foolproof and until she knew for certain, she couldn’t be with Hart. No matter how much she might desire it.
Who was this man? She thought she’d known him as a kindhearted man who would protect her and she could come to love slowly. But that heated kiss had shown her a different side of Hart. He might be kindhearted but he was a man who knew how to kiss a woman with enough passion to make her knees weak.
She had never expected to react to his kisses with such intensity. She took a step away from him needing to put a little distance between them.
“What’s wrong, Mia?”
“Nothing,” she said and turned away from him. She strolled toward the window and looked out at the rolling pastures of his estate. Was she truly a strumpet? A woman who could be with any man and feel desire? She had enjoyed her time with Paul, but it was never as passionate as one kiss from the earl. With Allan, it had never been right, which was why she had tried to break it off with him the day he beat her. That was when he became so incensed and demanded to know about the few pieces of gold she’d found. She should have never mentioned the gold to him.
“Mia?” He came up behind her. His warm breath tickled the back of her neck.
“Yes?” She wanted him to wrap his arms around her and press her against his hard chest. Protect her.
“I apologize for being so forward with that kiss. I should have been gentler.” He sighed. “Apparently, I am incapable of going slowly with you. So I am sorry.”
“I’m not,” she whispered.
“You’re not what?”
“Sorry or accepting your apology. I wanted to know if being married to you would be difficult as we became intimate.”
“And will it be difficult?”
She leaned her head against the window. “I don’t believe it shall be the least bit difficult.” Frightening, perhaps, to put her trust in a man built like a blacksmith. But if he was as kind as she believed, the intimate details of marriage would be most pleasant.
He drew a few tendrils of hair away from her neck. “Good,” he whispered and then leaned in to kiss the length of her neck.
Shivers ran through her as his lips touched her. Truly, things were moving far too fast. She had only been here a few days. “Simon?”
He pulled abruptly. “Simon? I have never heard you call me by my Christian name.”
“I apologize,” she said quickly.
“I am not. I far prefer you calling me Simon than Hart. My friends call me Hart. I want my betrothed to call me Simon.”
She smiled. “I am not your betrothed just yet.”
“But soon.”
“Yes. I believe I shall retire until dinner. Being out of bed has tired me more than I realized. When do you think we might begin my training?”
Confusion crossed his face, causing his brown brows to furrow. “Training?”
“On defending myself.”
“Of course, not until you are well healed.”
Mia frowned this time. “I would prefer to start sooner rather than later.”
He nodded. “Of course, I understand. We shall begin training with pistols tomorrow if you are up to it.”
She smiled up at him. “Thank you.”
“Of course.”
No man would ever attempt to hurt her again. If they did, she would be prepared to take action and would have no regrets.
Chapter 7
T he next few days started to follow a pattern. Simon would eat breakfast with Mia in the morning room, followed by an hour alone in his study of struggling with the estate books. He still hadn’t taken up her offer of looking over the books. Surely, a woman with no formal education could only muck up the numbers worse than him. After the estate business was finished, they would proceed outside to practice with the pistols.
Today was no different. Mia met him out in the field where they had a large target ready to aim at and two Manton pistols lay on a small table. Simon’s heart rushed when he noticed her walking toward him. Her brown muslin dress matched her eyes and made him smile.
She stared down at the pistols
Who was this man? She thought she’d known him as a kindhearted man who would protect her and she could come to love slowly. But that heated kiss had shown her a different side of Hart. He might be kindhearted but he was a man who knew how to kiss a woman with enough passion to make her knees weak.
She had never expected to react to his kisses with such intensity. She took a step away from him needing to put a little distance between them.
“What’s wrong, Mia?”
“Nothing,” she said and turned away from him. She strolled toward the window and looked out at the rolling pastures of his estate. Was she truly a strumpet? A woman who could be with any man and feel desire? She had enjoyed her time with Paul, but it was never as passionate as one kiss from the earl. With Allan, it had never been right, which was why she had tried to break it off with him the day he beat her. That was when he became so incensed and demanded to know about the few pieces of gold she’d found. She should have never mentioned the gold to him.
“Mia?” He came up behind her. His warm breath tickled the back of her neck.
“Yes?” She wanted him to wrap his arms around her and press her against his hard chest. Protect her.
“I apologize for being so forward with that kiss. I should have been gentler.” He sighed. “Apparently, I am incapable of going slowly with you. So I am sorry.”
“I’m not,” she whispered.
“You’re not what?”
“Sorry or accepting your apology. I wanted to know if being married to you would be difficult as we became intimate.”
“And will it be difficult?”
She leaned her head against the window. “I don’t believe it shall be the least bit difficult.” Frightening, perhaps, to put her trust in a man built like a blacksmith. But if he was as kind as she believed, the intimate details of marriage would be most pleasant.
He drew a few tendrils of hair away from her neck. “Good,” he whispered and then leaned in to kiss the length of her neck.
Shivers ran through her as his lips touched her. Truly, things were moving far too fast. She had only been here a few days. “Simon?”
He pulled abruptly. “Simon? I have never heard you call me by my Christian name.”
“I apologize,” she said quickly.
“I am not. I far prefer you calling me Simon than Hart. My friends call me Hart. I want my betrothed to call me Simon.”
She smiled. “I am not your betrothed just yet.”
“But soon.”
“Yes. I believe I shall retire until dinner. Being out of bed has tired me more than I realized. When do you think we might begin my training?”
Confusion crossed his face, causing his brown brows to furrow. “Training?”
“On defending myself.”
“Of course, not until you are well healed.”
Mia frowned this time. “I would prefer to start sooner rather than later.”
He nodded. “Of course, I understand. We shall begin training with pistols tomorrow if you are up to it.”
She smiled up at him. “Thank you.”
“Of course.”
No man would ever attempt to hurt her again. If they did, she would be prepared to take action and would have no regrets.
Chapter 7
T he next few days started to follow a pattern. Simon would eat breakfast with Mia in the morning room, followed by an hour alone in his study of struggling with the estate books. He still hadn’t taken up her offer of looking over the books. Surely, a woman with no formal education could only muck up the numbers worse than him. After the estate business was finished, they would proceed outside to practice with the pistols.
Today was no different. Mia met him out in the field where they had a large target ready to aim at and two Manton pistols lay on a small table. Simon’s heart rushed when he noticed her walking toward him. Her brown muslin dress matched her eyes and made him smile.
She stared down at the pistols
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