The Earl's Outrageous Lover Page 0,64

Jessica Mallory who wore a fabulous pink dress that hugged her incredible figure, adorned with gold chains around her neck and wrists along with gold hoop earrings. Her curly hair swished and danced about her face as if nothing could be still around her. In fact, the air around the mysterious and beautiful Jessica Mallory seemed to be vibrating with energy as her chocolate brown eyes smiled at both her and Edward while the three of them conversed.

Julianna smoothed her blond hair self-consciously. The glossy, elegant twist she’d pulled it into for the dinner party was still in place but she wished she’d worn a color other than the light blue dress. The material was excellent and the cut made the dress a perfect fit for her figure, but she felt washed out, bland, especially compared to the fabulously adorned Ms. Mallory. Unfortunately, Julianna melted into the décor. The walls were cream, about the same color as her hair and the sofa was blue, nearly the same color as her dress. She sighed as she thought about how often she looked like the decorations. It seemed to be an issue that plagued her consistently

Jessica Mallory probably never had that problem, she thought. The bright pink looked extraordinary on her. It took a great deal of confidence to pull off that color and Jessica added just the right touch with the gold chains. Julianna fingered her demure pearl necklace, wishing she had the kind of confidence to wear something with more flair and flamboyance.

When the doorbell rang, Julianna jumped, strangely feeling as if the tension in the atmosphere had suddenly increased. Which it probably had because their hostess didn’t look like she was expecting anyone else for dinner. Jessica’s eyes were wide with concern as she glanced between her guests and the doorway to the living room where she heard her housekeeper start to answer the door.

Julianna’s eyes snapped to Edward’s. “Did you invite anyone else, perhaps?” she asked. She immediately felt guilty when she caught the sharp glance he gave her. Both of them were wondering why she sounded so snappish.

Before she could apologize to Edward, a deep voice was already booming from the foyer into the living room and Julianna glanced at their hostess. Jessica’s face lit up as she recognized who might be visiting, her pace increasing as she moved towards the front door to greet the newcomer with visible excitement.

“I’m looking for Jessica Mallory. Is she in tonight?” the booming, male voice declared as if he had every right to crash the quiet evening.

Julianna heard the voice and her hand froze in mid air, her wine glass inches from her mouth while her eyes snapped towards the door. That deep, resonant voice sent shivers through her body, making her uncomfortable. Embarrassingly uncomfortable! Who on earth could have that deep of a voice? It was like Barry White with a bit of gravel as well as a touch of southern charm thrown in just for accent.

Edward’s voice was deep and made her think of intense, rich coffee, but this voice was more….disturbing in a way that made her knees wobble and her heart rate increase. Just by the sound of a man’s voice? Ridiculous, she told herself, but she put her wine glass on the coffee table because her hands were shaking ever so slightly.

“James?” Jessica called out, her feet moving faster as she tried to peer around the door. “Is that really you?”

Johanna felt an intense stab of jealousy shoot through her as the vibrant brunette hurried towards the voice in question. Something inside of her wanted to shout out that the other woman needed to step back and slam the door shut, warn her not to let the strange man into her house. She actually glanced around the room, wondering if there was a place to hide and then realized how silly she was being.

Hiding? At a dinner party no less? This had to be the most outrageous thought she’d ever had in her life! Instead of following her ridiculous instincts, she pulled herself together, gave herself a stern lecture about greeting others properly and, with as much dignity as she could muster, rose from the sofa to stand and welcome the newcomer.

Before she was ready for the intrusion, a tall, muscular man with enormous shoulders filled the doorway to the living room and her knees instantly started shaking. He was about the same height as Edward, but with a different look about him. Where Edward