keep that pleasure to himself.

  With monumental effort, he reined in his appreciative

  grin and moved toward the windows. Flipping open the

  latch, he pulled the fretwork aside and gazed out over an unobstructed

  western view of the city. No trees. No nearby

  buildings, just the street below and the houses on the other

  side. No one was going to gain easy egress to this room

  unless Alex Radford opened one of the doors and invited

  them in.

  Which she wasn't at all likely to do, he reminded himself

  as he rehooked the latch. All those delicious wrappings going

  to waste, hidden away and unseen. Untouched by male

  hands. Damn. There was a true, heartbreaking tragedy if

  ever there was one. He needed to do something about rectifying

  that.

  "Have you seen enough?" she asked as he moved back to

  the door.

  God no, he silently answered, fighting his smile again and

  bringing his gaze up to meet hers. His amusement ebbed

  away and his steps slowed until he stood in front of her. So

  many emotions in her eyes. Uneasiness and courage, hurt

  and hunger. He wanted to reach out and gather her into his

  arms, to pull her close and rub his cheek against her dark

  curls. Just to hold her; that's all he wanted. It wasn't much to

  ask, much to give or to take. But it was too soon.

  And yet ... She knew. It was there in the quick rise and

  fall of her breasts, in the way her lips were parted as she

  struggled to breathe. He could see it in her eyes, too. Temptation,

  curiosity, a flicker of trepidation, of uncertainty.

  A kiss would be all it took. He could banish the doubts in

  seconds, make her forget she had them. Until he let her go.

  And then she'd remember and distrust him all the more for

  his having so callously pushed her fears aside. No, when the

  apprehension was gone, when she searched his face without

  asking silent questions ... Only then. Only when she was

  absolutely sure.

  And it was only right that he give her fair warning of his

  intentions. He cleared his throat softly and moistened his

  suddenly too dry lips. "Enough," he said quietly, firmly. "For

  now."

  Chapter 7

  Alex forced herself to swallow, but breathing ... The look in

  his eyes made it impossible. If she moved. if she tried to

  speak, he would lean down and kiss her. Gently, deliciously,

  and thoroughly. There would be no resisting him. She knew

  that to her marrow. In the center of her soul a quiet hope

  whispered of risk and sweet reward.

  ''Mohan's room," he said softly, still watching her face. He

  quietly cleared his throat again before adding, "If you please."

  He'd offered a reprieve. All she had to do was turn her

  head, look away, and the spell would be broken. All she had

  to do was reach for him and he would take her in his arms.

  He dragged breath into his lungs, took a full step back, and

  mercifully kept her from making a fool of herself.

  Turning away, filled with a curious mixture of relief and

  disappointment, Alex -moved with weak knees to Mohan's

  door. As before, he didn't respond to her knock and she

  opened the door without asking again.

  And, as before, he sat cross legged on his pallet, his arms

  folded over his chest and his chin raised defiantly. This time,

  however, the floor between his bed and the doorway was

  strewn with what had been his lunch.

  She gasped in shock. From behind her came Aiden Terrell's

  low growl. "Mohan!" she began, furious. "You will clean up

  this mess immediately."

  He raised his chin another notch. "Preeya can do it."

  "She's perfectly capable of doing so," Alex snapped, "but

  she won't. She has enough work to do without following behind

  you with a broom and pan. You alone created this disaster

  and you alone will rectify it. Now."

  Mohan glared at her in silent defiance
. Alex mentally

  ticked through the punishments she could impose as leverage.

  Continued confinement, she decided. With no more meals.

  Not until it was cleaned up. "Very well," she began. 'Then I

  have-"

  "We're going out," Aiden Terrell said coolly, firmly from

  over her shoulder. "You have five minutes to make yourself

  publicly presentable, young man. Don't waste it."

  Alex looked back at him., stunned that he would presume

  to override her attempts to discipline the boy. "Mr. Terrell-"

  "It'll wait for a bit," he declared, his brow cocked, the light

  in his eyes resolute. "Preeya's room, if you would. please."

  Now wasn't the time and in front of Mohan most certainly

  wasn't the proper place to challenge his usurpation of

  power. Alex wordlessly promised him a contest at a later

  point and went to open Preeya's door.

  He stood in the doorway and looked around, nodding.

  ''Will you also want to see the attic?" she asked, hoping

  he did. The attic would be the perfect place for them to set

  matters straight.

  "Does it have windows?"

  "Six dormers," she supplied. 'Three on each side, front and

  back. And a small round window in each end. I don't recall the

  views from each. That you'll have to ascertain for yourself."

  His brow inched slowly higher as he considered her. A

  tiny smile curved the comers of his mouth as he said, "For

  now, the description will suffice. In what sort of condition is

  your carriage house?"

  She blinked, confused by his sudden change of direction.

  ''I beg your pardon?"

  "Your carriage house," he repeated patiently. ''The stone

  building out back, the one not the kitchen. It has the wide

  Dutch front door."

  "I'm well aware of which building it is," she countered.

  "Why are you asking of it? There's nothing in" it and I can

  see absolutely no reason to be concerned about its general

  security."

  "We'll take a look at it before we go," he declared as he

  moved past her and back toward Mohan's room.

  ''You haven't answered my question, Mr. Terrell."

