Rachel Carrington by Choices Page A

found herself wanting to clamp his hand against the dampness between her thighs.
    Then Sinclair released her and with a sexy grin, murmured, “Goodnight, Carla.”
    She didn’t know what to say. She turned and walked away, her feet becoming sluggish as they carried her back down the hallway to the dark bedroom. A room that held no warmth even was it furnished with a blazing furnace. Although her bedroom in the twenty-first century had available heat, she couldn’t say that it was any more inviting than this one. She was still going to bed alone and for the first time in a very long time, longer than she could even remember, another option almost destroyed her willpower.
    She paused to consider that option, her heart beating rapidly within her breast. What type of lover would Sinclair be? Would he take his time, enjoying every inch of her body and allowing her to discover his or would he rip the clothes from her body and feast on her skin much like a hungry wolf? She dropped her head against the wall outside the bedchamber and drew in a deep, almost painful breath. She didn’t know what was happening to her. She couldn’t explain the feelings swamping her.
    She wanted a man she’d just met. And he wanted her.
    Why then, did she feel this clawing need to fight the sensations storming her soul?

Chapter Three
    Heath Castle had its charming moments in the light of day, but at night, when darkness settled over the four-story structure, sounds and shadows escaped from the sunlight’s grasp. And Carla heard and saw every one of them from the very first thump on the stairs to the last shadow that crawled across the wall of the bedchamber she occupied. So to say she had obtained a better night’s sleep than the night before would have been a gross overstatement. She was tired, cranky and bone weary when Nettie knocked on her door bright and early.
    “Good morning, Miss. Did you have a good night’s sleep?”
    “No.” Honesty had always been a rule in Carla’s life. Perhaps because her father didn’t hesitate to bend the truth to suit his needs. “I’m not comfortable here.”
    Nettie’s cheerful countenance dimmed somewhat. “Oh, but that will come in time, I’m sure. What was it that kept you awake?”
    “You name it and I heard it or saw it.”
    Nettie chuckled despite Carla’s obvious distress. “Nothing or no one can enter the castle without admittance, Miss. The drawbridge is raised every night and is not lowered again until the morning hour.
    We have sentries guarding every entrance and they are well armed. You are quite safe here, I can assure you.”

    “Maybe so, but until I figure that out for myself, I can just look forward to a lot of sleepless nights.”
    Nettie placed a tray of tea and biscuits on the small bedside table. “And how do you plan on figuring things out for yourself then?”
    “I’ve already told you that I have no intention of staying in Heath Castle for the rest of my life, but I doubt I’m going to find the answer in one day. So—” Carla slung the blankets to one side, “—along the way, I’ll just discover any secrets this house holds.”
    Nettie’s face took on a worried expression. “Mayhap you are trying too hard, love.”
    Carla fixed the housekeeper with a disgusted look. “Really? How else am I supposed to find my way home?”
    Nettie fidgeted with the hem of her apron and looked over her shoulder, looking for an escape. “Have you considered you are not supposed to leave us?”
    Carla didn’t bother responding. She pressed her feet to the floor and instantly regretted the motion.
    “Damn, that’s cold!” She whisked her feet back beneath the quilts, ignoring the housekeeper’s horrified expression. “I know, I know. My language is not suitable for a lady, but here’s a newsflash for you and your Duke. I am not a lady of the nineteenth century. I am a woman of the twenty-first century and we don’t always hold our tongues.”
    “Perhaps that is a