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“Loony tunes? What do ye mean? Is that an American expression? Och aye, no doubt ye mean ye think we are mad?” He sighed. “If so then we canna be held responsible for our actions then,” he said glibly. “Yer accent, lass, American I know, but the words ye use…very unusual.”
She realized her modern tongue was going to get her into trouble. She would have to choose her words more wisely. She tried to ignore his remark for the moment and return to the problem at hand, “Your logic, is illogical,” she waved this off. “It doesn’t matter whether or not you feel responsible, I am supposed to be met by someone in Dover and not all of us are in a position to make other arrangements when we are virtually kidnapped and detoured from our destination!”
“Och, lass, do I look the sort that would leave a woman I inconvenienced by someone in my party, to fend for herself?”
“Well, since you and your friends are the sort to take over a coach without concern for the passengers, yes, yes, yes, you do look the sort. You have the ‘devil-may-care’ written all over you,” she answered him irritably.
“Right then, my bonnie lass, let me show ye what such a man, a ‘devil-may-care’ man would do when a beauty such as yourself is alone in his company,” he said on a low husky note, the blue of his eyes deepening so that for a moment, Exerilla could only stare into them. Something about those eyes seemed…otherworldly. She was being fanciful she knew and shoved such a notion away.
His arms crushed her, yet, it didn’t hurt. His mouth expertly found her lips and parted them with his own, and suddenly, she felt overtaken. Suddenly she was traveling to another Realm, one of stardust and flowers of every color.
She was with him; in another universe where everything was dark and light and all that mattered were his lips on hers. His tongue teased as it entered and she knew she should kick and push and shove. She was aroused beyond any experience or expectation she had ever had in her life. She wanted to hold onto to him, and taste him forever.
His deft handling of her was sensuous and exhilarating. It took tremendous effort on her part to try and make him stop. She did not succeed, but caved to the sensation he made blossom inside of her. It was as though a clear white light engulfed her and whispered for her to kiss him back. Before she knew what she was doing, she was doing just that.
She was startled by her wild uncontrollable reaction to him and that got through to her and brought her back to earth. She wasn’t the sort that jumped into such things, but here she was shaken by a kiss!
Stop it, she told herself, as she attempted to regain control of her wayward hormones. What was happening? She tried —to think logically, is it because he is from another century, and he is the ultimate playboy who takes and runs, and he is human…he will die of old age and you will not. Stop! That thought is what finally got through and sobered her.
Okay, a girl from this time would display outrage and rake him down. She summed up the ability as she tried to yank away from that all consuming kiss.
She found he immediately released her when she pulled away. She had thought she might have to struggle. She said with sufficient temper, “How dare you!”
“I dare like this,” he whispered and proceeded to slip his arms around her again.
She shuffled away from him on the seat and was immediately jostled to the narrow floor. He reached for her, helped her up and maintained a hand around her waist. She pushed at his fingers and said, “Unhand me, sir.”
He laughed and said, “Do you prefer the floor to my touch?”
“I think you know you have offered me insult, and it is true, I am unprotected, without even a ladies’ maid. That does not mean I am not gently-born or gently bred and even if I weren’t, is that how you conduct yourself with unprotected females?”
She glared at him as he took his time and studied her as though she were in a glass bottle. What the heck was he doing?
Then he asked, “Who the devil are ye, lass?”
His hand was still holding her steady against the ride, but the coach was slowly turning into a courtyard. She put up her brow and answered, chin high, “I am Exerilla Radley, I was sent to stay with my er…late father’s friends,” she paused, distressed with herself for lying, but she had no choice. While she was here in this century she had a part to play. She swallowed and continued, “Their circumstances were complicated and they had no choice but to send me off to their relatives for the time being.” She eyed him as her brows drew together.
His face and eyes appeared to sober, he reached for and gently stroked her cheek. His voice seemed sincere as he said, “Ah, I am sorry for yer loss, sweet lass. Have ye no living relatives in America, then?”
She shook her head and looked away. Lying was something she had never enjoyed. She had to hide the fact that she was a white witch from her friends, but she rarely had to tell ‘out and outers’ or live a lie like this. This was a biggy and for some strange reason, lying to him made her feel queasy inside.
He said, “Brave lass.” And then as though trying to change the mood, his tone was laced with a tease, once again, “Right then, m’darlin’, as I told ye, I am Lord Hunter MacTorry and I shall not allow any harm to come to ye. I am putting m’self at yer feet and in yer service.” He spoke as though to a child.
She made a face like one and said, “Well, you have offered me insult and…”
He frowned, “Insult was not intended.” He reached to stroke her cheek.
She slapped his hand away, and he grinned before he set his blue eyes alight with playfulness, “Aye then, what is it lass, have ye a beau in the wings that might wish to call me out in the morning? Shall I give ye m’card to give to him?”
“I wish I did,” she snapped at him.
He laughed and eyed her, “I doona believe that ye haven’t a beau. Ye are too beautiful, or do ye frown them all away?”
She frowned at him, “Is it working?”
He laughed, “Aye then, I think I have yer measure. Ye wouldna let any other call me out, would ye? No, ye would call me out yerself before ye set anyone to do it fer ye.”
She couldn’t stop the smile that instantaneously curved her lips, “You got that right.” Oops, she thought again. Modern slang won’t do.
