Seducer. Kayla Gray

      SWEETER THAN WINE

      Madelaine nearly jumped out of her skin when Angel pressed a chaste kiss on her closed lips. She tasted like the wine, only sweeter. He straightened and she glanced up at him, her eyelids heavy, her lips parted. Now she wanted more. Heaven help him, he was going to leave her alone tonight.

      Only for tonight.

      “Sweet dreams, love,” he said, then left the cabin to cool his raging desire in the evening sea breeze.

      SEDUCER

      KAYLA GRAY

      ZEBRA BOOKS

       Kensington Publishing Corp.

       http://www.kensingtonbooks.com

      For—

       My sister, Sherrie.

       I hope you know how much

       you mean to me.

       Not only are you the best

       sister I could ask for,

       you’re one of my very best friends.

       I am blessed.

      Special thanks to Chris Daughtry

       and his band, Daughtry,

       for their song “Over You.”

      It became my anthem for 2008—

       hopefully the worst year

       I will ever have to experience.

      Contents

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Chapter Eleven

      Chapter Twelve

      Chapter Thirteen

      Chapter Fourteen

      Chapter Fifteen

      Chapter Sixteen

      Chapter Seventeen

      Chapter Eighteen

      Chapter Nineteen

      Chapter Twenty

      Chapter Twenty-One

      Chapter Twenty-Two

      Chapter Twenty-Three

      Chapter Twenty-Four

      Chapter Twenty-Five

      Chapter Twenty-Six

      Chapter Twenty-Seven

      Chapter Twenty-Eight

      Chapter Twenty-Nine

      Chapter Thirty

      Chapter Thirty-One

      Chapter Thirty-Two

      Chapter Thirty-Three

      Chapter Thirty-Four

      Chapter Thirty-Five

      Chapter Thirty-Six

      Chapter One

      August 1774, Charleston, SC

      “You look lovely, Madelaine. Now, you musn’t be nervous. Geoffrey is a fine gentleman.”

      Madelaine Hartwell looked up at her father, wondering at his odd comment. His hand shook as he reached up to knock on the door of the impressive Bay Street town house. He lowered his hand and sighed heavily. “I need a moment.”

      Madelaine stood patiently by his side, having gotten used to his tremors since his drinking had overtaken his last bit of control.

      She smoothed her palms over her dress and swallowed hard, his anxiety contagious. “I am a little nervous. After all, we haven’t attended a social event since Mother died.”

      “I know. I just haven’t been myself since my Sarah passed. I thought I’d fixed that damn wheel. I thought the carriage was safe….” he trailed off, sniffing gruffly.

      “The accident wasn’t your fault, Father,” Madelaine said, adjusting her bodice.

      It was true he hadn’t been the same. Neither of them had, but it seemed that for Madelaine, the last seven years had been all about taking care of her crumbling father and trying desperately to keep food on the table as his gambling debts grew well beyond his ability to pay. She had watched in emotional agony as piece by piece their old life had been taken from them. First, her mother’s jewelry, then the silver and china, soon followed by every bit of furniture and finally the lovely home where she’d grown up.

      Last month they had been forced to move into a two-room unit above a dressmaker’s shop. Madelaine had been forced to sell every lovely gown in her mother’s wardrobe to keep them going and was now down to one. Though much too casual and a bit out of style, the gown was clean and presentable. The light shade of sky blue had been her mother’s favorite and Madelaine had put the dress away shortly after her mother’s death. Now that she was twenty-two, the dress fit, though a little snug in the bust. Madelaine had meant to let the seams out, but this evening’s invitation had come up so suddenly, she hadn’t had time to make the alterations.

      “Tell me again how we came about being invited to this dinner, Father?” she asked, fidgeting with the tight material.

      “Geoffrey is a business acquaintance,” he replied evasively. He stiffened his shoulders and rapped the knocker three times before dropping his hand by his side.

      Madelaine’s heart leapt at the loud crack of brass on brass. What is wrong with you tonight? she chastised herself. She had never been the type to be skittish, but she couldn’t shake the strange feeling of foreboding that sent a shiver up her neck as the door slowly opened. She wasn’t used to her father acting so…fatherly, and it was a bit unnerving.

      They were taken to a large parlor, where Madelaine counted six people, not including her and her father. As their host approached them, Madelaine began to feel more uneasy. His cold brown eyes roamed over her with much too much familiarity. Then when her father nudged her forward, she had the sudden feeling of being a rabbit stalked by a hungry fox.

      “Geoffrey Townsend, this is my lovely daughter, Madelaine.”

      “Yes, she certainly is,” Geoffrey responded, eyeing her up and down.

      Madelaine felt increasingly self-conscious in the tight dress and when Geoffrey lifted her hand and brushed his tight lips across her knuckles, she had to fight not to pull away.

      “I’m pleased to meet you, Mr. Townsend. Thank you for having us here tonight.”

      “I hope to have you many times in the future,” he whispered for her ears alone.

      Madelaine jerked her hand away and backed up a step, glancing around to see if anyone had heard. There was no reaction from anyone, except a voluptuous brunette who seemed to glare a warning in her direction.

      Introductions were made, drinks were served and Madelaine tried to relax as she chatted with a lovely older couple. Thank goodness her social skills weren’t as dusty as she’d feared. But as the evening progressed and despite Madelaine’s best efforts, the brunette named Felicia ignored her, returning often to Geoffrey’s side. Madelaine would have thought they were a couple, though Geoffrey seemed irritated at