Jacquie D’Alessandro - Confessions at Midnight

He forced a smile and bit back his impatience. Perhaps at some other time or place he might have taken her up on her offer, but he simply wasn't interested. Still, he had no wish to offend her. Indeed, he prided himself on remaining on friendly terms with his former lovers.

He bowed over her hand then gave her a quick smile. "I'm certain you could think of several dozen entertaining things, but I wouldn't dream of depriving your other guests of your attention. Give my regards to his grace," he added with a quick smile, referring to the Duke of Heaton, the man rumored to be her latest paramour, and one reputed to be extremely generous with his lovers. No doubt Kimberly would garner a number of expensive baubles from that liaison.

Someone else claimed Kimberly's attention, and Daniel took the opportunity to melt into the crowd. He headed directly toward Carolyn and the soon to be rousted pirate. Strains of music drifted over the cacophony of voices and laughter as he made his way through the crush. He lost sight of the couple for several seconds and paused. The crowd in front of him shifted and his hands clenched. That bloody pirate was leaning close, as if whispering in her ear. And she was bloody well laughing at whatever he was saying!

It required every ounce of his control not to shove people aside and stalk over there. To make like his highwayman costume suggested and steal away with her.

"You look as if you just bit into a lemon," said a familiar, amused voice beside him.

Turning, he found himself the subject of a costumed Romeo's perusal. "This is supposed to be a bloody costume party," Daniel muttered, his voice laced with the irritation rippling through him. "How is it that everyone recognizes me so easily?"

"I wouldn't have you known you at all," Matthew-as-Romeo said, "except for two things."

"Which are?"

"One, you told me you intended to dress as a highwayman-rather a dead giveaway, that."

"Yes, I suppose," Daniel murmured, his attention firmly fixed on the laughing couple standing at the edge of the dance floor.

"And second, the icy glare you're shooting at Logan Jennsen made it clear. I must say, as much as I appreciate your enmity toward him on my behalf, it is no longer necessary. Now that Sarah and I are married, he wouldn't dare look at my wife with a lustful gleam in his eye. In fact, I'm considering a business venture with him."

Daniel slowly turned his head to stare at his friend. "That pirate is Logan Jennsen?" he asked slowly, in a low voice that even to his own ears resembled a growl. He didn't care if Jennsen had saved him a great deal of money by advising him against an investment that had ultimately proved unsound. In spite of Jennsen's financial acumen, before this moment he hadn't particularly liked the brash, wealthy American who seemed to turn up at every social function. As of now, however, he most particularly disliked the man.

Matthew Romeo raised his brows. "Are you saying you didn't know?" He looked toward the pirate then stilled. He slowly turned back to Daniel. "No."

"No what?"

Matthew's lips pressed into a thin line and he jerked his head toward the corner. Muttering an oath, Daniel followed his friend to the less crowded area.

Lowering his voice so they couldn't be overheard, Daniel repeated, "No what?"

"If you didn't know that was Jennsen, that can only mean you were simply staring daggers at whoever was conversing with Carolyn."

Daniel didn't bother to pretend he didn't know the goddess's identity and met Matthew's gaze straight on. "What of it?"

"Damn it, I suspected something of the sort at my house party, but I was so involved in my own affairs I didn't pay much attention." Matthew blew out a long breath. "She's not the right woman for you, Daniel."

Again he didn't pretend to misunderstand. "Perhaps I'm looking for the wrong woman."

"She's not the type you usually… consort with."

"And what type is that?"

"The jaded, bored sort. The sort who wanders from one liaison to the next." He lowered his voice further. "She's a decent woman."

A combination of irritation and hurt rippled through Daniel. "Are you insinuating I'm not a decent man?"

"Of course not. Actually, you're a much better man than you give yourself credit for. But when it comes to women, you're…"

"Fond of shallow, short-term liaisons based solely on physical pleasure?" he provided helpfully when Matthew seemed at a loss for words.

"Precisely. And so long as that makes you and your partner happy, it's perfectly acceptable. However, it is not the sort of arrangement that would make Carolyn happy."

"Perhaps we should leave that for her to decide."

Matthew studied him for several seconds then said quietly, "She's Sarah's sister and I don't want her hurt."

"What makes you think I'd hurt her? The only way a person can be hurt is if their heart is involved. She's made it abundantly clear her heart belongs to her dead husband."

"Then why bother?"

Daniel shook his head. "Obviously your marriage has cast everything you see with a rosy glow. This situation with Carolyn offers the best of everything-an affair with a woman I need not worry will attach herself to me like a bothersome burr, yet there's no actual living man to take it into his head to challenge me to pistols at dawn." He watched her and Jennsen tap the rims of their champagne flutes and an unpleasant sensation that felt exactly like jealousy seared him. "We'll be discreet and no one will get hurt." Except, perhaps, for that pirate bastard Jennsen. Yes, he might find himself in the privet hedges. Head first. Or walking the plank. Into shark-infested waters.

"She's agreed to this arrangement?" There was no missing the surprise in Matthew's voice.

"No. Not yet."

"I thought not. I hate to be the one to break this to you, but I think you're in for a disappointment. In fact, I'm certain of it. From everything Sarah has told me, coupled with all I've observed, Carolyn is not the sort of woman to engage in a casual, torrid affair. There are dozens of other women who would welcome your attentions."

"At the risk of sounding conceited, there are. As you well know-or at least you did before you wrapped the matrimonial noose about your neck-being pursued by women comes with the territory of being titled, wealthy, and not hideous in appearance. Actually, being titled is really the only requirement. The other two are merely whipped cream on top of an already frosted cake."

"I always look forward to the cynical pearls of wisdom you cast before me."

"Any cynicism I possess is founded upon unvarnished truth gleaned from acute observations of human nature. And clearly someone needs to drag you down to earth." He shot his friend a speculative look. "Good God, you're practically… glowing."

"That's called happiness."

"How leg-shackling yourself to the same woman for all eternity could induce any sensations other than dyspepsia and nausea is beyond me."

"You say that because you haven't met the right woman."

"Of course I have. Many times."

"By right I mean a woman with whom you can share your life-not just your bed."

"Ah. Obviously our definitions of 'right' differ greatly."

"As recently as a few short months ago I might have agreed with you, but no longer. You'll feel differently after you fall in love."

"Are you foxed?"

"Not a bit."

Daniel shook his head. "My dear bedazzled, bamboozled, besotted friend-just because you plunged into the sticky quagmire that is love doesn't mean I plan to succumb."

"Ah, but that is where you shall meet your nemesis, because as I discovered, falling arse over backward in love isn't something you can plan-or not plan. It just… happens."

"Perhaps to you. I, on the other hand, am extremely adept at sidestepping all manner of unpleasantness."