stomach.
“You apparently have a lot to learn about making love, sweetheart, and considering your advancing age, I don’t
think we’d better waste any time.“
“Oh,“ she said quickly, without pausing to think, “I’ve always heard that women are at their best as they go into
their thirties.“
“Show me,“ he invited.
When Emeline awoke the next time it was morning and she was lying in Julian’s bed, not on the hearth rug. It wasn’
t the sunlight filtering through a cloudy sky that opened her eyes, nor was it another passionate advance from the man
sprawled next to her. It was a cold, damp nose being thrust into her palm.
Xerxes watched her intently, his dark head resting on the bed. The expectant, faintly wistful expression on his face
was enough to make Emelina groan and bury her own head back under a pillow.
Xerxes took more forceful action. He nudged her again with his nose and Emelina heard a tiny sound emanating
from far back in his throat. Was Xerxes growling at her? That thought was enough to bring her wide awake. She stared
at the dog suspiciously as she clutched the sheet to her naked breasts. As far as Emelina was concerned, there was
probably a great similarity between dog and master. She fully expected either one of them to resort to intimidation if
they didn’t achieve their objectives through more polite methods.
Xerxes looked up at her with a satisfied expression. He was making progress.
“He wants out,“ Julian yawned beside her. “It appears you’ve been elected for the duty. I can see there are some
terrific fringe benefits to having you in my bed. Why don’t you run along and let Xerxes out and then practice making
coffee the way I showed you the other day?“
Emelina frowned severely into his blandly innocent face, a part of her far too aware of the fact that he was as naked
as she was under the sheet “I am not going to get into the habit of waiting on you and your dog!“ Heaven help her!
She wasn’t going to get into the habit of waking up in his bed, either, she added grimly to herself. Even if doing so
meant rediscovering a passionate side of her nature she hadn’t dreamed existed. Some discoveries involved far too
much risk.
Xerxes made that faintly menacing sound in the back of his throat again and Emelina snapped her head back to
glare at him.
“I think you’d better get moving,“ Julian drawled behind her. “He sounds like he’s getting impatient. And I could
sure use that cup of coffee.“
“I’ve told you, I’m not going to be a dogsbody for either of you!“ she sniffed defiantly.
This time it was Julian who growled, a small, intimidating sound which belied the lazy humor in his dark eyes.
Emelina wasn’t up to dealing with two intimidating males on mat particular morning. She snatched the quilt off the end
of the bed and, wrapping it awkwardly around herself, stalked off to obey Xerxes’s summons.
Julian watched her leave the room, his eyes following her with a curious mixture of amusement, remembered
passion and possessiveness. Then he flung himself back against the pillows and contemplated his new future.
He would have to tread cautiously now. There was no doubt that he had rushed her into bed last night against his
better judgment, but how could he have resisted staking the intimate claim? She was so exactly right for him, and Julian
frankly acknowledged to himself that he had acted out of a very primitive fear of losing her. All his instincts bade him
chain her as thoroughly as possible. And the bonds of passion seemed, to his male mind, yet another way of tying her
to him.
His mouth curved slightly as he recalled the satisfying heat of Emelina’s desire once it had been unleashed. Damn
it, he really would paddle her nicely rounded rear end if she ever pulled that bit of fakery again! Her ex-husband must
have been a complete fool to let her get away with mat. He hadn’t known what he was missing. Which was just as
“You apparently have a lot to learn about making love, sweetheart, and considering your advancing age, I don’t
think we’d better waste any time.“
“Oh,“ she said quickly, without pausing to think, “I’ve always heard that women are at their best as they go into
their thirties.“
“Show me,“ he invited.
When Emeline awoke the next time it was morning and she was lying in Julian’s bed, not on the hearth rug. It wasn’
t the sunlight filtering through a cloudy sky that opened her eyes, nor was it another passionate advance from the man
sprawled next to her. It was a cold, damp nose being thrust into her palm.
Xerxes watched her intently, his dark head resting on the bed. The expectant, faintly wistful expression on his face
was enough to make Emelina groan and bury her own head back under a pillow.
Xerxes took more forceful action. He nudged her again with his nose and Emelina heard a tiny sound emanating
from far back in his throat. Was Xerxes growling at her? That thought was enough to bring her wide awake. She stared
at the dog suspiciously as she clutched the sheet to her naked breasts. As far as Emelina was concerned, there was
probably a great similarity between dog and master. She fully expected either one of them to resort to intimidation if
they didn’t achieve their objectives through more polite methods.
Xerxes looked up at her with a satisfied expression. He was making progress.
“He wants out,“ Julian yawned beside her. “It appears you’ve been elected for the duty. I can see there are some
terrific fringe benefits to having you in my bed. Why don’t you run along and let Xerxes out and then practice making
coffee the way I showed you the other day?“
Emelina frowned severely into his blandly innocent face, a part of her far too aware of the fact that he was as naked
as she was under the sheet “I am not going to get into the habit of waiting on you and your dog!“ Heaven help her!
She wasn’t going to get into the habit of waking up in his bed, either, she added grimly to herself. Even if doing so
meant rediscovering a passionate side of her nature she hadn’t dreamed existed. Some discoveries involved far too
much risk.
Xerxes made that faintly menacing sound in the back of his throat again and Emelina snapped her head back to
glare at him.
“I think you’d better get moving,“ Julian drawled behind her. “He sounds like he’s getting impatient. And I could
sure use that cup of coffee.“
“I’ve told you, I’m not going to be a dogsbody for either of you!“ she sniffed defiantly.
This time it was Julian who growled, a small, intimidating sound which belied the lazy humor in his dark eyes.
Emelina wasn’t up to dealing with two intimidating males on mat particular morning. She snatched the quilt off the end
of the bed and, wrapping it awkwardly around herself, stalked off to obey Xerxes’s summons.
Julian watched her leave the room, his eyes following her with a curious mixture of amusement, remembered
passion and possessiveness. Then he flung himself back against the pillows and contemplated his new future.
He would have to tread cautiously now. There was no doubt that he had rushed her into bed last night against his
better judgment, but how could he have resisted staking the intimate claim? She was so exactly right for him, and Julian
frankly acknowledged to himself that he had acted out of a very primitive fear of losing her. All his instincts bade him
chain her as thoroughly as possible. And the bonds of passion seemed, to his male mind, yet another way of tying her
to him.
His mouth curved slightly as he recalled the satisfying heat of Emelina’s desire once it had been unleashed. Damn
it, he really would paddle her nicely rounded rear end if she ever pulled that bit of fakery again! Her ex-husband must
have been a complete fool to let her get away with mat. He hadn’t known what he was missing. Which was just as
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