Beautiful Distraction (17 page)
Read Beautiful Distraction Online
Authors: Jess Michaels
Tags: #Fiction, #Historical romance, #Regency
He nodded. “Aye, I see it.” One hand on his sword hilt, he took a step back. “Stand away,” he ordered, gaze no longer on her but on his quarry.
For the first time in years, Phoebe obeyed without question. As soon as she’d moved, he unsheathed his weapon and stabbed it into the bushes below, neatly hooking her mask on the tip.
He pivoted, presenting the mask with a bow. “Milady.”
Phoebe hesitated and then plucked the mask from the sharp blade point. Amazingly, the fabric had escaped so much as a tear. “You have my gratitude, sir,” she said, meaning it. Her life seemed to be filled with a surfeit of men of words but standing before her was, at long last, a man of action.
Straightening, he sheathed his sword. “If there are other articles of clothing with which I can assist, please do not hesitate to ask.” A roguish smile accompanied the wicked offer.
That smile seemed to suck the breath from Phoebe’s lungs. “You are most adept with your sword, sir, but I believe that shall suffice.” Dear Lord, had she really said that?
A flash of even, white teeth greeted her gaffe. “For now, perhaps, but should you desire another…demonstration, I shall be happy to oblige.”
Beautiful Distraction
Jess Michaels
Can true love begin with a lie?
The Pleasure Wars, Book 4
It has been a particularly trying day for Olivia Cranfield. Despite her impeccable manners, stylish clothing and posh accent, another protector has detected her lowborn status and rejected her out of hand.
When fellow courtesan Violet invites her to come to Bath to help with the wicked seduction of the scarred, reclusive Earl of Windbury, Olivia jumps at the offer, eager for some excitement and a change of scenery.
The moment Malcolm Graham lays eyes on the delectable woman lurking in the bathhouse alley, he knows she’s a decoy to keep him busy while her friend seduces the earl inside. For a moment, he allows her to play her game…but one touch, and all he can think about is ending the two years of self-denial he’s endured in the name of friendship.
Instant attraction quickly turns into a decidedly erotic affair that makes Olivia question all she’s ever known about passion. But when the truth behind Violet’s assignment comes to light, betrayal threatens to bring everything they’ve built crashing down around Olivia’s broken heart.
Warning: This book overlaps with
Beauty and the Earl
, so some passages may seem familiar to readers of both. Contains a lady lying for a good cause, a gentleman as loyal to his friends as he is passionate in the bedchamber, and a steamy affair that will change them both forever.
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B
Cincinnati OH 45249
Beautiful Distraction
Copyright © 2014 by Jess Michaels
ISBN: 978-1-61922-174-1
Edited by Amy Sherwood
Cover by Kim Killion
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
electronic publication: June 2014
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