The Minister's Maid by Jamie DeBree Read Free Book Online Page B

white collar."
    She glanced at his profile, and even in the dim light sensed that he wasn't telling the whole truth. "Oh come on. You can't tell me you haven't played around a little in the back room on occasion. I mean, you're a guy. And I can't be the only woman on earth who gets turned on at the thought of shagging a preacher."
    Laughing, he squeezed her hand. "Eloquently put. And I didn't say I've been celibate. You asked about dating, not sex."
    "It's not the same thing?" she countered, suddenly wishing she hadn't started this. She didn't want to picture Ian making out with anyone else but her, and the thought of how many times she'd offered herself, how many times she'd been turned down...
    She tried to pull her hand away, but he held tight and stopped, turning to look at her. "It's not the same thing at all," he said, coming closer. "Dating involves a lot more than just sex, don't you think?"
    She shrugged, her eyes focused on his chest as he moved in another step. "I wouldn't know. Most of the guys I've been with just want to get me into bed. Dates are just an obligation, or that's how it feels."
    "You've been dating the wrong guys, Bets," he said, lifting her chin up with a gentle hand. She stared into his eyes, mesmerized by the depth of feeling she saw reflected back at her.
    "The right one didn't want me," she whispered, trembling against his body.
    He wrapped his other arm around her waist, pulling her tight to him. "He was an idiot," he replied, and then covered her lips with his own.
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter 6
     
     
    The kiss didn't last nearly as long as Betsy would have liked, and she licked her lips when he pulled back, loathe to open her eyes. Ian's face in shadow, she couldn't make out his expression very well, but the warm hand caressing the side of her neck was comforting.
    "We really need to go," he said, letting his hand slide down her arm to take her hand again. "The harem is just up ahead, and Derek had a big head start. Besides..." he turned the flashlight up so she could see his grin. "They have beds there. Very plush."
    She faked a big yawn, and then laughed, allowing him to pull her forward. "Now that you mention it, I could use a nap..."
    Five minutes later, Ian motioned for her to stay back while he carefully opened another wooden door just a crack. It seemed like forever that he just stood there, quiet. Finally he opened the door wide and played the flashlight beam around the cavern, the light bouncing off shiny objects and gauzy fabric as it moved. When he finally turned on the light switch, Betsy went to his side.
    "This is the first underground guest room," she said, moving farther into the space as he pulled the door shut behind him and pushed a wooden crate in front of it. "It's almost finished, and I suspect there will be quite a lot of demand for something so...private." Smiling, she climbed up on the large round bed that dominated the sunken center of the room and patted the space next to her. "Care to join me?"
    Ian frowned, looking past her. "What do those gold coins look like?"
    She turned, surveying the back wall, draped with silks. "They're just average coins, like you'd get from a bank or at a coin shop. Sort of a dull yellow-gold color. What do you see?" She slid off the other side of the bed, walking closer to examine the low table and chairs a couple steps up.
    "There," Ian said, waiting until she turned to point at one of the scarves hanging lower on the wall. The fringe was covered in gold coins, but as Betsy leaned closer, there was one that didn't quite match the others in tone.
    She reached out to touch it, bumping the faux coins with her hand. The mismatched coin fell and she snatched it up, turning it over in her hand before grinning at Ian.
    "This is it. We found the first one!" She jumped up and down, throwing her arms around Ian's neck and dragging his head down for a kiss. He grinned, but the expression was short lived as the box in front of the door rattled.