To Catch A Spinster (The Reluctant Bride Collection) by Megan Bryce Read Free Book Online Page A

would find him bludgeoned to death and her only excuse would be that he’d promised to seduce her and hadn’t. Could anyone blame her? Disown her maybe, but certainly not blame her.
    She had rushed outside as soon as it was dark— eager and expectant. That had been a good three hours ago and she was tired. The thrill had worn down to a dull aching in her stomach.
    Perhaps he had changed his mind. He was a gentleman after all. He had been taught from birth to never dally with another gentleman’s daughter. One only married those.
    She should have paid him. Then he would’ve had to come back to seduce her. She should have made him swear on his honor.
    “The way you’re glaring at that chimney makes me think I’m late.”
    Olivia jumped out of her chair, half out of fright, half out of righteous indignation.
    “Yes, you’re late. I’ve been out here for three hours. I’m freezing, my bottom has fallen asleep, and you’ve made me wait so long that I am not interested in you or anything you think you can teach me.” She took a breath, pacing in front of him.
    Nathaniel watched her with the intensity of a lion-tamer, his eyes following her ragged pacing.
    “I apologize, Olivia. I should have been more specific. I didn’t want to come when anyone would be awake.”
    Olivia hastily lowered her voice to a whisper. “Well, everyone has been asleep for a good while. I think I’ll join them.”
    Nathaniel caught her wrist as she swept by him. “Olivia, wait.”
    She stopped, refusing to look at him, and wished the ache in her stomach would go away. She had not felt this ill since her coming-out.
    Nathaniel slowly pulled her to the chair, settled himself, arranged her on his lap, and draped the blanket around them. He held her, his chin resting on her head, and said nothing.
    Olivia relaxed unwillingly against him, his heat warming her. She breathed deeply and the scent of horse and man and bay filled her. Men smelled so differently than women. They smelled warmer somehow. Or maybe they just felt warmer. She’d been held by her mother before, and she’d hugged her sisters. None of them had been so hot. Nathaniel’s heat almost burned her.
    She was getting a bit warm under the blanket.
    Nathaniel’s armed snaked around her waist, holding her closer.
    “You can change your mind.”
    “I don’t want to change my mind, I just wish I hadn’t had so much time to think about it.”
    Olivia turned to face him, watching him in the moonlight. “May I kiss you?”
    He smiled slightly and his armed tightened around her. “Yes.”
    Her heart pounded and her breath came faster. He had always kissed her before. It was all well and good to be seduced, but sometimes a woman had to take control. Otherwise, there was too much time for thinking.
    She leaned forward and brushed his lips. Again and again she ran her closed lips gently against his. They were smooth and soft, gliding smoothly against her own. She moved to his cheek, brushing her lips back and forth.
    “You shaved.”
    She felt him smile, but he remained silent.
    She stood, warmed by his heat, warmed by her own. She leaned over him, running her lips over his nose, slipping across his lashes and his closed eyes. His hands grasped lightly around her waist, caressing down her hips and thighs, and up around her rib-cage, gently nudging her breasts. Her breath caught.
    He rose swiftly, wrapping the blanket around her. “Stay here a moment.”
    He knelt by his saddle-bags, pulling out a thick blanket and spreading it on the small deck. He placed a thinner blanket on top, then held his hand out to her, motioning to her to come. In his hand was a small red rose.
    She walked toward him slowly, taking the rose and inhaling the sweet scent. She whispered, “Thank you, Nathaniel. This is more than I expected.”
    “You wanted to be wooed and seduced, Olivia. I am a man of my word.”
    She smiled, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach. She knelt on the blanket beside him and