Games (Timeless Series) (2 page)

She glanced toward
the wallflower and noted a similar group of awaiting suitors. The girl’s smile no longer appeared forced, her expression clearly mirroring Giselle’s sentiments.

A figure
in her peripheral vision drew her focus. She turned in time to see a man who seemed familiar open a door and give a brief look around before slipping out of sight. The door quickly closed behind him. She stared at the now empty spot until it hit her.

Simon Harrington.

What could he be doing in Louisville? The last time she’d seen him had been at her family’s farewell ball in Paris, two years earlier. He’d worked with her father on a case in France just before her papa’s retirement.

Intrigued, Giselle
inclined her head imploringly at the gentleman who’d just asked her to dance. “
Excusez-moi
.” She realized she’d spoken in French and rephrased the question. “Could you excuse me?” She softened her smile. “I must visit the retiring room.”

Lifting her skirt, she hurried toward the door
through which Simon had disappeared.

The door closed, encasing Giselle
in silence. A single gaslight burned at the left side of the fireplace. Other than the flickering shadows on the walls, the room was empty.

Heart
pumping wildly, she caught voices that floated into the room from behind a billowy curtain. Silently she tiptoed closer to the paned-glass double doors leading to a veranda and listened, only to realize that whoever had been speaking had stopped.

A hand clasped over her face so fast she had no time to scream
.

“
Are you spying on me?” The raspy male whisper sent chills up her spine.

She shook her head
as much as she could, considering he’d wrapped his other arm around her waist.

“
Then why did you come in here?”

Unable to answer because his hand still covered her mouth, she shrugged
. What seemed like a good idea at the time suddenly became a nightmare.

A thump sounded and t
he man grunted into her ear. His hand immediately went slack and his grip on her shoulders lessened as he slumped forward. She stepped away and spun around in time to see him slither to the floor. Then she saw a second man hidden in the shadows.

S
he drew in a deep breath to scream just as another hand clamped over her mouth.

“I’m going to release your mouth, but if you make a noise, I won’t hesitate to gag you, understand?”

Giselle nodded, but the
instant he removed his hand she spun around, ready to scream. Until recognition registered. “What is the meaning of this,
monsieur
?”

Simon Harrington
crossed his arms and glared at her. “I could ask you the same.”

His
frown, one that could fell a charging bull, might have frightened her if she hadn’t recognized it as one of her father’s tactics.

“
You do realize, Mademoiselle Franklin, you barged in where you shouldn’t have.” He rolled his eyes. “Still impulsive as ever, which means you haven’t changed.”

She swallowed the curt reply
on the tip of her tongue in an effort to hide her rising embarrassment. “
Excusez-moi
?”

Oh
, how it hurt to have him remember her as that foolish girl who trailed after him, hoping for a little excitement. She’d always wanted to follow in Papa’s footsteps, but Papa quashed that idea with one simple fact. Those with the power to decide on agents thought females too fragile for the work.

The idea still vexed her today
, considering she could probably outshoot and outwit most of the agents she’d met in Paris at various functions. Few of those US marshals under the direction of President Grant, doing his bidding on foreign soil, could boast of being fluent in English, French, and Spanish like she could. “I was just looking for the retiring room.”

Simon
’s eyes narrowed, his steely gaze full of doubt. “Is that so?”

“
Oui
.” She held her head high and met his intense scrutiny with a hard stare, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of seeing her squirm. Far be it from her to reveal he’d hit upon the exact reason she sought him out. Of course, Simon Harrington just had to be as handsome and charming as ever. The hint of danger that always surrounded him drew her now, exactly as it had two years ago. Why, she had no clue, but she’d die before revealing such a fact. “Who is that man?” She pointed to the crumpled body on the floor.

“No need to concern yourself with him.”
His lips flattened into a determined line as he reached out and caught her gloved hand. “Come on. I don’t want to be here when he wakes up.” His arrogance shocked her into submission, and she allowed him to lead her through the door and onto the ballroom floor.

“What are you doing
,” she asked once the shock wore off as he wrapped his arms around her.

“
I thought it was obvious.”

She tried to pull away, but he tightened his grip.
Rather than make a scene, she hissed in a whisper, “Monsieur Harrington, I cannot dance with you.”

“
Why not?”

The bit of
challenge in his question, accompanied with that daring smile, taunted her senses. As much as she wanted to remain in his arms, she didn’t need a repeat of two years ago.

“It would be rude.” The tilt of her head indicated a line of men who stared, their expressions full of confusion. “Some of those gentlemen have
waited several dances.” She certainly would deal better with any one of them compared to the man who led her around the room like he’d danced his entire life. Simon Harrington had a way about him that caused her to lose her wits. “If I were a man, I would call you out for taking such liberties.”

“I have no intention of waiting behind your lackeys
.” His confident attitude only added to his appeal. “Besides, if you were a man you’d be dead. That fellow who caught you spying is a mite touchy about being seen, so you should be thanking me for saving you.”

She
eyed him for a quick moment. Her memory hadn’t done him justice. He cut a dashing figure in his formal attire. Tall and broad shouldered with chiseled features and dark brown hair, he stood out in a room among other men.

Despite his claim that he saved her, Giselle’s
good sense returned instantly. She took a step back in another attempt to leave.

