The goat? That puny little piece of ragged mohair had barreled into his backside like a two-ton truck?
Okay, he could see the humor here. And oncehe realized he was stretched out, full-body-contact on top of Christiana, he even considered giving the animal bonus feed.
She seemed to come to same realization, her laughter drying up abruptly.
“You okay? Did I hurt you?”
She shook her head, her eyes wide in the deepening gloom of evening.
And then, before he had time to think about it, it just sort of happened. His lips were on hers, his hands cradling either side of her face.
Her mouth was soft under his. Warm. Sweet. And when her lips parted he took full advantage, sweeping his tongue inside. The scent of mint and flowers drifted around them as if they lay in a summer field.
Her fingers tangled in his hair, holding him close, as her breath huffed in short, shallow pants.
He rolled to his back, kicking away the bench as he pulled her on top of him, praying she didn’t come to her senses and shove him away.
She straddled him and he knew immediately he’d made a serious tactical error. He’d been without the tender mercies of a woman for far too long to withstand such as this.
He wanted her. He wanted her here, now. He wanted her badly enough to take her on the hard, cold, dirt-packed floor of this filthy shed.
Thank the fates the goat had more gumption than he did. Its teeth nibbled at the side of his head,tugging on a clump of his hair until he returned to his senses and did the hardest thing he’d ever done.
“Good God,” he murmured, pulling his lips away from Christiana’s. “Good, holy God.” He couldn’t remember ever having lost his composure so thoroughly with a woman.
“My apologies,” she murmured, pushing up to sit, tucking the little pouch she wore on a string around her throat back inside the dangerously lowered neckline of her dress.
When had that happened?
She moved again and he grabbed her waist, holding her still.
“Wiggling on top of me is not the best idea at the moment. Not for either of us, I’m guessing. Just...be still. Just for a second. I need to...” He breathed through the moment, coming out the other side with his control and his pride intact. “Okay.”
“Should I move now?”
Her voice wavered with the question and he felt like steaming horse crap, positive that ladies of her station did not find themselves in situations such as this in this day and age.
“Yeah. Yes. Move,” he agreed, remembering her injuries only as she attempted to untangle her leg from the cloth of her cloak. What an insensitive jerk he was. “Do you need help?”
“It seems as though the ends of my cloak may be caught beneath your...um...bottom.”
He rolled up to sit as she pulled on the cloth, very nearly sending herself sprawling, but he captured her within his embrace for a second time, somehow pulling her close in the process.
Heat rolled off her cheek onto his. Whether she blushed from embarrassment or excitement he couldn’t be sure, but his ego reigned in the moment and he decided to consider it a good sign.
He stood, pulling her up to her feet to stand next to him before he bent to right the bench for her to once again be seated while he finished spreading feed for the animals.
Homer first, of course. If nothing else, Chase was a quick learner.
EVERY NERVE INChristiana’s body tingled with excitement. And her heart! By the Norns, it beat as though it intended to escape her very chest.
Oh, but what Chase must think of her! Her face heated even more, if that were possible. She’d acted like a common strumpet, straddling him as she had, seating herself upon his manhood.
The excitement trilled through her body again, pooling low in her stomach, and she knew without a doubt that no matter what he thought of her, given the opportunity she would do exactly the same again. This would remain in her memory as perhaps the best day in her entire life.
“Okay,” he said, in his unique way of speaking. “I think that’s all of them.”
He dusted his hands against the side of his plaid as he approached her, not stopping until he towered over her. When he reached out a hand to help her stand, she found herself wanting him to take her in his arms as he had before.
