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"Aye"

Esme reached out and slid her hand over his shoulders and neck, the slick-shine of the oil glea her pal them back up his arain

The feel of his skin was like rough silk beneath her pal as she flickered her fingers over them A tease that made his breath catch Not quite immune to her then

Just not interested

She buried the pain and concentrated on stroking the smooth muscles of his neck To please him And, if she were honest with herself, to please herself She enjoyed touching him, however innocently She’d like to touch him not so innocently too To dip her hand beneath the water and wrap her strong fingers around his cock

Rip relaxed into her touch as Esme’s thu her fingers in, earning a grunt, and gently worked it Running her knuckles up his neck and down again

"You’ve got strong hands," he ainst her "God, that feels good"

"Mood Stolenher hands on hi her thuroaned as her fingers dug into his scalp, feeling the soft prickle of his hair His head fell back against her thigh, eyes closed in utter bliss as she kneaded with her fingers

He didn’t see the bubbles on the top of the water They vanished with alacrity until oil glea at what lurked beneath Esht thrilled her

He was not unaffected Not at all

Leaning down, Es and her heart thundering in her chest

Rip blinked sleepily "Thank you," heafter you," she replied, staring down into those beautiful eyes So close All she had to do was lean forward and press her lips to his…

"You do too ht to let us take care of you occasionally"

"I’m the housekeeper," she reminded him

"This ain’t part of your job"

Esers "Perhaps I like looking after you"

He looked up, green eyes serious "You ought to ain, Esive you babies Make you ‘appy"

The words took her by surprise Hurt flared again and she sat up straight, thoughts of kissing hi soht wouldn’t bother him at all If he had mentioned another woman she’d have been sick with jealousy

It only served to prove precisely how he saw her A friend Not a lover Not a… a potential wife Or consort No doubt the stirring of his body was si a woman touch him Not because he desired her in particular

Coldness trailed over her skin A dull, hollow feeling in the pit of her stoht feel so more for her But he didn’t Friends Always friends

"You’re right," she found herself ain"

Instead she’d waited for hi Her tiht She did want children Desperately And now she was al swiftly narrowing ahead of her

But the thought of taking another man to bed made her feel ill Whenever she’d dreareen eyes and black hair His eyes

Es The brutal realization that he didn’t want her – that he’d never want her - washed over her like ice water and she couldn’t help a shiver "I’ll leave you to get dressed," she murmured

Then she turned and hurriedly left the roo his cheeks as he cupped his hands and lit a cheroot If he cocked his head, he could hear the quiet ie, Lark and Charlie how to string popped corn and holly berries on thread for the tree Though her voice was soft enough to lull the children to sleep, it set hiht

He didn’t understand her Barely able to speak to hi in – whilst he was naked – and easing hi hiht – perhaps she should er itched under his skin, Es him A man’d almost think her presence in the washroom a proposition

Don’t be an idiot

She’d made it quite clear it wasn’t

Rip crushed the cheroot under his heel and tugged his coat tight, burying his hand in its warainst the shadowed arch of the doorway The cold was al, but it helped to clear his head Soht Make sure he understood as going on in herthat perhaps there washim hope there was more

Rip needed to talk to her, but with everyone underfoot, et her alone was a lesson in frustration

The door to the kitchen opened, heat and laughter spilling out Rip froze, sinking deeper into the shadows as the very object of his confusion stepped out into the yard, her boots crunching on the snow and her hands tucked up under her armpits Her thick black hair was knotted at her nape, the dark wings of her brows drawn into an intense frown Those translucent green eyes were distant however Blind to the world around her

Witchy eyes The first time they’d met his she’d put a spell on him, like a punch to the chest

Noas his chance Rip rocked onto the balls of his feet then froze as another pair of boots crunched into the slush Blade shut the kitchen door behind hi With his enhanced vision however, Rip could see them perfectly

And hear them

Blade had to knoas there Rip barely dared breathe<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>