tongue had touched. His eyes closed in exaggerated ecstasy and his moan was a song that serenaded her longing.
This had to be the most wickedly wonderful thing she’d ever done with a man, for though she’d shared an intimacy with Irwin, it was over and done with so quickly she scarce knew what had happened.
With Reid Barclay she felt things she didn’t know it was possible to feel. Being with him, touching him, brought her body fully alive, as if she’d been sleeping all this time, waiting for him to come along.
Reid clearly exuded an animal prowess that beguiled her on a purely primitive level. She knew if she made love with him, she’d remember every second for as long as she lived.
At that moment, she realized she was stuck on an uncharted island. For all her knowledge of the goings on between a man and woman, she knew pitifully little about seduction.
But there was no doubt in her mind that Reid Barclay was trying his best to seduce her.
She focused on their disjointed conversation thus far, desperate to gain control of the situation. What had they been talking about? The pie. Dear God, yes.
“If you’re really that partial to molasses pie, I’ll bake you another one,” she said. “The next time the crust will be nicely browned and I’ll add a fluff topping to it.”
“Will you feed it to me, Miss Cade?”
She opened her mouth, but all that came out was a squeak. That had to be the most indecent thing he’d said yet.
Before she could rally her wits to tell him just that, his lips settled over hers. She was no stranger to kisses. Irwin had started out with frantic demanding ones, then dwindled to perfunctory pecks.
She’d never realized there was something else to savor. And she certainly savored this lazy stroking of tongues and glide of lips she was experiencing with Reid Barclay.
He tasted of rich sugar and brandy and delicious temptation, reminding her again of how very little she knew about men. Why, she’d thought he’d be demanding, taking what he desired without thought to her wants.
But he seemed in no hurry to do more than kiss and hold her. It was as if he knew what she’d hungered for all her life.
The gentle glide of his hands up her arms and down her sides, as if she was something rare and precious he was honoring. This unhurried melding of lips left her ravenous for more.
Their heated breaths mingled and chased off the chill of uncertainty.
Her spine, which had gone stiff with shock when their lips first touched, instinctively arched to put her closer to the heat radiating off him. He drew her closer, and she hadn’t realized he’d lifted her onto his lap until she felt the corded muscles in his legs bunch beneath her.
Against her hip, his erection reminded her of other delights they could share, successfully annihilating any resemblance of this necking to what she’d shared with Irwin.
For once in her life, she blocked out all thoughts of decorum and propriety and let herself enjoy this moment. Just once.
His mouth left hers to wander down her neck. She tipped her head back, giving him ample access, then realized that path led to danger.
“Please, we must stop this,” she said, and was torn between relief and disappointment when he heaved a sigh.
“Your moral fiber is stronger than mine, Miss Cade,” he said and rested his forehead against hers, his breath sawing hard and fast.
“Then I’m sorry for your fiancée.” She pulled away from him to break the contact that kept her mind muddled.
“So am I.”
Well, she couldn’t fault him for his honesty. She did wish he wouldn’t look at her so intently, for she was sure he was judging her unfairly by her actions thus far.
“I’m not one to take up with a man,” she said in her own defense. “Especially a stranger.”
“Didn’t reckon you was,” he said.
“Even if you weren’t affianced, I believe a man and woman need to get to know one another before making any type of a commitment. That of course takes time,” she said, and knew she was on the verge of rambling, but she couldn’t seem to stop it either. “You know nothing about me, and all I know of you is you raise horses, you’re from England, and you have a fondness for pie.”
“I stole one off a windowsill once when I was a boy,” he said.
That statement hung between them for the longest time.
“On a dare?” she asked, certain he’d done such a thing just to prove he could, for surely the privileged boy was given anything he whimpered for.
He gave a depreciating laugh. “Nope, my backbone was rubbing a hole in my belly.”
She stared into his eyes that were near black with some emotion she couldn’t name. Something dark and heart wrenching. Something that left scars of longing.
“Were you running away from home?”
He shook his head and gave another humorless laugh. “Hardly.”
He got to his feet, a muscle drumming in his cheek as he extended a hand to help her up. She took it, feeling his withdrawal even as the warmth of his big hand stole up her arm for that brief moment.
“You’ll hear soon enough,” he said. “I was born and raised in America, not England.”
“I didn’t realize that.”
But it explained so much. The lapses from cultured speech to rough cowboy lingo. So many questions filtered through her thoughts.
Ellie picked up the pie plate and scraped the burnt crust into the pail reserved for scraps, glad to have a few more seconds to gather her thoughts. She sensed there was far more to his story than he’d let on, but she was determined to start off on the right foot with him this time.
“Where do you hail from, Mr. Barclay?” she asked.
Silence answered her. She turned to find him gone.
Perhaps that was for the best.
No matter how attracted she was to Reid Barclay, the simple fact remained he was her employer, and an affianced gentleman. Though he’d certainly not let that deter him from making overtures with her just now.
As Miss Halsey advised in her manual, it was often left up to the lady to establish and maintain proper decorum. That was certainly the case here.
From here on out she’d do her job to the best of her ability, and when she had spare time, she intended to have a nice long chat with her pa.
She’d not do anything as reckless as falling into Reid Barclay’s arms again and proving she was a true wanton at heart. No matter how much she longed to do just that.
Chapter 5
With
