Claimed by the Spymaster

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An Excerpt From: CLAIMED BY THE SPYMASTER

Copyright © TARA KINGSTON, 2011

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

“What is your purpose then?” Her voice betrayed none of the fear rippling through her belly. “I don’t take you for a madman.”

Carrington’s keen intelligence lit his intense gaze. She sensed he saw through any shield she might erect around herself. “Not a madman. I’ve brought you here because you serve my purposes.”

Folding her arms over her chest, she regarded him silently as she dragged in a long, slow breath. She studied him beneath her lashes. A handsome man, his classically carved features brought to mind a statue carved by Michelangelo. The beginnings of new beard shaded his jaw with a thick coating of hair several shades darker than the burnished wheat strands brushing his forehead. Clenching her fingers, she stifled the ridiculous urge to sample the feel of that bristle against her flesh.

“Is it too much to hope that you might share those purposes with me? After all, I’ve been forced to share in your scheme.”

“It seems only fair.” Carrington swept a lock of hair behind her ear. The simple touch triggered an instinctive awareness, a sense of anticipation rippling from her scalp to her toes. “You are bait, my sweet.”

His words jolted her as ruthlessly as a glass of icy water dashed across her face. “You’re right. You are not a madman, Lord Carrington. You are a fool.”

“Strong words from a captive,” he replied coolly. Valentina saw the glint in his dark eyes. Not anger, but something different. Respect, perhaps. A muscle in his strong jaw flexed as he seemed to consider his words. “You are the key, Miss Baranova. Pemberton will hang for his crimes, and I will be there to watch him swing. But he won’t die alone.”

She bit her lip. Damn the man, she wouldn’t let him see the spark of fear his words had kindled. Did he mean to see her father executed for espionage? The greedy old vulture had betrayed her, just as surely as Pemberton had betrayed the Crown. But she wouldn’t lead him to a brutal end. Surely Carrington could not believe she’d lure her own father into a trap.

Her heart thudded in her chest. She nibbled her lip, struggling to contain her rampaging emotions. “What do you seek? I know nothing of Pemberton’s enterprises.”

“You’re a poor liar. I’d assumed an actress would be more skilled at concealing her feelings. Your duplicity shines through your every word.” He stared down at her, his full mouth set into a stern line. “Your father has something I want. Something I need. Unless he’s already passed it on to you. Perhaps I should search you. I could make the task quite pleasant.”

She refused to avert her gaze, though she suspected that pleased him. His eyes darkened. The bastard wanted to provoke her. If he wanted a performance, she would give him exactly that.

“Very well,” she said softly, coming to her feet. She worked the top button of her high-collared blouse free, then the next. “You never know what a woman has hidden in her corset. Perhaps you should start there.”

A dark brow quirked. “Yes, perhaps I should.” He framed her face in his hands. One finger traced the outline of her jaw, skimming down to trace a line along the column of her throat. His hands went to the buttons of her blouse, taking one tiny fastener between his fingers and his thumb, deftly releasing the small pearl over that spot where her pulse fluttered in her throat. He lowered his head, retracing his fingertip’s path with his mouth. Scorching heat spread through her flesh. So weak. Valentina’s heart raced. She dug her nails into her palms to keep from pressing her hands to his shoulders and dragging him to her.

“Is that the best you can do, Lord Carrington?” She jutted her chin high in deliberate provocation. “I must say I’d expected more of a ravishment. After all, you did go to the trouble of abducting me.”

He raised his head, his lids hooded, his breaths ragged against her mouth. His lips curved into a rogue’s smile. “A challenge, Miss Baranova? Or a distraction?”

Her pulse raced. “Neither. A simple statement of fact, nothing more.”

“I’ve never wished to disappoint a lady.” Heat radiated from his long, lean body.

The soft aroma of his essence stimulated her senses. She wanted him to kiss her again. Had madness overtaken her?

He looped another button between his fingers, working it through the fastening. He spread the fabric open, baring the swell of her breasts to his touch.

“I suspect you’ve concealed a bounty,” he whispered, his voice husky and raw. “I believe I will start here.”