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"Claybourne"

She gave hi Luke by his title At least that was so And it was obvious he cared for his sister "Iave a brusque nod "Then that’s all that matters If you’ll excuse me--"

He was three steps ahen she called after him, "Your Grace?"

He turned back to her, and she smiled mischievously, not certain why she was determined to vex him He just seemed to be a man who needed to be vexed Besides, she wasn’t about to let his insult to her friends go unanswered, and she had her own statement to make: they weren’t the only thieves in attendance She held up her hand Dangling froold pocket watch "You left your timepiece behind"

He looked at his waistcoat, patted it as though his eyes aze back to her With a dangerous glimmer in his eyes, he held out his hand She dropped the watch into his palloved hand, he closed his strong fingers around it and leaned near "Careful, Miss Darling," he said, his voice a low rasp that sent shivers through her, "I’ve been away for a while and I’m not quite as civilized as I hen I left"

That aspect of hiainst her ribs and her legs weakened He gazed at her as though he was conte her

With an abrupt bow, he released her, turned on his heel, and strode away She watched until he disappeared through the doorway, obviously taking his leave A how quickly the tables had turned and she’d lost the upper hand She certainly hadn’t expected to be left breathless by the encounter, although more than that had her bothered She’d felt an unfamiliar, powerful pull that had desperately not wanted hi more than to stor as he wended his way around people so he didn’t bu wasn’t nearly as difficult as he’d iined it would be Perhaps because whatever his expression communicated caused people to quickly step out of the way rather than try to engage hi had been abhorrent, but he’d been unprepared for his reaction to her nearness She didn’t have the voice of an angel Hers was a voice that stirred passions within bedchah they’d already shared pleasure and she was eager for another round

Her eyes…he alreen, but it hat they hadn’t contained that enthralled him No innocence None at all Life had seasoned her She was unlike any of the young ladies of his acquaintance She’d seen things--in all likelihood done things--that would have caused the control, but he had known that if he didn’t take himself out of her presence, he was likely to take her in his arms, and the devil take anyone who objected

Then blast her, she’d pilfered his watch and he’d not felt her touch Da strides carried him away from her, he wanted her all the more

Chapter 2

The encounter with Greystone had left Frannie unsettled Feagan’s lads--although they were men, she would always think of them as his lads--knew better than to hound her with questions, but she needed soain her coarden but the heavy rain made that an unpleasant proposition So Claybourne’s massive residence would have to suffice Because the servants knew her, they weren’t likely to object to her walking through the hallways and roouests were not invited Since she’d rand house, she’d visited on occasion While she wasn’t entirely comfortable here, one roo, she opened the door to the i her eyes briefly, she inhaled deeply the wondrous fragrance of books Ledgers never carried quite the sa the door to ensure her privacy, she wended her way a the various chairs and s areas and walked along the shelf-lined wall, running her fingers across the spines of the ent had collected over the years He’d been a voracious reader He’d introduced her to the works of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, a others Within this rooht Greystone to h Catherine, Frannie knew he’d explored the world and the ine the boldness of character that particular endeavor would require: to step upon a ship and float out onto the wide expanse of ocean and trust that it would carry him to his destination What had he done that had caused him to be a bit less civilized? And why, even now, could she not stop thinking about him? His callousness should have effectively ended any interest shewhat it was that he feared, because he

When he realized she’d taken his watch, fear had hovered for a heartbeat within the depths of his eyes before they’d glinted dangerously In her world, she’d known too htened souls, herself included She could have understood hier, but why had it bothered hi his watch? Or was she h he were a book