Seduce Me If You Can (The Ashbrook Legacy Book 1)

by Tonya Brooks

  He looked even more exhausted than he had that afternoon and she was truly concerned about his health. Blaise drank too much, and she was afraid his rakehell ways were going to put him in an early grave. A nocturnal creature by habit, he rarely ventured out into the light of day and his skin was always pallid, but tonight he was almost a pasty white.

  ~~~~~

  “I’m fine,” Blaise scowled at his cousin, but didn’t have the heart to berate her for fussing over him. He, better than anyone else, knew that sooner or later his wicked ways would catch up with him, and since his soul was already damned, there was no reason for him to change now.

  “You do look more pale than usual,” Scarlett frowned as she shifted her attention to him.

  “Stop fussing over me,” he complained with a look of long suffering.

  ~~~~~

  “Feel free to fuss over me anytime, luv,” a silky yet slightly sinister voice said from directly behind them. When the trio turned to face him, his wicked grin grew even broader as he looked the luscious redhead over. The view from across the room had whetted his appetite, but up close the woman was absolutely breathtaking. “Anytime, a’tall.”

  ~~~~~

  Blaise muttered a vicious curse and stood to place himself between his cousins and his friend. “Back off, Bram,” he warned. Since he escorted Taran around quite often, she had met the reprobate before and Bram was usually on his best behavior around her. However, Devlin would probably kill them both if his friend offended Scarlett.

  ~~~~~

  His Grace, Bramwell Leighton, Duke of Grayston merely laughed at the warning. Not that he blamed his old friend a bit for issuing it. If a man had a woman like that he’d be a fool not to be possessive. “Come now, Blaise,” he chided in that devil may care manner of his. “Let the lady decide which of us she prefers.”

  “The lady is my cousin,” was growled menacingly.

  That statement assured him of two things. One, this stunning creature could be none other than this season’s Original, Lady Scarlett, who had every man in Town slavering at her feet, and two, that he’d have every last damned Ashbrook male after his blood if he dared pursue her. Looking her over again, he decided that it just might be worth it.

  Then again, Blaise was the only friend he had and losing him over a woman was a sacrifice that he wasn’t willing to make. Sighing in resignation, Bram replied, “Introduce me and I’ll behave.” Once he had greeted the lovely Taran with the ease of familiarity, Blaise grudgingly made the introductions and watched him like a hawk as he lifted Scarlett’s hand to his lips like a perfect gentleman.

  ~~~~~

  “I’ve heard a great deal about you, Your Grace,” Scarlett admitted, not at all nervous about coming face to face with such a scandalous reprobate. She was surprised to discover that he was an incredibly handsome man and the silvery white hair that fell past his shoulders was a startling contrast to his all black formal evening attire. “I was halfway expecting you to bite me.”

  ~~~~~

  Bram laughed in delight at her boldness. He had been known to gently bite or lick a woman’s hand when they were introduced, just to shock the lady. Little did he know the hoyden before him was virtually impossible to shock. “Would you have been offended?” He queried curiously.

  “No,” she readily denied, the emerald eyes full of mischief. “But I would have bitten you back.”

  The duke laughed heartily and clapped his friend on the back. “You’ve got your hands full with these two, old friend.”

  “You have no idea,” Blaise complained with a look of long suffering.

  “I’d dearly love to find out,” he admitted with a devilish wink at the feisty redhead. “Don’t suppose you’d let me join you?”

  ~~~~~

  “Don’t suppose I would,” Blaise replied quite firmly and escorted his friend to the back of the box, hoping to get rid of him as quickly as possible. It would be all over Town tomorrow that he’d allowed Scarlett to consort with a known reprobate and all hell would break loose when Devlin got back.

  Scarlett exclaimed cheerfully, “Oh, look. Nicky's here. And Tony's with him.”

  “So they are,” Taran said stiffly.

  “Bloody hell,” Blaise growled when he turned to see his friends and their mistresses in the box directly across from them. This was turning into a complete nightmare. If Devlin didn’t kill him, their grandmother would. He practically shoved Bram out into the hallway and yanked the curtains closed, the sound of his friends' laughter muffled by the heavy velvet that separated them.

