Secrets in Mourning by Janelle Daniels

“I saw no other option today. There was no way that Molly could handle the load alone without hurting herself or working far into the night. I wasn’t going to allow that. She works hard enough as is.”
    “And you care?” He looked genuinely shocked.
    She wanted to snap at him. “I’m not a monster. I’m not heartless. I wouldn’t force a dog to work in those conditions.”
    “In the future, you will refrain from doing any such labor as you have today. I will not allow you to be injured while you are in my home.”
    “You will not allow?” She stood up from her chair slowly. “You will not allow? Did I hear that correctly? Well, hear me. I am sick to death of being ordered around by both your mother and you. I have had it with the commands, with the demands, and with your loathing. You are neither my brother nor husband nor father and I do not need to obey you. You assigned me a task and I am seeing to it with the best of my abilities.”
    He stood to meet her gaze. “While I legally have no hold over you, I will still not allow you to injure yourself. Remember that you need me for your inheritance.”
    She threw her hands in the air. “How could I ever forget such a thing after being reminded of it constantly, my lord,” she said his title with a sneer. “I’ll be sure to work your servants to the bone in the future and not care one way or the other as long as the work gets done without a bruise to my body.” She whirled around and made it out of the room and down the hall, feeling no drop of triumph at the anger that sizzled in his widened eyes at her parting words. She just wanted to get to her room before she said something she really regretted.
    She heard his steps behind her before she could react. Not bothering to stop, he grabbed her arm and hauled her into the music room a door away from the staircase.
    “What do you think you are…” she trailed off when she saw him clenching his fists, his eyes looking furious as he backed her into the pianoforte.
    Perhaps she had pushed him too far. She gulped, wondering how best to handle this furious male. What would he do to her? While she doubted he would hit her, he did look as though he craved physical violence.
    He leaned closer, his body pressed against hers as his face descended, stopping only a few inches from her own. A surprised breath escaped her lips at the contact.
    “You try my patience, Victoria.” She gasped at his use of her given name. His hands fisted at her waist, almost painfully before he jerked her fully against his body, molding her rounded curve to his hard muscles.
    Her eyes flared with the knowledge that he was going to conquer her, to punish her in the only way he could.
    He swooped down, pressing his lips demandingly against hers, ignoring the fact that she struggled in his arms. He was bruising, punishing in his pressure against her.
    Reaching up, she tried to slap him before he forcibly brought her arms down to her side, holding them still. Breaking away, he breathed harshly. “I told you there would be consequences to trying to hit me.”
    Capturing her lips again, he pressed against her, forcing her to yield to him. With the anger that seared through her body, another feeling began to trickle in as well. Desire.
    Confused by her reaction, her struggles lessened, allowing her to feel the emotions he was producing within her.
    Groaning against her mouth, his grip around her loosened. His hands moved to her back, rubbing her tight muscles.
    The moan that escaped her lips startled her, giving him the opening to slip his tongue in to mingle with hers. The dark taste of him was incredible, heady, all the while his hands seemed to be all over her back, relaxing all the knotted muscles from her labor.
    Wanting him closer, she lifted her arms, wrapping them slowly around his neck. As if burned, he jerked away from her, and she swayed from the sudden loss of his touch.
    “Forgive me,” he said, looking as shocked as she felt. He