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“Three new trainers, new equipment, Belvis, repair of the paddocks—”
“I see,” he said interrupting her. He turned away from her and pretended a concentrated study of a saddle. “Did you know,” he said thoughtfully, “that a woman shouldn’t hunt?”
She frowned at that, ready to take exception to his ridiculous male pronouncement.
“A sidesaddle allows no control,” he continued. “A woman can’t bring her legs to bear, she is effectively controlled herself, not the horse. It is dangerous, as a matter of fact.”
“I hunt and I have never before used a sidesaddle. My father wouldn’t allow it.”
He raised his head and smiled at her, just a bit. “Odd, isn’t it, that that doesn’t surprise me. At least now, knowing you as you really are, it doesn’t surprise me.”
“Hawk, what will you do?”
The wind was out of her sails now, he thought vaguely. He disliked the pleading tone in her voice. “My sister, Beatrice, is a smashing rider, at least she was in the old days. She refused to use a sidesaddle after she’d been tossed in a hunt. It was she who pointed out the danger of them to me. I couldn’t have been more than ten years old at the time.”
“Hawk—”
“Of course, my father, being of the older generation, raised a bit of a ruckus, but Nevil talked him around.”
“Hawk—”
He turned full face toward her. “Very well, let us return to the business at hand. Why are you still here? I told you to speak to Belvis. His services are not required.”
All thoughts of conciliation fled her mind and she saw red. “You ... you bastard!” She grabbed up the unmended saddle and heaved it at him. It landed short, and Hawk simply stared down at the saddle, then at his wife.
He laughed. “I am fortunate that women are not allowed in the army. Had you been firing the cannon, the enemy would have been toasting you with champagne.”
She looked madly about for something else to hurl at him. “You also wrecked your own protective castle wall, didn’t you? Not, of course, that I couldn’t have easily scaled that saddle to get to you, but now you are saving me energy.” He strode toward her, and Frances, seeing the gleam in his green eyes, turning them brilliant as emeralds, tried to dart around him. He caught her arm and jerked her against him.
“Now,” he said, holding her firmly, “what will you give me, wife, to keep Belvis here and your precious project intact?”
She opened her mouth to yell at him, and in the next instant his mouth covered hers. It was the first time he had kissed her and it was a revelation. Her lips were soft, parted, her breath sweet and warm. He felt her struggling wildly against him, but he didn’t want to release her. He gentled his kiss, his tongue lightly stroking her lower lip. He allowed his tongue to enter her mouth, only to retreat with great rapidity as her teeth bit down.
His desire for her was powerful even though he realized she would willingly have removed the tip of his tongue had he not been quicker. He continued kissing her until she finally quieted. He raised his head and stared down at her. “Have you never been kissed before, Frances?” he asked quietly.
“No, damn you! I don’t like it. It’s wet and disgusting and degrading—”
He kissed her again, drew away, and pressed his hand against the back of her head, drawing her cheek to his shoulder. He simply held her like that, listening to her harsh breathing. He released her and she jumped back, swiping the back of her hand across her mouth.
“Shouldn’t you speak to Belvis, my dear?” he said.
Her hand dropped. “No! You can’t, Hawk, you—”
“And, Frances, you will accustom yourself to my kissing you. Tonight, I fully intend to kiss every inch of you.” -
She stared at him aghast, all thoughts of the stud fleeing her mind. “You can’t! It’s ... impossible!”
“No, it isn’t, I promise you.”
“I don’t want you to! Hawk, I swear that I won’t fight you again, or ... hide. I will lie quietly and allow you to ... well, you can do as you wish.”
“And very quickly? In the dark? Without touching you or caressing you?”
“Why would you want to? You want your precious heir, that is all! Why do you want to torment me? I didn’t trap you into marriage, my lord! I wanted nothing to do with you.”
“And you still don’t, is that right?”
“No—I mean yes, I don’t want you!”