  ~~~~~

  After entering his box, Nicholas glanced across the theater, realized who he was seeing, and red hot fury suffused his entire body. Bloody hell! Grayston was in Devlin’s box with Scarlett and Taran! He was going to kill Blaise. Without a word, he left his box and strode determinedly round the hallway to the other side of the theater.

  ~~~~~

  When Nicholas abruptly left the box, Scarlett lifted the opera glasses and took a good look at the rest of the occupants. The two women clinging to Tony were so scantily clad they were positively indecent. Wide eyed in disbelief, she couldn't help staring at the amount of breasts openly on display. She barely bit back a laugh as Tony draped an arm around both women’s shoulders, his hands cupping their partially exposed breasts in full view of anyone who cared to look.

  Now that was what a mistress was supposed to look like, she thought in amusement and shifted the glasses slightly to the left. A more decorously dressed blonde with a peeved expression sat alone next to the seat that Nicholas had vacated. She was dressed in a tasteful yet very seductive gown, with large sparkling jewels draped around her neck and dangling from her earlobes. Unlike the other two, it wasn't as blatantly obvious that she was a kept woman.

  And then realization struck hard.

  She was Nicholas's mistress!

  A shock wave of pain and jealousy threatened to eviscerate Scarlett, and she drew an unsteady breath. Glittering emerald eyes narrowed dangerously as she stared at the woman she now considered the enemy. The petite, blonde haired, blue eyed enemy. So. He thought her glorious red hair was like a brazen flame of fire, did he? If he liked redheads so much, then why the hell was his mistress a blonde? And why did she bloody well care what color the other woman's hair was?

  Scarlett had always known that he kept a mistress, so why did seeing the woman hurt like hell? The intellectual part of her brain sought to make sense of these heretofore unknown feelings. It's not like Nicholas was her husband, she reminded herself. He was just her... just her... He was just hers, dammit! Nicholas was hers! The hand holding the opera glasses dropped limply into her lap in sheer astonished bewilderment.

  Damnation.

  She was in love with him.

  Laughter bubbled up in her throat at the ridiculous idea, but it escaped in a strange choking gurgle. Suddenly it all became so very clear. For most of her life, Scarlett had loved Nicholas as a brother, but that had changed in the last few years. He'd become more than a friend. Someone she could still talk to about anything. Someone who was always there for her. Someone she could trust enough to let herself fall in love with.

  Nicholas would never try to force her to conform to society's strictures. He'd never treat her like a possession or reduce her to the equivalent of chattel. He respected her intelligence, considered her opinions to be worthy, and appreciated the fact that she had a mind of her own.

  She had known for quite some time now that he was the perfect man for her, but she'd had no idea that she had fallen in love with him. The very thought was astonishing. Yet it made absolute sense. She liked him as a person, loved him for the wonderful man he was, and yes, she definitely desired him.

  It was all so simple. Why hadn't she seen it before? She should have figured it out when she started trying to make him see her as a woman. But then why would he, she asked herself in disgust. He already had the perfect woman as his mistress. Her blood began to boil as that fiery Ashbrook temp
erament kicked in.

  Just then she heard Nicholas's voice behind her. Scarlett's back stiffened when she heard him berating Blaise for allowing Grayston near her. Oh, the bloody hypocrite! How dare he complain about her being introduced to another rake when he was here with his mistress!

  “Have you lost your goddamn mind?” Nicholas demanded in a furious undertone. “Grayston isn’t fit to be in the same room with them.”

  Deserved though it may be, Blaise obviously didn’t appreciate being chastened for something that had been completely innocent, for the most part. “Bram behaved like a gentleman,” he responded defensively.

  That only served to infuriate Nicholas even more. “He doesn’t even know the meaning of the word,” he shot back furiously.

  Scarlett whirled about to face him, the emerald eyes flashing green fire. “Don’t you dare play the hypocrite, Nicky,” she warned furiously and saw his look of confusion. “Not while your pale English rose is anxiously awaiting your return.”

