Harnessed Passions by Dee Jones Read Free Book Online Page B

outdoors. If it
weren’t for his expensive dark blue suit and waistcoat and crisp
white shirt, she’d have assumed he was one of the stable hands. His
hands were folded across a rather large chest and he leaned
leisurely against the post of the stall, watching the woman’s every
move.
    Julia felt a heat radiate from the man's
eyes, even before she saw the deep, rich turquoise of their shining
splendor. So odd the combination, it took her by surprise and she
found herself breathless as she tried to pull herself under
control.
    As intent as she had been with her
inspection, the experience was shared equally by Daniel's own
examination. The woman in front of him couldn't possibly be Julia
Turner; she was nothing of what he had mentally envisioned. She was
far too young to assume the position her father was placing her in
and far too delicate. He guessed the woman to be no more than
twenty-two or twenty-three, although he'd never actually asked
Julia Turner's age before. She was very beautiful and much slimmer
than he had pictured; as well as being very well endowed. She had
the sort of body, every man secretly dreamed of possessing.
    Her long dark hair hung loose across her
shoulders and down her back, to settle at her waist in a disarray
of tangled ringlets. She wore a red velvet riding habit and her
hands were void of the gloves she had moments before tucked inside
the waistband of her breeches. She displayed the perfect picture of
the pampered princess he had heard about, rather than a horse
breeder's daughter.
    Daniel walked toward her with a smooth, calm
step so intentional it sent chills of anticipation running along
Julia's spine. She noticed his finely chiseled features as he
approached. His sculptured straight nose and firm jaw line, his
deep-set turquoise eyes and his full kissable lips were a silent
invitation, beckoning to her. She shook herself hard; she didn't
even know who this man was and already she was beginning to imagine
what it would be like to kiss him. For all she knew, he could have
been 'Billy the Kid', himself. In a three-piece suit, her
subconscious asked?
    "You have an excellent way with horses,"
Daniel stated seductively; his tone deep and rich like warm
chocolate pouring over ice cream, soothing and stimulating her at
the same time. His accent was slightly less noticeable as it had
been when he first arrived in America, though it was there and
unmistakable.
    "I have little trouble with anything other
than the saddle," Julia replied, surprised at how calm and even her
voice sounded. "I've been told my form is top rank though."
    "I couldn't agree more. I noticed your form
immediately," he said with a lopsided grin, and then added softly,
"You're not a bad equestrian, either." Julia's delicate face turned
a deep maroon as she stepped past him, brushing his arm slightly on
her way. She felt a bolt of electricity shoot through her and found
herself fighting the urge to touch him again - just to see if the
shock had been real, she assured herself.
    "If your wit were as sharp as your tongue,
you'd be in possession of a very deadly weapon," she snarled,
forcing herself to sound irritated as she turned her attention back
to her horse.
    "I apologize; Miss…” he paused, hoping she
was anyone besides Julia Turner.
    “ Turner,” she assured him
with an arrogant tilt to her chin. “My father owns this land.” He
wasn’t sure if he was shocked or aroused; he would be spending a
great deal of time with this young woman in the next few weeks and
was suddenly thrilled at the prospect.
    “ Well, Miss Turner, as I
was saying, I'm quite certain I'm not the first man to admire your
beauty."
    "You seem to have me at a disadvantage sir,"
she informed him as she tossed the hay to the floor of the stall,
desperately trying to ignore his unnerving comments. "You know who
I am, but you've yet to introduce yourself."
    "My apologies again, Little Princess," he
bowed slightly; the ponytail he had tied behind him fell