Excerpt of Twilight with the Infamous Earl by Alexandra Hawkins

Frost rarely pursued a lady.

First, it took too much effort; more to the point, most were not worthy

of the chase. Second, most ladies were willing quarry. His handsome face and

title had opened the doors of countless bedchambers— something he often

had taken for granted. However, he had been willing to make an exception for

Miss Cavell. Although it galled him to admit it, the lady mildly intrigued him.

Her acrimony toward Nox gave him the excuse he needed to seek her out.

In the end, she came to him.

Well, not precisely to him. He and the lady just happened to be

attending the same ball this evening. Fate had placed them on the same

course, and he was willing to see for himself if the daring Emily was worth all

the fuss.

As he watched her from the upper landing, she was blithely unaware

of his presence. She was speaking cordially with their hostess, Lady Fiddick,

and her niece. Miss Cavell stood out from the trio, looking quite fetching

this evening. The fashions this spring tended to favor brighter colors, most

of which would have been disastrous for a redhead. Of course, this would

not have prevented an ambitious miss who insisted on wearing the latest

styles and colors. Unlike her two companions who were draped in scarlet

and geranium, Miss Cavell seemed almost subdued in her periwinkle dress.

Instead, the observer's eye was drawn to her dark red hair. Her maid had

curled the lady's long locks into curls of medium thickness and pinned them

into an artful arrangement. Several white roses had been added, and the

overall effect made his fingers itch to discover all the hairpins concealed in

her thick tresses.

"I recognize that look," a familiar masculine voice drawled behind

him. "Only a woman can generate such predatory hunger in a man's gaze."

Frost did not glance at his uninvited companion. "Lord Ravens. I did

not realize you strayed from your personal house of iniquity to dally with the

civilized."

The earl's amusement covered him like the comforting warmth of

a blanket. He had known the man for years. Before Saint's marriage, he

and Frost had been frequent guests at Lord Ravens's intimate gatherings of

debauchery. Once, the Lords of Vice had even considered inviting the earl

to join them. However, not all of his friends appreciated Ravens's unusual

appetites, and the subject had been dropped.

Even so, Frost doubted the gentleman would have joined them. He

enjoyed being lord and master of his world.

Frost shifted his gaze to Lord Ravens. His mild annoyance faded at the

sight of his friend. With hair as dark as his own, the gray-eyed earl looked

the same. The twenty-seven-year-old was unmarried and most likely would

remain in that state unless he discovered a very understanding wife.

"What brings you here?"

"I could ask the same of you, my friend. After all, you are one of

my favorite guests, and yet you have deprived me and my friends of your

company."

"My apologies," Frost said sincerely. "My appetites led me elsewhere,

and I was content. No offense was intended."

"I am relieved. I value your friendship, and thought Sinclair and your

other friends might have persuaded you to abandon our friendship since my

gatherings are not for the unenlightened."

Frost heartily agreed. "Then you do not know me as well as you

believed. No one, not even my good friends, tells me whom I may spend my

evenings with, or where."

Lord Ravens smiled. "Excellent. Then I pray you will return to us

soon?"

"How can I refuse such a warm invitation? Especially since I envy the

contents of your wine cellar."

The earl coughed into his hand. "And nothing else tempts you?"

Frost laughed. "Oh, there is no doubt that you provide many

temptations, gent. It is one of the reasons why some people dislike you."

"Dislike?" He raised his brows as he considered the word. "Several of

your friends despise me. Vanewright, in particular, always looks as if he'd like

to plant his fist in my jaw."

Vane had not been in the best of moods the last time Saint had dragged

their friend to Ravens's town house. It had happened so long ago, it was not

worth explaining. Instead, he teased, "You sound surprised. I thought most

gents wish to murder you."

Ravens chuckled. "True. Many secretly fear I will steal their wives

away from them."

"And would you?"

The earl shrugged. "Is it my fault that I am irresistible to most

females?"

Frost clapped a companionable hand on Lord Ravens's shoulder. "And

that is why you and I get along so well. We are afflicted with the same

problem when it comes to women."

"It is only a problem if you are the man with the unfaithful wife."

Ravens casually nodded toward the chattering females below. "And which

lady has caught your eye this evening? Or is it all three?"

The question was not meant to unsettle Frost. Lord Ravens was wholly

indiscriminate when it came to women or men. Married, virgins, old, and

young, he welcomed them all into his bed.

"Why? Do you wish to join me?"

Over the years, there had been evenings when drink, boredom, and lust

had turned into a potent combination, and he had indulged in the mindless

orgies Ravens had hosted. Frost had rejoiced in the abandonment, but it did

not take long for it to pall as well. It was one of the reasons why he had not

visited the gentleman's residence in two months.

"Are you willing to share?"

Frost glanced at Emily Cavell. Share her? He did not like that idea at all.