great satisfaction from turning you across my knee and smacking your backside. Pride is great but you’re carrying it in front of you like a shield. Put it down, Casey. There’s no room for pride between you and me.” His battered features took on a no-nonsense look and the thought passed through her mind that he would make a relentless enemy. He had powerful shoulders and arms. She wondered if at one time he had worked as a lumberjack.
His dark eyes roamed her face. She had known he was coming, but had made no attempt to beautify herself other than brush her hair. She had cut it a little shorter around her face, so that it fell forward over her bandaged ear and swirled low over her forehead to partially hide the deep red-puckered flesh.
“I’m sure your head is still in the Dark Ages, Lancelot, where women were beaten into submission when they refused to walk behind their lords .This is the twentieth century and I may be a damsel in distress , but I need no further help. There’s no reason for you to feel responsible for me. There’s no reason for us to quarrel. We’re strangers to each other and I think it’s better to keep it that way.”
The hard-edged line of his jaw and the sudden narrowing of his eyes warned her that he was angry and stopped her from saying anything else. She turned her head deliberately, giving him a view of her profile.
“That’s not true, Casey, and you know it, but I won’t argue the point now.” His voice rasped across her nerve ends like chalk on a blackboard. She couldn’t help the wave of apprehension that caused a shiver to travel the length of her spine. Strange, she thought, how the same voice could be so comforting one moment and so grating in its harshness the next. This was a very complex man.
His voice was dangerously soft, now. “I want to leave with a better feeling between us, but I can see you’re not going to let me do that.”
“So you’re finally getting the drift.” The silence that followed made her more ashamed of those words than any she had uttered in a long while. She had to apologize. It went against her nature to be rude and especially to this man regardless of how he worried her. “I’m sorry, Dan.” She turned tear-filled eyes in his direction, hating herself for not being able to hold them back. “Please … I’m trying hard to cope with this change in my life. It’s difficult for me to handle anything else.” She was proud ofher level voice. It in no way matched the erratic beat of her heart.
Warm fingertips caressed the side of her face and moved around her ear while dark eyes studied her.
“I understand how you feel, but it’ll be easier if you stop fighting me … and yourself. We won’t say any more about a relationship between us. I’ll be back a week from Wednesday to check you out of here.” Casey leaned her head against the back of the chair so she could look up at him. “Stand up, Casey,” he said half under his breath with his eyes intent on her flushed face. “I’d like to see you standing before I go.”
Casey found herself obeying mechanically. She felt weak in the knees, but stood with her eyes fastened on his face. She could feel the warmth of his body, far too close to hers, and the warmth of the telltale blood that rushed into her face. To hide it, she bent her head, and looked down at the hand that held hers. Firm fingers beneath her chin tilted her head upward and her eyes locked with his and drew all coherent thinking from her mind.
“I wanted to see you standing beside me,” he said softly. “What I really want to do is hold you in my arms, but I’m afraid I’ll hurt you.” She studied his face. It told her nothing except that he was fascinated by her expression. “Why are you surprised?”
Casey opened her mouth, but no sound cameout. She moistened her dry lips. She felt as if she were in a vacuum, being drawn toward him.
“You’re … taller than I thought you were,” she said.
“So are
His dark eyes roamed her face. She had known he was coming, but had made no attempt to beautify herself other than brush her hair. She had cut it a little shorter around her face, so that it fell forward over her bandaged ear and swirled low over her forehead to partially hide the deep red-puckered flesh.
“I’m sure your head is still in the Dark Ages, Lancelot, where women were beaten into submission when they refused to walk behind their lords .This is the twentieth century and I may be a damsel in distress , but I need no further help. There’s no reason for you to feel responsible for me. There’s no reason for us to quarrel. We’re strangers to each other and I think it’s better to keep it that way.”
The hard-edged line of his jaw and the sudden narrowing of his eyes warned her that he was angry and stopped her from saying anything else. She turned her head deliberately, giving him a view of her profile.
“That’s not true, Casey, and you know it, but I won’t argue the point now.” His voice rasped across her nerve ends like chalk on a blackboard. She couldn’t help the wave of apprehension that caused a shiver to travel the length of her spine. Strange, she thought, how the same voice could be so comforting one moment and so grating in its harshness the next. This was a very complex man.
His voice was dangerously soft, now. “I want to leave with a better feeling between us, but I can see you’re not going to let me do that.”
“So you’re finally getting the drift.” The silence that followed made her more ashamed of those words than any she had uttered in a long while. She had to apologize. It went against her nature to be rude and especially to this man regardless of how he worried her. “I’m sorry, Dan.” She turned tear-filled eyes in his direction, hating herself for not being able to hold them back. “Please … I’m trying hard to cope with this change in my life. It’s difficult for me to handle anything else.” She was proud ofher level voice. It in no way matched the erratic beat of her heart.
Warm fingertips caressed the side of her face and moved around her ear while dark eyes studied her.
“I understand how you feel, but it’ll be easier if you stop fighting me … and yourself. We won’t say any more about a relationship between us. I’ll be back a week from Wednesday to check you out of here.” Casey leaned her head against the back of the chair so she could look up at him. “Stand up, Casey,” he said half under his breath with his eyes intent on her flushed face. “I’d like to see you standing before I go.”
Casey found herself obeying mechanically. She felt weak in the knees, but stood with her eyes fastened on his face. She could feel the warmth of his body, far too close to hers, and the warmth of the telltale blood that rushed into her face. To hide it, she bent her head, and looked down at the hand that held hers. Firm fingers beneath her chin tilted her head upward and her eyes locked with his and drew all coherent thinking from her mind.
“I wanted to see you standing beside me,” he said softly. “What I really want to do is hold you in my arms, but I’m afraid I’ll hurt you.” She studied his face. It told her nothing except that he was fascinated by her expression. “Why are you surprised?”
Casey opened her mouth, but no sound cameout. She moistened her dry lips. She felt as if she were in a vacuum, being drawn toward him.
“You’re … taller than I thought you were,” she said.
“So are
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