her fists on her shapely hips. âIf you lay one hand on those boys, I swear Iâll make you regret it.â
âReally?â he said, choking down a laugh. With her green eyes snapping at him and her bosom shaking beneath her low-Âcut gown, she looked like an avenging angel. Or at least an avenging dairymaid. âAnd what exactly will you do?â
Clearly she hadnât thought that far. âIâll . . . Iâll . . . tell my father,â she said stoutly.
âGo ahead.â He stalked toward her. âTell him that I disciplined his reckless nephews to keep them from killing themselves. Iâll wager he takes my side in the matter. He knows what explosives can do.â
She paled as he neared her. âHe still wonât approve.â
âLet him disapproveâthat wonât change how I behave. He can thrash me senseless, for all I care.â
âDonât be ridiculous. Papa is nearly fiftyâhe canât possibly thrash you.â
âThen what do you hope to achieve by tattling on me to him?â He came right up to where she stood before the closed door and loomed over her in a deliberate attempt to intimidate her. In this one matter, he meant to have his way.
Straightening her spine, she stared him down. âStep back, sir.â
He leaned one arm against the door. âOr what? Youâll tell your papa?â
âIâll do this.â She promptly kicked him in the shin.
âOw!â he cried as he pushed back from the door and bent to rub the sore spot. The chit had quite a kick, blast it.
â That is for acting like a beast,â she said primly. âAnd if you continue to do so, to me or the children, I shall kick the other shin. Just see if I donât.â
Turning away, she reached for the door handle, but he caught her by the arm before she could leave. He swung her around, ignoring her expression of outrage, then swiftly bracketed her body between his two arms to trap her against the door.
âSo Iâm behaving like a beast, am I?â he bit out. âVery well, since you refuse to be sensible about your cousins, you might as well kick my other shin. Consider it an advance payment for when I am forced to tan those boysâ hides because theyâve ventured where they shouldnât!â
He hadnât meant to lose his temper again, but heâd never liked being threatened, and certainly not by some society chit.
âIf you donât move back, sir, I will kick you again,â she retorted, though her cheeks grew flushed and her voice had lost some of its fervor.
Suddenly he realized just how close she was. Suddenly he was painfully aware of how full were the breasts that rose and fell between them, how close were the hips pressed to his. In that moment he didnât care about the boys or the barn or her father. Especially when she chewed nervously on her lower lip, her plump lower lip that tempted him to taste and touch and sample its sweetness.
His gaze fixed there, and his breath quickened . . . along with his blood and pulse and everything else in his body that responded to her soft, warm flesh.
âGo ahead and kick me,â he said in a guttural voice. âYouâre probably going to anyway after I do this.â
Then he lowered his head to kiss her full on the lips.
Chapter Four
Dear Cousin,
My neighbor is a respectable married attorney with three children. But if you find those credentials insufficient, youâre always welcome to look in on me yourself.
Curious about your identity as always,
Charlotte
E llie was shocked into immobility. An attractive, virile man was sealing his mouth to hers. And he wasnât after her fortune.
That had never happened. For that matter, only two men had ever kissed her, and neither kiss had been like this. Warm. Searching. Thorough.
Very, very thorough. His lips played over hers with the heady assurance of a man
Dorothy Calimeris, Sondi Bruner