Kasey Michaels - [Redgraves 02] by What a Lady Needs

flaring hips. “Drawing you closer as I slowly lower you to the ground,” he continued, and then following his words with action.
    She had her hands on his shoulders now, presumably for balance. Her eyes shone with mischief even as her breasts rose and fell with each quick, shallow breath. “What was next? Oh, yes. A chance for an accidental brushing together of bodies. You mean like this?”
    Their bodies were touching now, as he eased her feet toward the grass. She was looking up at him, her full wide mouth a whisper away.
    She had no idea what she was doing to him. Or perhaps she did.
    “Yes, precisely like this. And then, as naturally follows, I steal a kiss.”
    She was gone so quickly he barely had time to realize the way she bent her knees, pulling down and out of his light grasp on her waist. In a heartbeat, she was standing a good five feet away from him. She had her arms crossed tightly beneath her breasts, and she was still breathing rather hard.
    “Very neatly done, Kate. You do this often?”
    Her cheeks had gone faintly pink, but Simon didn’t believe the flush was in anger. “No, I most certainly do not. You shouldn’t ask questions like that.”
    “No? Well, then, how about this one? How many men have kissed you, Lady Katherine?”
    There went the chin again, aiming for the sky. “That’s absolutely none of your concern. But if you must know, several. A lot. Dozens. ”
    He began advancing on her, slowly. “Then one more certainly shouldn’t matter, should it?”
    She was backing up now, still with her arms hugged tight round her body, as if she might fly apart if she let go. “Perhaps not dozens.”
    He took another step forward. She was backing straight toward a wide tree trunk that would halt her retreat, not that he was about to point that out to her. “Perhaps not even a lot? Shall we agree to settle on a few? ”
    Kate’s mouth must have gone dry, because she was clearly working her tongue around the inside of her mouth, even employing the tip to moisten her lips. “Maybe...maybe not anyone.”
    All right, now she’d shocked him.
    “And you’re how old?”
    Finally she dropped her arms to her sides. “What does my age have to do with anything?”
    “I’m not sure, but it seems at least minimally important. No one? Ever?”
    Kate rolled her eyes as if weary of discussing the subject with someone so incredibly thick. “I’ve never seen the need, is that so difficult to understand? My brothers bring home stultifyingly boring men, most of them married and the rest of them silly—those last would be Val’s friends. There’s no one within miles of Redgrave Manor who would dare, again, thanks to my brothers. And I wasn’t in London last year long enough to meet anyone who possessed a brain larger than any of the peas Adam insists on playing with at the table. There, are you happy now?”
    “I’m not certain. Never seen the need? Really?”
    “Really.” But as soon as she said the word she turned her head away from him, as if not willing to maintain eye contact.
    And hope springs eternal in my shameful breast, Simon told himself as he followed her into the trees, the boulder-strewn ground also dappled with shafts of sunlight filtering through the leafy branches. He imagined the boulders had been those dug up when the land was first plowed, and had been dragged here, out of the way. But why was “here” created? The rocks could just as easily have been lined up along one of the hedgerows. Why was this area left intact?
    “Very pretty spot,” he commented, looking up at the dusty rays of sunlight as he walked, and then tripped over something solid and found himself sprawled on a thick carpet of damp, moldy leaves. He quickly turned himself about so that he was in a sitting position, hoping that looked better than shamefully leaping to his feet. “Well, wasn’t that graceful of me? Care to join me?”
    “I think not,” Kate said dryly. “But, while you’re down there, say