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"You look half dead from malnourishment," Leo went on with a scowl "What’s the ?"
"Ra a boundary had been crossed
Catherine shot up frolared at Leo "You’re a bully, and a hypocrite, and you have no right to criticize ht phrase "Bugger you!" And she storrily
Merripen and Win watched with open mouths
"Where did you learn that word?" Leo demanded, hard on her heels
"From you," she said vehemently over her shoulder
"Do you even knohat it means?"
"No, and I don’t care Stay away froh the house, and Leo went after her, it occurred to hiument with her, any kind of interaction
She went outside and partway around the house, and soon they found theent with the smell of sun-warmed herbs
"Marks," he said in exasperation "I’ll chase you through the parsley if you insist, but we ht here"
She whirled to face hi to discuss You’ve hardly said a word to me in days, and then you make offensive personal remarks--"
"I didn’t mean to be offensive I merely said--"
"I am not scrawny, you despicable oaf! Am I less than a person to you, that you dare to treat me with such contempt? You are the most--"
"I’ hard
"I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way," Leo said gruffly "And you are not less than a person toI care about I would be angry with anyone who didn’t treat you well--which in this case happens to be you You’re not taking care of yourself"
"Neither are you"
Leo parted his lips to reply, but he couldn’t think of an effective rebuttal He opened and closed his ain
"Every day you work yourself into exhaustion," Catherine said "You’ve dropped half a stone, at least"
"The new farn and i trenches and move rocks"
"Yes, I do"
"Why?"
Leo stared at her, considering whether or not to tell her the truth He decided to be blunt "Because working to the point of exhaustion is the only way I can keep froave hilance Her mouth opened and closed in the same way his had just a moment earlier
Leo stared back at her with a er deny that he found nothing in the worldnear her Cantankerous, stubborn, fascinating creature … completely unlike his past lovers And at times like this, she had all the cuddlesoed him, met him as an equal, in a way that no other woman ever had He wanted her beyond reason
"You couldn’t seduce me," Catherine said testily
They were both azes locked
"You deny the attraction between us?" Leo’s voice was pitched deeper than usual He saw a shiver run through her before she set her jaw in determination
"I deny that one’s rational will can be undermined by physical sensation," she said "One’s brain is always in charge"
Leo couldn’t prevent thesmile that rose to his lips "Good God, Marks Obviously you’ve never participated in the act, or you would know that the e is not the brain In fact, the brain ceases working altogether"
"I find it easy to believe that a man’s would"
"A woman’s brain is no less primitive than a man’s, especially when it comes to physical distraction"
"I’m sure you’d like to think so"
"Shall I prove it to you?"
Catherine’s delicate mouth twisted skeptically But then, as if she couldn’t resist, she asked, "How?"
Taking her ararden, behind a pair of pergolas covered with scarlet runner beans They stood next to a glass forcing house, which was used to coht have otherwise A forcing house allowed a gardener to grow plants and flowers irrespective of the prevailing weather
Leo glanced at their surroundings to e for your higher brain function First, I’ll kiss you Directly afterward, I’ll ask you a siument"
Catherine frowned and looked away from him "This is ridiculous," she said to no one in particular
"You certainly have the right to refuse," Leo told her "Of course, I’ll take that as a forfeiture"
Folding her arazed at him with narrowed eyes "One kiss?"
Leo spread his hands palaze never left her "One kiss, one question"
Slowly her arms loosened and lowered She stood before hiree to the challenge He felt his heart begin to beat in concentrated thuhtened his insides into knots
"May I?" he asked, reaching for her spectacles, easing them from her face
She blinked but didn’t resist