had so nearly interrupted as she shifted sideways and then stepped completely away from the heat and seduction of Lucan’s body so close to her own.
Once across the kitchen she was at least able to breathe more easily—even managing to give a strained smile to the obviously uncomfortable, but also slightly curious, John Barton.
‘Has it started snowing again…?’ She gave a dismayed frown as she saw the droplets of moisture on his sandy-coloured hair.
‘I’m afraid so.’ He shrugged, with another awkward glance in Lucan’s direction.
Lucan straightened abruptly, only the glittering black onyx of his eyes revealing—to Lexie, at least—his displeasure at the other man’s untimely interruption.
Or perhaps that displeasure was levelled at Lexie?
His firmly clenched jaw and those cold dark eyes, as he turned to look directly at her, certainly didn’t give the impression that she had escaped Lucan’s displeasure. A fact that instantly raised Lexie’s hackles.
Damn it,
she
wasn’t the one who had initiated the intimacy between them. The one who had tried to seduce her with a touch. Who would have kissed her—probably more than kissed her—if John Barton hadn’t interrupted them!
‘I suggest we go to my study and talk, John,’ Lucan stated coldly as he saw the angry sparkle building in Lexie’s expressive eyes. ‘Lexie informs me she wants to get back to London as soon as possible,’ he added, having noted the look of dismay on Lexie’s face when she had realised it was snowing again, and the possibility of delaying their departure. Something she obviously wasn’t too happy about.
Lucan couldn’t say he was exactly happy at the thought of staying on here with Lexie any longer, either.
He had thought when he’d insisted on bringing her here that she would be a diversion—a way for him to be at Mulberry Hall without his usual feelings of aversion. Instead, Lexie had made him forget all caution, all those barriers Lucan had so carefully placed about his emotions over the years. To the point where all he could think about now was touching her again, kissing her, making love to her.
If John hadn’t arrived when he had—
‘I merely commented that if we didn’t want to get snowed in then we should probably leave sometime today.’ She looked across at him challengingly.
Lucan glanced out of the window. He could see that the snow was falling heavily again. ‘I think it may already be too late for that…’
Lexie glanced out of the kitchen window, too, her heart sinking as she saw the huge flakes of snow falling delicately past the window. Her eyes narrowed accusingly as she turned back to Lucan. ‘If we had left when I first suggested it—’
‘Then we would be out in the middle of it right now,’ Lucan reasoned impatiently. ‘I have no doubt that the motorways will have been kept clear, but I very much doubt the small country roads we’d have to travel on first will have received the same treatment.’
He was right, of course, Lexie acknowledged heavily. As usual.
She straightened. ‘I’ll leave the two of you to have your talk—’
‘You need to eat some lunch first,’ Lucan cut in firmly.
Lexie’s cheeks warmed at having John Barton witness this exchange. ‘I’m really not hungry—’
‘You need to stay here and eat,’ Lucan insisted.
What Lexie needed and what she wanted were two entirely different things.
She might possibly need to eat something, but what she wanted was to get as far away from Lucan as it was possible for her to be. But, as Lucan had already pointed out to her once today, ‘I want’ didn’t always get.
‘Fine,’ she managed tautly, hoping that Lucan had picked up on her tone, and the warning in the glance she gave him. Otherwise—John Barton’s presence or not—she was going to be forced into saying something they might all regret.
The younger man gave her a rueful smile. ‘Cathy’s longing to come over and say hello.’
‘Oh?’
Once across the kitchen she was at least able to breathe more easily—even managing to give a strained smile to the obviously uncomfortable, but also slightly curious, John Barton.
‘Has it started snowing again…?’ She gave a dismayed frown as she saw the droplets of moisture on his sandy-coloured hair.
‘I’m afraid so.’ He shrugged, with another awkward glance in Lucan’s direction.
Lucan straightened abruptly, only the glittering black onyx of his eyes revealing—to Lexie, at least—his displeasure at the other man’s untimely interruption.
Or perhaps that displeasure was levelled at Lexie?
His firmly clenched jaw and those cold dark eyes, as he turned to look directly at her, certainly didn’t give the impression that she had escaped Lucan’s displeasure. A fact that instantly raised Lexie’s hackles.
Damn it,
she
wasn’t the one who had initiated the intimacy between them. The one who had tried to seduce her with a touch. Who would have kissed her—probably more than kissed her—if John Barton hadn’t interrupted them!
‘I suggest we go to my study and talk, John,’ Lucan stated coldly as he saw the angry sparkle building in Lexie’s expressive eyes. ‘Lexie informs me she wants to get back to London as soon as possible,’ he added, having noted the look of dismay on Lexie’s face when she had realised it was snowing again, and the possibility of delaying their departure. Something she obviously wasn’t too happy about.
Lucan couldn’t say he was exactly happy at the thought of staying on here with Lexie any longer, either.
He had thought when he’d insisted on bringing her here that she would be a diversion—a way for him to be at Mulberry Hall without his usual feelings of aversion. Instead, Lexie had made him forget all caution, all those barriers Lucan had so carefully placed about his emotions over the years. To the point where all he could think about now was touching her again, kissing her, making love to her.
If John hadn’t arrived when he had—
‘I merely commented that if we didn’t want to get snowed in then we should probably leave sometime today.’ She looked across at him challengingly.
Lucan glanced out of the window. He could see that the snow was falling heavily again. ‘I think it may already be too late for that…’
Lexie glanced out of the kitchen window, too, her heart sinking as she saw the huge flakes of snow falling delicately past the window. Her eyes narrowed accusingly as she turned back to Lucan. ‘If we had left when I first suggested it—’
‘Then we would be out in the middle of it right now,’ Lucan reasoned impatiently. ‘I have no doubt that the motorways will have been kept clear, but I very much doubt the small country roads we’d have to travel on first will have received the same treatment.’
He was right, of course, Lexie acknowledged heavily. As usual.
She straightened. ‘I’ll leave the two of you to have your talk—’
‘You need to eat some lunch first,’ Lucan cut in firmly.
Lexie’s cheeks warmed at having John Barton witness this exchange. ‘I’m really not hungry—’
‘You need to stay here and eat,’ Lucan insisted.
What Lexie needed and what she wanted were two entirely different things.
She might possibly need to eat something, but what she wanted was to get as far away from Lucan as it was possible for her to be. But, as Lucan had already pointed out to her once today, ‘I want’ didn’t always get.
‘Fine,’ she managed tautly, hoping that Lucan had picked up on her tone, and the warning in the glance she gave him. Otherwise—John Barton’s presence or not—she was going to be forced into saying something they might all regret.
The younger man gave her a rueful smile. ‘Cathy’s longing to come over and say hello.’
‘Oh?’
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