Her
spine stiffened when his vice-like grip kept her in place. She could only sputter, “You,
monsieur
, are rude and insufferable.”

He tipped his head.
“Guilty as charged.”

U
nable to tamp down her irritation, she snapped, “I do not want to dance with you, so please unhand me.”

“Stay still, you’ll cause a scene.”
He continued waltzing as if she hadn’t spoken. “You wouldn’t want to scare away all the other fishes, now would you?” He paused until she glanced at him. “I’m in awe of your talents.”

His amusement only annoyed her further and she
flashed daggers of ice with her stare, in hopes of chilling him.

Ye
t all he did was raise an eyebrow and say, “How do you do it? How do you keep them all waiting to be ensnared? And then, when you throw one back after catching another, how do you keep him circling, waiting to be caught again? ’Tis truly a skill.”

As quickly as it erupted, her anger died, and laughter bubbled up
to replace it. She knew what she was and had no qualms when someone pointed it out to her. That it was Simon doing the pointing shouldn’t interest her. But it did.

“
Oui
, so I like parties and dancing, and of course I love the attention of so many men. Who would not?” She paused and peeked up at him. “I am sure you have just as many admirers.”

The man’s genuine smile transformed his face
. He was still rugged and dangerous looking, but now there was a devilish quality about him that played havoc on Giselle’s tummy. His amused gaze seemed too knowing and sent a thrill down her spine that spread to all of her extremities.

Mon
Dieu!
He was more than dangerous and she needed to be wary.

“
No, Giselle. I’m never in one place long enough to gather admirers.”

Giselle couldn’t help but return his smile, unconcerned that he’d used her given name
. She was enjoying the exchange, as well as the dance. Too much. “That is because their fathers probably cautioned them about men such as you, just as my father warned me.”

Simon’s face took on a stunned expression
. “Really?” His arrogance slipped a notch.

Not wanting to
hurt his feelings, she quickly added, “He was just trying to sway me from acting foolish.”

“
There’s more to this story,” he said, his smile returning. “Isn’t there?”

“
It is not nice to point out one’s follies.” Giselle gritted her teeth and admitted, “Apparently special agents such as yourself do not make the best suitors. I was instructed to forget about you.”

“
And did you?”

The heat in his voice warmed her insides. So did the look in his eyes when his gaze landed on hers
after taking a brief trip to her bodice.

“Of course.”
She quickly averted her eyes to glance at the dancers around them. He’d never know that she compared every man she’d met since to him. They all came up lacking. Everyone except Bradford Tyler, who’d caught her attention earlier. She smiled.

Her
stiff posture relaxed and she allowed Simon to spin her around the room. He danced divinely, never stepping on her toes as too many had already done.

“What brings you to Louisville,”
she asked, too curious to contain the bold question.

“
My, aren’t we nosy?” He seized her gaze once more.

“
Pardonnez-moi
. That was rude of me.” She cleared her throat as heat rushed to her cheeks. Her father had always encouraged her to speak her mind, much to her mother’s dismay. Since coming to Kentucky, she’d had a hard time with the strictures of the local culture, so different from Paris. She cared little for public opinion. Most of the women who might chastise her were also intent on having her family money gracing their coffers, which is why they tolerated her boldness. They might not be so quick to do so if they knew Giselle wasn’t enamored with any of their sons and was in no hurry to marry. Funny, but she did care what Simon thought. “Am I forgiven?”

“That depends.” His warm, silky voice wafted past her ears.

“On what,
monsieur
?” She kept her tone even, hoping he wouldn’t pick up on the way her heart skipped beats.

“On whether you’ll let me escort you in to dinner.”

“
Non
, I shouldn’t,” she said quickly, shaking her head. “You ask too much.”

Simon
’s lips turned into a devilish grin. “Don’t you want my forgiveness?”

The seductive
whisper traveled all the way to her insides, which along with the accompanying gleam in his eyes, spread heat throughout her being. Somehow that look made her feel as if he were a cougar on the hunt and she was his prey.

“I think I can live without it,” she murmured breathlessly, working to still her racing heart.

“Why? What can it hurt?”

Not expecting the d
isappointment in his tone, she offered one of her best coquettish smiles and answered honestly, not wanting to hurt his feelings. “Because you are much too dangerous for someone as simple as me.
Non
, I think it would be very foolish indeed to have dinner with such a dangerous man.”

Simon’s bark of laughter rang in the air
, causing other dancers to turn and stare. He ignored them. “Oh, and you’re not dangerous? Surely you can give me some small reward for swimming these waters, trying very hard to avoid your hook.”

“
Come now,” Giselle said in a voice full of merriment. “Such a silly statement. As if someone like me could hook a fish such as you.”

“You doubt I find you attractive?”

“
Non
. Let us just say you swim in deeper waters and I recognize the fact. After all, I am but a simple country girl,
n’est-ce pas
?”

“Country girl, maybe, but simple, no
.” Not bothering to bank the heated fire in his eyes, he lowered his gaze to her mouth as his lips curled into a devilish smile that only added to his daring appeal. “I see nothing simple about you. And as far as swimming goes, my dear, you invented the game.”

Having no reply,
Giselle remained silent.

“How ’
bout it,
chérie
?” Seductive tones floated in her ear and sent another thrill through her. Goose bumps appeared. “Sit with me during dinner. There is no risk to you and I guarantee you won’t regret it.”