through her. Nothing
existed beyond his arms and the taste of his mouth on hers.
‘My own beauty,’ Ethan murmured against her lips
before stepping back from her, withdrawing his hand and closing the neck of her
gown with precision.
Jo-Beth clutched at the chain on the life-boat
while the world still reeled around her. When it steadied, she opened her eyes,
struggling against her confusion. A stray beam from a lamp on the masthead
revealed Ethan’s expression, amused and uncompromising. His voice, so
thrillingly deep, so expressive, was firm.
‘That’s what you wanted, isn’t it? Are you now satisfied?’
The moment stretched and expanded while Jo-Beth absorbed
the shock. Ears ringing, her breath trapped in her throat, she was immobilised.
Seconds later she felt a blush rising to flame in her cheeks, releasing her. Her
hand swooped but was caught and held. Her swift indrawn breath tangled in a web
of angry tears and she choked, livid with herself, with him, with the whole
situation.
‘You can’t go on behaving this way, you know.’ He
sounded infuriatingly reasonable. The fingers of her free hand curled. ‘You will
end by ruining yourself. You must know it. I respect your intelligence. I
admire your wit, and no less, your lovely person. But at present you’re
behaving like a fool.’
‘How dare you! Let me loose.’ Still incoherent,
she tried to tear her hand free, discovering it might as well have been encased
in rock. With her other hand she raked the skin of his fingers, and heard him
laugh as he captured her, drawing her closer, forcing her to look up into his
bearded face.
‘Little cat. Be still and listen for once to
someone who has your welfare at heart. Oh, yes. All appearances to the
contrary, I am not unwounded by your arrows. You might even say I’ve reached
the point of surrender. My feelings – ‘
Jo-Beth had recovered her voice, which she now
made as glacial as possible, considering the combustion going on inside her. ‘I’m
not interested in your feelings. Release me at once.’
Surprisingly, he did, so suddenly that she
rocked back against the life-boat. Her rage was fuelled by a mental image of
her appearance. With shaking fingers she rebuttoned her collar, clutching at
her hair slipping down, knowing she resembled the slut he had all but named
her.
Ethan watched her, his voice warming as he said,
‘You’re still young and inexperienced, despite your efforts to convince me
otherwise; and I understand your need to rebel against the confines of your
life. But this is not the way, my dear. Believe me.’
‘Why should I? You know nothing about me,
except...’ Chagrined, she paused.
‘Except that through habit, wishing to annoy
your parents, you determined to enslave the nearest eligible male. It’s a
dangerous game if you meet the wrong opponent. Fortunately, I’ve fallen in love
with you, and will protect you from yourself.’
‘A game! You will protect... Ohh!’ Jo-Beth
crammed her fists against her mouth to stifle her shriek of outrage. The
arrogance of the man – so sure in his judgement of her, yet blind to her tumble
into the pit she’d dug for him. For the truth had hit her along with the
hurricane of passion only minutes before. She was desperately in love with her
proposed victim. It was fully thirty seconds before the rest of his statement
penetrated.
‘Did you say you loved me?’ Her incredulity drew
another laugh from him.
‘I did say that. Do you dislike it?’
She thought about the past few days and how her
casual desire to capture this man had escalated into a driving need. Could he
possibly feel the same – that the game they played had become a hunt in
earnest, a pursuit that must end in consumation? She recalled the heat between
them, her desire to bury her whole body in his, to know his flesh on hers...
and shivered. ‘How can I believe you?’
‘A man who didn’t love you might not have
stopped when I did.’ He regained her hand and raised
existed beyond his arms and the taste of his mouth on hers.
‘My own beauty,’ Ethan murmured against her lips
before stepping back from her, withdrawing his hand and closing the neck of her
gown with precision.
Jo-Beth clutched at the chain on the life-boat
while the world still reeled around her. When it steadied, she opened her eyes,
struggling against her confusion. A stray beam from a lamp on the masthead
revealed Ethan’s expression, amused and uncompromising. His voice, so
thrillingly deep, so expressive, was firm.
‘That’s what you wanted, isn’t it? Are you now satisfied?’
The moment stretched and expanded while Jo-Beth absorbed
the shock. Ears ringing, her breath trapped in her throat, she was immobilised.
Seconds later she felt a blush rising to flame in her cheeks, releasing her. Her
hand swooped but was caught and held. Her swift indrawn breath tangled in a web
of angry tears and she choked, livid with herself, with him, with the whole
situation.
‘You can’t go on behaving this way, you know.’ He
sounded infuriatingly reasonable. The fingers of her free hand curled. ‘You will
end by ruining yourself. You must know it. I respect your intelligence. I
admire your wit, and no less, your lovely person. But at present you’re
behaving like a fool.’
‘How dare you! Let me loose.’ Still incoherent,
she tried to tear her hand free, discovering it might as well have been encased
in rock. With her other hand she raked the skin of his fingers, and heard him
laugh as he captured her, drawing her closer, forcing her to look up into his
bearded face.
‘Little cat. Be still and listen for once to
someone who has your welfare at heart. Oh, yes. All appearances to the
contrary, I am not unwounded by your arrows. You might even say I’ve reached
the point of surrender. My feelings – ‘
Jo-Beth had recovered her voice, which she now
made as glacial as possible, considering the combustion going on inside her. ‘I’m
not interested in your feelings. Release me at once.’
Surprisingly, he did, so suddenly that she
rocked back against the life-boat. Her rage was fuelled by a mental image of
her appearance. With shaking fingers she rebuttoned her collar, clutching at
her hair slipping down, knowing she resembled the slut he had all but named
her.
Ethan watched her, his voice warming as he said,
‘You’re still young and inexperienced, despite your efforts to convince me
otherwise; and I understand your need to rebel against the confines of your
life. But this is not the way, my dear. Believe me.’
‘Why should I? You know nothing about me,
except...’ Chagrined, she paused.
‘Except that through habit, wishing to annoy
your parents, you determined to enslave the nearest eligible male. It’s a
dangerous game if you meet the wrong opponent. Fortunately, I’ve fallen in love
with you, and will protect you from yourself.’
‘A game! You will protect... Ohh!’ Jo-Beth
crammed her fists against her mouth to stifle her shriek of outrage. The
arrogance of the man – so sure in his judgement of her, yet blind to her tumble
into the pit she’d dug for him. For the truth had hit her along with the
hurricane of passion only minutes before. She was desperately in love with her
proposed victim. It was fully thirty seconds before the rest of his statement
penetrated.
‘Did you say you loved me?’ Her incredulity drew
another laugh from him.
‘I did say that. Do you dislike it?’
She thought about the past few days and how her
casual desire to capture this man had escalated into a driving need. Could he
possibly feel the same – that the game they played had become a hunt in
earnest, a pursuit that must end in consumation? She recalled the heat between
them, her desire to bury her whole body in his, to know his flesh on hers...
and shivered. ‘How can I believe you?’
‘A man who didn’t love you might not have
stopped when I did.’ He regained her hand and raised
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