A Laird for Christmas by Gerri Russell Read Free Book Online Page A

him as much as he had injured her and her reputation. Instead, her body rebelled as the old attraction between them sparked, warming her cheeks.
    “Thank you for inviting me here,” he said with sincerity.
    She had forgotten the sound of his voice, low-toned and warm like honey. Yet today, his tone carried a certain tension.
    She drew in a tight breath. “There is no need to thank me,” she answered, proud of the fact her voice sounded unaffected as she gazed into his familiar sherry-colored eyes.
    “There is always a need.”
    They were speaking about common courtesy, and yet his words sounded like so much more. He offered her a half smile. It did little to soften the hard angles of his face, the edged cheekbones, the long planes of his cheeks, the austere set of his features—large sherry eyes set under a broad forehead, straight brown brows, surprisingly thick lashes, thin chiseled lips, and the strong prow of his nose. His square chiseled chin bore witness to the stubbornness he usually hid beneath a cloak of easy charm.
    To Nicholas Kincaid, charm had always come easy, and its effect on her senses, even now, challenged her efforts to remain open to all her suitors. With a good four feet separating them, she could still feel her body responding to him. Her rib cage tightened and her breathing quickened. Her heart fluttered and her nerves tingled in telltale anticipation. She had not seen him for two long years.
    She had changed in that time. No doubt he had as well. And yet… Jane pulled her gaze from Nicholas’s. “The others are growing restless. Perhaps we should move our reunion along?”
    Something changed in his face—a coolness slid into his expression. “I have not presented you with my gift.” He moved closer and held out a small parcel wrapped in parchment. She accepted it. Immediately the puppy’s eyes snapped open and she started sniffing the parcel.
    “If I may,” Nicholas said as he bent to pick up the puppy. He nestled the animal close to his chest, humming to the animal as he carried it toward thediscarded cloth it had arrived in. Nicholas gathered the cloth into a small bundle then set the animal on top. The puppy immediately nestled into the folds and closed her eyes, once again asleep.
    Nicholas straightened and came back to Jane’s side just as she reached the contents inside the parchment. Several dark brown chunks of something she had never seen before lay against the honey-colored paper. Wordlessly, she looked back at Nicholas, hoping for an explanation.
    “They are shavings,” he explained.
    “Of what?”
    He picked a small piece up off the parchment. “Open your mouth to taste a new delight.”
    She eyed him with suspicion. “You are going to feed me?”
    That charming smile of his returned. “Must you question everything?”
    She obediently opened her mouth. He laid a small flake of what he termed a “delight” against her tongue.
    “Let it melt, then press it to the roof of your mouth.”
    Bitter sweetness invaded her senses, as did Nicholas’s masculine scent of cinnamon and bay leaves. She closed her eyes as the two scents mixed. She released a soft groan at the intensity of the sensation. The object in her mouth melted and intensified. “What is it?” she begged.
    “Chocolate.”
    “Where?” she asked, unable to finish her sentence as the chocolate slid down her throat in a wave of ecstasy.
    “I found it in a little shop in London called the Coffee Mill and Tobacco Roll. Chocolate is said to have rejuvenating properties and is a natural energizer. Do you like it?”
    Enjoyment shuddered through Jane so intensely she could only nod her head in agreement. Just as strongly, so too, did the lies he had spread about her.
A passionate seductress
. Although, at the moment, she did not feel seductive, she felt seduced.
    Nicholas brought his finger up to the corner of her mouth and touched the fullness of her lower lip. “Imagine a kiss on top of that