Read Flawless for Free Online

she heard in his voice—something close to hurt. She didn’t dare believe that her leaving had affected him, but a nasty worm of guilt left her shaken.
    “What do you have in mind for our future?” she asked.
    “I find that an interesting question because, until very recently, there hasn’t been much our to speak of.”
    “I want that bonus, Miles.”
    “Ah,” he said, leaning forward. “Now we’re getting somewhere. Why?”
    “My brownstone requires maintenance.”
    “Where you live in New York?”
    She lifted her chin. His lush, deep brown eyes had always been the gateway to temptation. He thought all the things she could never think, and dared her to come along on his adventures. She’d tried. For almost two years. But audacity was outside of her nature.
    “Yes, in New York. Where I’ll return when this matter is concluded.” She took a deep breath. “I want our separation to be permanent.”
    But rather than react with scorn or anger, he maintained a quiet intensity. A silent showdown.
    When she could take no more, Viv tried for a lighthearted tone. “Now that we know what I want, it’s your turn.”
    He unleashed a slow, devastating grin. “I want you in my bed.”
    Of course he would. She’d known there on the docks, reading the heat in his avid gaze. But the blunt truth of it grabbed her insides and twisted. He’d make her beg and shiver, only to leave her wanting a place of refuge he’d never provide.
    And if he harbored resentment because she’d left . . .
    “Will you force me?” she asked, her mouth parched.
    “What sort of gentleman would that make me?” He smiled a bland sort of business smile. “Now, let me sharea story with you. Last summer, in a bizarre yet not unexpected turn of events, I won a woman in a card game.”
    No matter the truths she repeated until her head burst, she still recoiled from the idea of Miles in another woman’s arms. “How very . . . you .”
    “As I said, not unexpected. The most fascinating part, however, was that the woman seemed resigned. She’d been part and parcel of a losing hand before. It took the edge off any sort of enjoyment I might have found.” He exhaled a stream of silvery smoke. “So I sent her home.”
    Viv didn’t want to feel relief, but it cooled the jealous heat in her veins. “Make your point.”
    “You asked what I want, so I’m telling you. I want your enthusiasm, Vivie.”
    He’d whispered that name in their bed, holding her and kissing her, bestowing an endearment no one else had ever used. He’d also called her that the night of the Saunders’ gala. Fueled by alcohol, he had seduced her behind a wide spiral staircase. Anyone could have seen. With passion and shame fighting for dominance, she’d bit the muscle above his collarbone to keep from crying out. Never had she dipped so near to what she truly was: the bastard daughter of a whore.
    But never had she felt such treasured hope. She had viewed the aristocracy with the same awe as any of New York’s best. To secure a title was an accomplishment managed by only the richest families and choicest offspring. Learning her fiancé would be the dashing Viscount Bancroft had been a day of utter joy. All her dreams and hard work conspired to her advantage.
    The drinking. The gambling till all hours. The hideous gossip that always followed. Miles was not dashing; he was a disappointment. The night of that gala, she had thought otherwise. Maybe, just maybe, he could change.
    He’d proven those hopes unfounded by dawn.
    “You ask too much,” she whispered.
    “Do you want that bonus?”
    “You know I do.”
    “Then you will summon as much enthusiasm as you possibly can,” he said, his voice hard. “Only then will you find me a willing partner in this little venture.”
    “A partner? You are a rake who lives for the next hand of cards. You have no skills, no patience, and every rankling syllable you utter is designed to divide people from their sanity. I could never