  ~~~~~

  The blood drained from Nicholas’s face at the realization. He had completely forgotten about Lettice once he’d seen Grayston near Scarlett. Now he realized that she had seen his damned mistress. Speechless, because what could he say when he had no defense, he watched Scarlett turn back toward the theater and knew that she was madder than hell with him.

  Grasping Blaise by the arm, he pulled him out into the hallway where they could have a modicum of privacy and demanded, “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Escorting my cousins, as commanded,” came the droll response. “Should've told me what you had planned, Nick. This is really bad form, ya know.”

  “So help me, Blaise, I'm going to kill you,” he vowed, furious that Scarlett had seen him with Lettice.

  Yes, she knew he had a mistress and had teased him about it for years, but knowing and seeing firsthand were two entirely different things. Ladies and paramours did not come into contact for any reason. If this ridiculous situation ruined his chances with Scarlett, he really would kill Blaise. “If Devlin doesn't beat me to it.”

  Sobering, Blaise demanded, “Well, how the hell was I supposed to know you two would be here? Neither one of you mentioned it this afternoon.”

  “It was planned after you left,” Nicholas growled as he paced back and forth in extreme agitation. “Now what the hell am I supposed to do?”

  ~~~~~

  “Too late to leave. They've already seen you,” he pointed out and was surprised at how upset the other man was. Nicholas was normally unflappable with a calm, even temperament that none of the Ashbrooks possessed. If he hadn't been so serious it would have been laughable.

  Seeing the humor in the situation, Blaise clapped a hand on the other man’s shoulder and said, “Lighten up, Nick. It's impossible to scandalize the little hoyden and you know it. Hell, Scarlett will probably demand an introduction before we leave.”

  “Oh, God,” was practically moaned and then he turned a burning gaze on the other man to warn, “If you even hint...”

  Blaise laughed and shook his head. “Don't worry. I'll keep them away. Just make sure you keep your paramours in the box at intermission. We don't want to tempt fate and risk them running into each other in the lobby. Duchy would have a fit.”

  ~~~~~

  This nightmare just kept getting worse. Not only was Devlin going to be out for his blood, he shuddered to think what Duchy’s reaction would be. “I really am going to kill you,” Nicholas swore as he turned and went back to his box when the lights began to dim.

  ~~~~~

  “Well,” Taran said into the simmering silence that filled the box after Blaise and Nicholas left. “If it's any consolation, I don't think they knew we would be here.”

  There was no doubt about that. For all that he was a scandalous rake, Nicholas would never be so callous as to flaunt his paramour in front of her. From the expression on his face when he realized that she had seen the other woman, he wasn't at all pleased with the situation either.

  “They know now,” Scarlett growled back and turned a narrow eyed stare on her cousin. “If Blaise even hints that we should leave, I'm going to throttle him.”

  “He wouldn't dare,” Taran denied and seemed to be indignant at the very idea, her own temper flaring to life. “You and I are going to sit right here and enjoy the opera, just as we had planned. If anyone leaves, I assure you it will not be us.”

  Scarlett couldn't prevent a grin at her cousin’s expression. Taran looked like a fierce lioness protecting her cub. “Damn right,” she heartily agreed as Blaise reentered the box, his expression wary.

  Acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, Taran commented, “Just in time, Blaise. The opera is about to start.”

  “Are you sure you want to...” he began and then abruptly broke off the thought when both women turned venomous stares on him. “Of course you are,” he sighed in resignation and sat down between them.

  ~~~~~

  Nicholas entered the box, stopped behind Tony and leaned down to hiss next to his ear, “Scarlett and Taran are here.”

  “The hell they are,” he barked in a normal tone and jerked upright, his hands releasing the breasts they held and dropping guiltily to his sides.

  “Shh!” Was hissed from his right and his left as the opera had just started.