  He didn't look back at her, but grabbed the doorjambs in

  his hands and said, ''Time's up. Let's go, Mohan." After a

  slight pause he added darkly, "If you don't get your rear end

  up off that bed and out this door in the next two seconds, I'm

  going to turn you over my knee and you won't be able to sit

  on your royal fanny for a month."

  Alex was about to step forward and intervene when he released

  his grip on the jambs and said, ''Bring your coat. You'll

  need it."

  Mohan had surrendered. Alex exhaled the breath she'd

  been holding as her ward stepped into the hall, roughly yanking

  his coat into place and demanding, "Where are you dragging me?"

  "To an adventure," Aiden Terrell replied, pointing to the

  stairway. ''I'll meet you at the base in just a moment. Go."

  Mohan stomped off, his hands balled into fists at his

  sides. They were both watching him when the man beside

  her quietly asked, "Your bank account ... Is it in your name

  or Mohan's?"

  Her mind raced through the possibilities and the ramifications.

  Knowing the truth gave him no power. It took her signature

  to spend any of what they had. ''We each have one:'

  she supplied. "I put the money from the silver trading in

  mine. The monies from the Blue Elephant go into Mohan's.

  I'm its legal custodian."

  "Perfect." He moved toward the stairs, saying, "We'll be

  in the carriage house when you're finished buttoning coats,

  finding reticules, pulling on gloves and pinning hats. Try not

  to take forever. We have a lot to do this afternoon." He was

  halfway down when he added, "And don't forget to bring

  Mohan's letter of credit."

  Alex stood there, considering the space his shoulders had

  filled only seconds before. It was just after two o'clock ... It

  had been just before ten when she'd walked into Barrett Stanbridge's

  office. Just over four hours ago she'd had complete

  authority over this house and all the people in it Now ...

  How could one man so thoroughly, effortlessly seize control

  in so short a time? He barked and Mohan obeyed. He

  made requests and she acceded. Grudgingly, yes, but acceded

  nonetheless. He issued pronouncements and she accepted

  them. What protests she mustered, he dismissed and

  moved around as if she hadn't bothered. And as if all that

  wasn't bad enough, he looked as though he might want to kiss

  her and she wasn't the least bit insulted, much less repulsed.

  It was as if he'd walked in the door and she'd taken immediate

  leave of her senses. How could he do that? What

  was wrong with her? At court she was renowned for her refusal

  to be submissive to any man. She'd sent officers of Her

  Majesty's Army running for cover. Even the raja walked

  softly around her, for God's sake! But not Aiden Terrell. Oh,

  no, he just plowed his way in and through and over and

  didn't give her resistance so much as a passing note.

  What was it he'd said? That he was born to command?

  That he did it well? He certainly hadn't been lying or even

  stretching the truth. He'd also said that he could go toe to toe

  with anyone and that she'd met her match when it came to

  being willful. That also appeared to be true. He really was a

  most infuriating man. It didn't help that he was also devilishly

  handsome and thoroughly charming when he wanted to be.

  That just-out-of-bed tousled hair of his, that dimple when he

  grinned ... Those incredibly green eyes. How wondrously

  the light danced in them when he laughed.

  Alex mentally shook herself to dispel the debilitating images.

  If she had any self-respect left at all, she'd walk back

  into the salon, sit down, and pick up a book. She'd refuse

  to find her coat and trot dutifully and obediently down to

  the carriage house. And if she did that. he wouldn't bother to

  come looking for her. No, he'd simply look back at the house,

  shrug, and then take Mohan off to God only knew where to

  do God only knew what.

  He'd managed to very effectively strip away her choices.

  With an exasperated stamp of her foot. Alex gritted her teeth

  and went to get her things.

  Aiden pulled open the latches, swung open both sections of

  the carriage house door, and then paused, watching Mohan

  peer into the shadowed interior.

  "It is a dirty place."

  And the boy was trying hard not to be fascinated by it.

  Grinning, Aiden walked past him, saying, "It's actually in

  very good condition. A bit of sweeping up and an airing out

  would do wonders." He motioned off to his left. "If you'll

  open the windows on that side, I'll get those on the other."

  Holding his thumb and forefinger about three inches apart,

  he added, "Roughly this wide."

  ''What is this place used for?"

  Aiden lifted the window sash, his smile broadening as he

  heard Mohan doing the same on the ot
her side. "It's a carriage

  house and stable."

  ''We do not have a carriage. And, as you can see, there are

  no horses, either. Why is it that we are opening the windows

  of an empty building?"

  Because, Aiden silently answered, I have a plan. "Well, if

  you were a horse," he posed, ''would you want to go to a new

  home that was stuffy and stale?"

  ''We are acquiring horses?"

  Ah the sound of too studied disinterest Aiden moved to

  the next stall, the next window, the next step of his course. .

  ''Five of them. Three for riding and two for the carriage."

  "Are we acquiring a carriage, too?'

  Moving on down the line of stalls, Aiden didn't look at

  the boy as he answered, "It would be rather pointless to have

  carriage horses and no carriage, wouldn't it?"

  ''Will it be an open one so that we can be admired when

  we drive about town?"

  A little less restraint than before. Aiden chuckled, remembering

  how easy he'd been at that age. ''If that's what

  you want. But do bear in mind that, if that's what you

  choose, it's going to be a cold ride for the next few months."

  "I am to be allowed to choose the carriage?'

  And the restraint was gone, evaporated in the gleaming

  allure of whirring wheels and adult power. ''With a bit of