enter one of the four Inns of Court and find willing pupilmasters. I was accepted into Lincoln’s Inn. After I became a barrister, I joined the chambers of my colleagues whom you met today. I was quite successful and had no need to ever request anything from my family again.”
Never had she suspected he was a self-made man. She assumed all of the nobility were handed a fortune and never had to toil a day in their lives.
“Why do you insist on reclaiming Wyndmoor Manor? If you have no fond feelings for your family, then why on earth would you seek to reclaim the country estate?” Bella asked.
“It was the only place the old duke treated me as his son. I know the land like the back of my hand. I feel at home here. Can you say the same?”
She looked at the stream, the twin swans, and the peacefulness of the landscape. “Yes, I feel safe here.”
They sat in silence, observing the view; then he rose to his feet and offered her his hand.
She placed her hand in his and felt the warmth of his fingers as they wrapped around hers. Slowly he pulled her to her feet.
A wan shaft of sun struck his hair and it gleamed like ebony. His strong features held a certain sensuality that she now realized was not entirely arrogance, but pride.
Nervous beneath his steady gaze, she lowered her eyes to the stone he still held in his hand. “How do you manage to throw the stones so far?”
He looked surprised, then laughed. “It’s simple. You need to find a flat stone, preferably one with a smooth surface.”
He reached down and plucked another stone from the bank, then showed her how to hold it. Standing behind her, he held her arm and imitated the proper throwing motion. She felt a tremor as the front of his body grazed the back of hers.
He leaned down until his mouth was close to her ear. “You try now. Throw the stone.”
Her flesh prickled at the nearness of his touch, and she raised her arm to throw. The stone bounced off the water’s surface once before sinking. “Yours bounced four times!”
“It takes practice. I used to come here as a boy, skipping stones for hours.”
She made several more attempts, succeeding in bouncing the stone twice. “I don’t believe I shall ever be able to compete with you.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized they may be incorrectly interpreted to imply their property battle ahead.
He turned her by the shoulders, and she was suddenly looking into his indigo eyes.
“I didn’t mean it that way,” she said softly.
His gaze searched hers before dropping to her lips. “I know.”
“I should head back.”
His eyes darkened, and he reached out to cup the side of her face with his hand. “No,” he said softly. “Not yet, Bella.”
Whatever rational thought she had flew from her mind as his head slowly lowered. Then his mouth covered hers in a kiss as tender and light as a summer breeze. For several heartbeats he simply shared her breath. Then his lips brushed hers, back and forth, and he traced her full bottom lip with the sweep of his tongue. Her response was shameless, instant and total. A wild surge of pleasure spiraled through her.
Her lips parted of their own accord, and his tongue slid into her mouth. His kiss was skilled and seductive, coaxing and encouraging her response. Tentative at first, she met his tongue with her own, and her heart fluttered wildly in her breast. Then his kiss changed, became more demanding. He turned her head to one side as he plundered her mouth, sending fire through every nerve in her body.
Never had she been kissed like this by a man. Her experience was limited to Roger, and he had been demanding and hurtful. His affections had been a brutal performance of dominance. He had never been concerned for her pleasure, only her capitulation. She had learned early on to tamp down her defiance, or he would prolong his torment.
But James. He didn’t touch her with anything but his lips and the hand cradling her face. She was free to step away should she wish to. Only she did not.
For the first time in her life, she felt true lust. It was a heady emotion, a dangerous weapon in this battle of wills. A small warning voice cried out in the back of her mind that if she allowed him to treat her like a common dalliance she would lose whatever footing she had at Wyndmoor Manor. Yet, this rising passion could not be denied. How could a kiss be this potent, trigger such primitive yearnings?
Leaning forward an inch, she brushed against the harness of his chest, felt the warmth of his body, and inhaled the alluring scent of his cologne, sandalwood and cloves.
A groan rumbled from deep in his throat. His lifted his head, his dark eyebrows slanted in a frown, and looked down at her.
“I hadn’t expected that,” he said.
“The kiss?”
“No, your response.”
Enthralled by the gleam of desire she saw in his eyes, she tried to still the wild pounding of her heart. “It was a mistake.”
He laughed hoarsely. “Living together is a mistake, but neither of us is inclined to change our minds, are we?”
She shook her head.
He sighed, then reached for his jacket. “Shall we go back, then?”
He waited for her to pick up her discarded wildflowers, and they headed back to the house in silence.
Bella’s brain was in tumult as she hurried to keep pace with his long stride. What had come over her? Not only had she allowed him the liberty of a kiss, she had enjoyed it. The Duke of Blackwood was a complex man, and the fervent passion she had experienced in his arms alternately thrilled and frightened her. This attraction, this lust was entirely new—a first for Bella—exciting, yes, but also utterly dangerous.
He stopped to help her over a fallen log, and his fingers grasped hers. Their eyes locked, their breathing came in unison, and the tingling in the pit of her stomach was quick to return. She must avoid being alone with him in the days to come, but how could she accomplish such a task when they shared a residence?
She was still contemplating the question when they approached the stables, and a boy with bright red hair and a gap-toothed smile waved and called out for Blackwood.
“Coates mentioned the lad is your stable boy,” Bella said.
“Bobby may only be twelve years old, but he’s quick, intelligent and exceptional with the horses. He keeps an immaculate stable, and he will care for your mare as well as my horses. Anything you require in the stables, you have only to ask.”
“I shall keep that in mind, Your Grace.”
He stopped and looked down at her. “It’s James, remember?” he said, with a grin.
Her heart gave a little lurch.
He bowed. “The boy needs to speak with me. Until another time?”
She bobbed a quick curtsy and fled to the house.