  Ignoring both of his mistresses, he looked across the theater to Devlin's box, the most likely place for the Ashbrook ladies to be, and in the dim light could make out Blaise seated between them. Sweet Jesus! This was bad. Really bad. The Ashbrooks were damned touchy when it came to their female relatives. A man took his life into his hands if he even asked one for a dance. It was terrifying to think how the overprotective males would react to a slight like this.

  “Did they see us?” He demanded just above a whisper and received a curt nod in response. Tony groaned aloud. “Dev's gonna kill us.”

  ~~~~~

  “What are you two whispering about?” Lettice queried in annoyance as Nicholas sat down beside her. “And where did you go?”

  “Just watch the damn opera,” he said in lieu of an answer and settled more comfortably into the chair, but his eyes never reached the stage. No, he was staring straight across the room at the one woman who had the power to make him feel like a complete ass. She never looked in his direction, but even in the dim light, he could tell from her expression that she was still furious.

  Oh, hell. This did not bode well for his plans.

  The Scarlett he knew would not have been offended at seeing him with his mistress. No, that minx would have found the situation highly entertaining. So what would have put her in a snit, he wondered. Could it be jealousy? Nicholas’s heart began to pound at the thought. It had to be.

  Why else would she have made that crack about his pale English rose? He knew damn well that she had thrown that back in his face on purpose, and he hoped like hell it wasn’t because she doubted his assurance that she was beautiful. Good God, his mistress couldn’t hold a candle to Scarlett. No woman could.

  When Lettice leaned against his side, her hand coming to rest atop his thigh, Nicholas's entire body stiffened in rejection. There was no way in hell he could sit here and let his mistress hang all over him in front of Scarlett. Placing her hand back in her own lap, he nudged her back toward her chair with his shoulder.

  Instead of moving away, Lettice leaned in as if to whisper in his ear and lightly nipped his earlobe with her teeth. Nicholas bolted out of the chair as if he'd been shot. He grasped her arm and hauled her to her feet to announce, “We're leaving.”

  ~~~~~

  Thinking that Nicholas was going to take her up on her offer, Lettice practically wrapped herself around him and lifted her face for a kiss. Much to her surprise, he all but shoved her away before dragging her out of the theater and into his carriage, Tony and his mistresses right behind them.

  “Nicholas, what on earth is wrong with you?” Lettice demanded. “You're acting very odd.”<
br />
  ~~~~~

  Odd didn't even begin to describe what he was experiencing. This was his worst nightmare come to life. Devlin's grandfather had to have been completely insane to laugh when his wife and mistress met face to face. Nicholas was feeling guilty as hell just for letting the two women be in the same room. Not that Scarlett was his wife. Yet. But that was his intention. He prayed to whatever gods that were feeling merciful that he'd still have the chance.

  ~~~~~

  Blaise sat through the interminable opera and was relieved to discover when the lights went up at intermission that his friends had departed. He was not pleased to discover that half the men in the theater were waiting outside the box to greet his charges and was about to close the curtain in their faces when he spotted a business acquaintance in the crowd.

  “Van Dorn, glad you could join us,” he said as if he had been expecting the other man and held the drapery aside for him to enter the box. Blaise shook hands with the American and dropped the curtain into place before any of Scarlett’s hopeful swains could follow.

  ~~~~~

  “I hope I’m not intruding,” Richard said in amusement at the other man’s rather obvious antics. The dossier he’d received on the Earl of Flamecrest had mentioned that he rarely behaved with any measure of decorum at all. Richard found that rather refreshing since most of the lords he’d met were overly conscious of their own self-worth and fully expected everyone else to be as well.

  “Not a’tall,” the earl drawled in his usual bored tone. “Your arrival spared me the tedious task of insulting those pups trailing after my cousins.”

  ~~~~~

  “Mr. Van Dorn,” Scarlett said with a brilliant smile as she rose to greet him. “How very nice to see you again.”

  The simple truth of the matter was that Scarlett was thrilled to see the handsome American again. Especially now, as it gave her a most devious idea. As she well knew, Nicholas held her suitors in disdain and he considered the lot of them to be puling whelps. However, no one could make such a claim about the man before her.