for a moment, then whispered, "Alex, is—" She stopped to clear her throat. "Is your hand on my breast?"
"What?" He glanced down to where his large hand covered her left breast. "Why, so it is," he said in surprise, then looked back at her and said solemnly, "My hand is definitely on your breast."
She swallowed nervously. "Are you going to take it away?"
His hand tightened a fraction. "Not unless the barn catches on fire," he said gruffly.
When he lowered his head, Kate knew he was going to kiss her. And if he did, it wouldn't stop at a kiss. The tension between them had been building all day, and since he had combed her hair, you could have-cut it with a knife.
"Alex," she whispered when his lips were only an inch away. "No."
"No?" He held himself perfectly still, his eyes narrowing as he peered through the darkness to study her features.
She could feel the tautness in him and it caused an ache she couldn't identify. Perhaps she shouldn't have been so abrupt. She wanted to explain, but how could she explain something she didn't fully understand herself?
Suddenly he pulled his arm from beneath her to prop himself up on one elbow. "I see," he said, nodding. "No lips ... so how about ears?" He swooped down to nip her earlobe. "Or cheeks . . . or a nose ... or maybe a chin?"
Each time, he suited the action to the word, kissing her faster and faster as she began to laugh and dodge his lips. She knew he was trying to clear the air and she silently thanked him.
"How about a temple? A well-turned temple drives me wild," he murmured against her skin.
"Stop it, you idiot." She laughed.
He lay back, resting his head on his forearm. "On one condition."
"And that is?" she asked warily.
"Let me have half a lip and I'll stop."
"Alex—" she began.
"I know, I know." He sighed roughly and pulled her back to her former position against his shoulder. "You're thinking it's not supposed to happen this fast." He cupped her chin with his right hand. "But, Katy, don't you see? We're lucky. Most people have to spend months, even years, getting to know each other as well as we have in just two days." He stroked her cheek with his rough fingers. "I promise not to push you if youll promise not to worry about rules and what's 'normal.' "
For a moment she couldn't speak. Did all that really make sense or was it just that she wanted to believe what he was saying?
"Okay," she said at last. "Half a lip."
He toughed, knowing that her okay meant more than a kiss. He cupped her neck and pulled her closer, brushing his lips across the corner of her mouth. Then he exhaled slowly and whispered, "I'm giving serious thought to becoming a monk, Duchess."
"A monk?"
"Yeah," he murmured wryly. "I think I'm beginning to get the celibacy bit down pat."
She laughed softly, snuggling against him as he wrapped his suede jacket around them both.
Six
When Kate awoke Alex was no longer beside her. There was still-a chill in the air, but rays of sunshine fell through cracks in the barn door in shafts of platinum-gold.
Wrapping his suede jacket more closely around her, she huddled and thought of the way they had slept with their arms around each other through the night.
Because Kate was a restless sleeper, she had always assumed she wouldn't be able to adjust to sleeping with a man. But with Alex, there had been no fighting for space, no cramped muscles. They had fit together perfectly, their limbs entwined. She realized with surprise how soundly she had slept, as though she had been sleeping with him for years.
Yawning lazily, she wondered where he was now and what he was doing. She felt a little strange, a little empty, then realized it was the first time she had been completely alone since he had followed her from the restaurant the day before.
Who was this Wisconsin count who affected her so strongly? He had told her almost nothing about his past and very little about why they were here. How did she know the little he had told her was true? She
"What?" He glanced down to where his large hand covered her left breast. "Why, so it is," he said in surprise, then looked back at her and said solemnly, "My hand is definitely on your breast."
She swallowed nervously. "Are you going to take it away?"
His hand tightened a fraction. "Not unless the barn catches on fire," he said gruffly.
When he lowered his head, Kate knew he was going to kiss her. And if he did, it wouldn't stop at a kiss. The tension between them had been building all day, and since he had combed her hair, you could have-cut it with a knife.
"Alex," she whispered when his lips were only an inch away. "No."
"No?" He held himself perfectly still, his eyes narrowing as he peered through the darkness to study her features.
She could feel the tautness in him and it caused an ache she couldn't identify. Perhaps she shouldn't have been so abrupt. She wanted to explain, but how could she explain something she didn't fully understand herself?
Suddenly he pulled his arm from beneath her to prop himself up on one elbow. "I see," he said, nodding. "No lips ... so how about ears?" He swooped down to nip her earlobe. "Or cheeks . . . or a nose ... or maybe a chin?"
Each time, he suited the action to the word, kissing her faster and faster as she began to laugh and dodge his lips. She knew he was trying to clear the air and she silently thanked him.
"How about a temple? A well-turned temple drives me wild," he murmured against her skin.
"Stop it, you idiot." She laughed.
He lay back, resting his head on his forearm. "On one condition."
"And that is?" she asked warily.
"Let me have half a lip and I'll stop."
"Alex—" she began.
"I know, I know." He sighed roughly and pulled her back to her former position against his shoulder. "You're thinking it's not supposed to happen this fast." He cupped her chin with his right hand. "But, Katy, don't you see? We're lucky. Most people have to spend months, even years, getting to know each other as well as we have in just two days." He stroked her cheek with his rough fingers. "I promise not to push you if youll promise not to worry about rules and what's 'normal.' "
For a moment she couldn't speak. Did all that really make sense or was it just that she wanted to believe what he was saying?
"Okay," she said at last. "Half a lip."
He toughed, knowing that her okay meant more than a kiss. He cupped her neck and pulled her closer, brushing his lips across the corner of her mouth. Then he exhaled slowly and whispered, "I'm giving serious thought to becoming a monk, Duchess."
"A monk?"
"Yeah," he murmured wryly. "I think I'm beginning to get the celibacy bit down pat."
She laughed softly, snuggling against him as he wrapped his suede jacket around them both.
Six
When Kate awoke Alex was no longer beside her. There was still-a chill in the air, but rays of sunshine fell through cracks in the barn door in shafts of platinum-gold.
Wrapping his suede jacket more closely around her, she huddled and thought of the way they had slept with their arms around each other through the night.
Because Kate was a restless sleeper, she had always assumed she wouldn't be able to adjust to sleeping with a man. But with Alex, there had been no fighting for space, no cramped muscles. They had fit together perfectly, their limbs entwined. She realized with surprise how soundly she had slept, as though she had been sleeping with him for years.
Yawning lazily, she wondered where he was now and what he was doing. She felt a little strange, a little empty, then realized it was the first time she had been completely alone since he had followed her from the restaurant the day before.
Who was this Wisconsin count who affected her so strongly? He had told her almost nothing about his past and very little about why they were here. How did she know the little he had told her was true? She
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