Velvet Embrace by Nicole Jordan Page A

totally dumbfounded when Dominic reached out to lift a lock of her hair from where it lay curled on her breast. "You look a little absurd, standing there all covered with snow," he murmured. "Perhaps you have aspirations to become a snow fairy?" He let the curl drop, watching with a speculative gleam as it caught the fire of the sun.
    Brie resisted the urge to slap his handsome face. She was suddenly uncomfortable with his closeness, with the way his penetrating glance lingered on the swell of her breasts. She turned from him abruptly, looking for her lost cap. Adopting her haughtiest tone, she flung over her shoulder, "You, Lord Stanton, are also guilty of a breach of manners. A gentleman does not argue with a lady, nor does he call her absurd."
    Dominic's slow chuckle rumbled deep in his chest. "Lady?" he repeated, his voice heavy with satire. "Is that what you are, chérie ?"
    Brie's cheeks flushed with hot anger, but she continued searching through the snow until she heard Dominic ask if she were perhaps looking for something. When she saw that he held her cap and was waving it gently in the air, she silently voiced an oath and marched up to him, bristling with fury.
    Tauntingly, Dominic held the cap out of her range. "Oh no, my lady. You must allow me the honor of rendering such a small service."
    Brie glared, her soft mouth set mutinously, but she remained silent, thinking he would put the hat on her head and be done with it. He bewildered her by commanding her to turn around. "I beg your pardon?" she asked, knitting her brows.
    "I said turn," Dominic ordered, an odd gleam of amusement warming his eyes.
    Brie stared at him uncertainly. But when he grasped her by the elbow, her resentment flared. "Damn you, unhand me!" Giving a jerk, she tried to free herself, but she found she had miscalculated Dominic's strength. She stumbled and would have fallen but for the supporting arm he wrapped around her waist. Startled by the sudden contact with his hard body, she reacted instinctively and drew back her hand to deliver a stinging blow.
    Dominic caught her wrist easily, holding it in an iron grip. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, chérie . You would not like the consequences."
    His tone was deadly calm, and when Brie's flashing eyes clashed with his chilling gaze, her words of protest at his barbaric treatment lodged in her throat. Her frozen breath mingled with Dominic's as she stared up at him. Curiously, she could feel her defiance retreating under the hard intensity of his gaze.
    Her ebbing anger quickly turned to dismay when Dominic shifted his position and captured both her wrists in one hand. His eyes were half hidden by bold, black lashes, but Brie could see charcoal flecks floating in the gray depths, plus a smoldering gleam that was both predatory and sensual. Reading his look, she attempted to pull away. But his grip merely tightened. When his gaze settled on her mouth, her heartbeat quickened in panic.
    Frightened, Brie began to fight him, kicking furiously at his shins since her hands were imprisoned in his grasp. Only Dominic's lightning reactions saved him from her vicious resistance. When her booted foot harmlessly flailed air, Brie exerted all her might in a frenzied attack.
    She fought wildly, to no avail. Dominic's strong arms wrapped about her, catching her close against his broad, hard chest. "Be still, my little wildcat," he murmured as she squirmed in his embrace. "I was only attempting to brush the snow from your hair."
    Realizing she had no hope of winning against Dominic's superior strength, Brie ceased her struggle. She stood trembling in his arms, her breath coming in deep gasps, her heart beating in slow, painful strokes. Tears of anger and humiliation stung her eyes as she cursed her own stupidity. She was alone with Stanton, miles from any form of help, and she had lashed out at him without considering the consequences. Brie bit her lip, wondering what he planned to do with her.
    He didn't seem