it, girl?” he said, turning to Rivers.
“Yes,” she answered shortly.
Rivers felt the hurt and humiliation deepening at the siblings’ light treatment of what she considered a very serious situation. Without a word, she turned and walked toward her room.
“Hey. Aren’t ya gonna say good night?” Paxton asked as he caught hold of her arm just outside her bedroom.
“Good night,” she snapped, wrenching her arm free of his grasp.
“Hold on. Hold on. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have teased ya that way. I just…” Paxton began in a hushed voice.
“Teased me? You weren’t teasing me. Don’t think I’m stupid enough to believe it was just a friendly teasing. Men. You’re all so…that’s what women are here for, aren’t we? For you to humiliate, to enable you to make yourselves feel superior and powerful?” Rivers accused in a whisper, glancing toward the kitchen to ensure that Jolee couldn’t hear her.
The frown capturing Paxton’s face was complete. Not just eyebrows and forehead, but also mouth, eyes, and jaw. Rivers was at once incredibly uncomfortable. Yet she wanted to reach up and entangle her fingers in the soft, sable-colored waves hanging at his forehead. She wanted his kiss on her mouth again. What had happened? The moments at the pond under the tree had changed things. She would never be able to leave him now.
“Yep. That’s it, all right,” he growled and, before she could think to escape, he pulled her brutally against his body and nearly smothered her with his hard, angry kiss.
Rivers knew he meant for it to hurt her—to make her feel as if he were using her mouth for the sheer pleasure of his own. Even so, something in his kiss thrilled her. She sensed it wasn’t fully as cruel as he intended it to be.
“You’re exactly right,” he growled after breaking from her. “In fact, since you’re on to me now…I guess I’ll have to satisfy my manly needs somewhere else.” He stormed across the hall to his own room, slamming the door behind him.
Rivers scolded herself as she climbed into bed. Jolee had told her weeks ago about Ruby. No doubt memories of her were the reasons Paxton took what Rivers had accused him of so fully to heart. Paxton was a tease! That’s all it was. He hadn’t meant to hurt her feelings out under the willow. He’d only been playing with her—a friendly flirtatious playfulness.
Rivers tossed and turned and was utterly guilt-ridden for at least an hour. Sleep evaded her guilty conscience to the point she was driven to put it to rest. Quietly she crept from her room and put her ear to the door of Paxton’s room across the way. A light shone from the crack at the bottom of the door, and she could hear his bed squeaking. She swallowed hard, mustering every bit of courage she could, and without knocking opened the door and entered his room.
“Before you throw me out…I’ve come to apologize,” she blurted out. “I…” She couldn’t finish her sentence as she looked up at him then. Paxton was sitting on the bed in nothing but a towel, having obviously just finished bathing.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she stammered. “I…I’ll come back later. I had no idea…”
“Naw. You go on ahead and say your piece now. We’ll both sleep better,” he grumbled, standing and walking toward her, gripping the towel firmly at his waist.
The surprise of finding him in such a state had swept all coherent thought from Rivers’s mind. What had she planned to say? It was gone—every word of it.
“Yeah? So?” Paxton coaxed as he stood directly in front of her.
There were still beads of water covering his chest, arms, and shoulders. As Rivers’s eyes wandered a fraction, she noted his stomach, too, was still damp. “I…um…” she still couldn’t organize her thinking into words.
“I’m sorry,” Paxton seemed to finish for her. “I was only teasing ya, Rivers,” he whispered as a grin broke across his handsome face.
“I know,” she said, casting
“Yes,” she answered shortly.
Rivers felt the hurt and humiliation deepening at the siblings’ light treatment of what she considered a very serious situation. Without a word, she turned and walked toward her room.
“Hey. Aren’t ya gonna say good night?” Paxton asked as he caught hold of her arm just outside her bedroom.
“Good night,” she snapped, wrenching her arm free of his grasp.
“Hold on. Hold on. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have teased ya that way. I just…” Paxton began in a hushed voice.
“Teased me? You weren’t teasing me. Don’t think I’m stupid enough to believe it was just a friendly teasing. Men. You’re all so…that’s what women are here for, aren’t we? For you to humiliate, to enable you to make yourselves feel superior and powerful?” Rivers accused in a whisper, glancing toward the kitchen to ensure that Jolee couldn’t hear her.
The frown capturing Paxton’s face was complete. Not just eyebrows and forehead, but also mouth, eyes, and jaw. Rivers was at once incredibly uncomfortable. Yet she wanted to reach up and entangle her fingers in the soft, sable-colored waves hanging at his forehead. She wanted his kiss on her mouth again. What had happened? The moments at the pond under the tree had changed things. She would never be able to leave him now.
“Yep. That’s it, all right,” he growled and, before she could think to escape, he pulled her brutally against his body and nearly smothered her with his hard, angry kiss.
Rivers knew he meant for it to hurt her—to make her feel as if he were using her mouth for the sheer pleasure of his own. Even so, something in his kiss thrilled her. She sensed it wasn’t fully as cruel as he intended it to be.
“You’re exactly right,” he growled after breaking from her. “In fact, since you’re on to me now…I guess I’ll have to satisfy my manly needs somewhere else.” He stormed across the hall to his own room, slamming the door behind him.
Rivers scolded herself as she climbed into bed. Jolee had told her weeks ago about Ruby. No doubt memories of her were the reasons Paxton took what Rivers had accused him of so fully to heart. Paxton was a tease! That’s all it was. He hadn’t meant to hurt her feelings out under the willow. He’d only been playing with her—a friendly flirtatious playfulness.
Rivers tossed and turned and was utterly guilt-ridden for at least an hour. Sleep evaded her guilty conscience to the point she was driven to put it to rest. Quietly she crept from her room and put her ear to the door of Paxton’s room across the way. A light shone from the crack at the bottom of the door, and she could hear his bed squeaking. She swallowed hard, mustering every bit of courage she could, and without knocking opened the door and entered his room.
“Before you throw me out…I’ve come to apologize,” she blurted out. “I…” She couldn’t finish her sentence as she looked up at him then. Paxton was sitting on the bed in nothing but a towel, having obviously just finished bathing.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she stammered. “I…I’ll come back later. I had no idea…”
“Naw. You go on ahead and say your piece now. We’ll both sleep better,” he grumbled, standing and walking toward her, gripping the towel firmly at his waist.
The surprise of finding him in such a state had swept all coherent thought from Rivers’s mind. What had she planned to say? It was gone—every word of it.
“Yeah? So?” Paxton coaxed as he stood directly in front of her.
There were still beads of water covering his chest, arms, and shoulders. As Rivers’s eyes wandered a fraction, she noted his stomach, too, was still damp. “I…um…” she still couldn’t organize her thinking into words.
“I’m sorry,” Paxton seemed to finish for her. “I was only teasing ya, Rivers,” he whispered as a grin broke across his handsome face.
“I know,” she said, casting
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