Ariana spotted Jason Langford three breaths before he saw her, time enough to hide the shock of seeing him again. Nine years was a lifetime ago, one she would rather forget. One she must forget. She knew the exact moment he recognized her as evidenced by the sudden paleness of his tanned face, the rigidness of his strong body, the brightness of his gray eyes.
He stared, piercing her with a gaze that had once heated her body and made her burn for him.
“At last, two of my favorite people shall meet.” Sebastian held out a hand and grasped hers, his smile covering her with admiration. “Ana, this is my good friend, Jason Langford.” He turned to his good friend and said, “May I present Mrs. Ana Kendall?” And then, as though he could not restrain from a further comment, added, “I told you she was a beauty, did I not?”
Dear Sebastian. In the few short months she had known him, he had proven kind, considerate, and ever attentive, a true gentleman with a big heart and an even bigger desire to see her and William settled and happy. He had vowed to protect them from al lmanner of fears, including the ones she had fabricated.
“Indeed she is.” Jason paused, held her gaze, and bowed. “A true beauty.”
His voice no longer held the soft hesitancy of a young man but had turned deep and rich, capable of commanding, or charming, or perhaps seducing. She sucked in a breath of air, prayed for calmness. Had she not pretended for years? What was one more night of play-acting? Do not let him see he has affected you.
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