[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
stomach, along with a thrill of pleasure that brought a shocked gasp from her mouth.
He lifted his head and looked into her wide, stunned eyes. Holding her gaze, he deliberately
moved her hips against his and felt her shudder with need.
As she struggled to speak, his gaze fell to her bodice. Gently, one lean hand came up to pull the
muslin down, baring the hard red peaks of her firm breasts to his eyes.
His breath caught. Oh, God, Claire! he whispered roughly. Desire for her overwhelmed him.
She had no idea what had caused him to look so violent. He sounded shocked, and the hands
gripping her waist were hurting her. What s wrong? she whispered shakily, because he looked as if
he were hurting.
Don t you know? He lifted dark eyes filled with heat and pain to meet hers.
She hung there, frightened, fascinated, with the sound of her heartbeat loud in her ears. She
wanted to ask him what she d done wrong, but as her lips parted to make the words, there was a
sudden loud knock at the door of their apartment.
John actually jerked, as if he d been hit. His hands contracted and suddenly let go. He moved
away from Claire as if it hurt him to walk. His movements were stiff and awkward as he went to the
apartment door and opened it just a crack.
Yes? he asked curtly.
Oh& Mr. Hawthorn& I didn t hear you come in& Mrs. Dobbs was flustered by the bite in his
voice. I wanted to tell you that I ve set the table in the formal dining room for you and Claire this
evening, as I m having some women friends in to play bridge and we ll be taking our meal in the
kitchen.
He seemed stuck for a reply. After a minute, he said, We could very easily have our meal up
here, so that it wouldn t inconvenience you.
I wouldn t hear of it, she said cheerfully. You both can come down whenever you re ready.
I ve made a cherry pie especially for Claire. I know how much she likes it.
She was gone with a wave of her hand.
John closed the door and leaned his head against it, fighting against the most powerful desire
he d felt since his youth. Claire didn t understand what she d done to him, and he was certain that he
didn t want to tell her just yet. He was still coping with the shock of it.
When he turned, she d redone her buttons and was picking up the underskirt from the floor. He
stared at her as if he hadn t ever seen her before. It stunned him that she had such an effect on him.
Perhaps it was the soft, helpless devotion and longing in those gray eyes that kindled his desire to
such a feverish pitch. Being loved was affecting, apparently. But what disturbed him most was that he
should feel such a powerful hunger for anyone other than Diane.
It must have been a fluke, he told himself as he moved toward the doorway, back in control now
and angry at her submission and his response to it.
She glanced toward his angry face and away again, still hot inside. You needn t look as if the
whole thing was my fault. I never held a gun to you to make you touch me. And I don t need your pity,
either, while we re on the subject. She was seething with humiliation. Her eyes sparked with temper.
I m not dying for your kisses, and I won t beg for them!
He recognized the hurt under the words. She was more vulnerable than any woman he d ever
known, but she was fiercely proud and didn t like people to see her weaknesses. He understood that
feeling.
It was a moment out of time, he said gently. He felt protective of her. Don t agonize over what
happened.
Nervous, she wrapped and unwrapped the underskirt in her hands.
Aren t you hungry? he asked after a pause. I hardly had time for lunch. Mrs. Dobbs made you
a cherry pie.
I like it.
He smiled indulgently. I know.
She averted her gaze and put the skirt down. I suppose it wouldn t hurt to eat something. She
looked in the mirror and grimaced at the way his hands had disarranged her hair into wild tangles, the
way his lips had made hers swollen. She groaned in sweet memory.
Claire, we re married, he emphasized, watching her carefully bundle her hair. People expect
us to act like it occasionally.
She lowered her gaze. You don t want to be married to me. You said so.
I also said that we might as well make the best of it, he added. A few kisses won t make you
pregnant, he teased wickedly.
John!
He enjoyed her scarlet blush. He enjoyed so much about her. His eyes glittered with sudden
intentness as he watched her complete her toilette. He d never given much thought to her place in his
life. He d been far too busy mourning Diane. But now, as he looked at Claire, he felt the first stirrings
of pride in possession. She belonged to him. She was innocent and kind and mischievous, and she
loved him. There had never been a man, because she wanted only him. It went to his head like wine.
Diane had flirted, withdrawn from him, in a game of love. Claire had no knowledge of such games.
She was completely honest and open with him, devoid of coquetry. How very different she was from
the sleek, experienced women who had walked through his life. For a moment, he wondered how it
might have been if he and Diane had never met, and he could have come to Claire heartwhole.
Perhaps he would have fallen in love with her.
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]