Page 12 (1/2)

"Please co?" he de bed It's a tradition in England"

She could tell he didn't believe her lie She walked away before he could stop her, paused once at the edge of the clearing to give him what she hoped was a come-hither smile, and continued on

Connor didn't s braced apart and his hands on his hips, staring after her, his attention on the gentle sway of her hps as sheto ten When he was finished, he was either going to let the io after her and make hard, passionate love to her

"I've never heard of this tradition"

Quinlan drawled out the reainst a tree trunk and his arms folded across his chest

Connor turned his frustration on him "If you say another word, I swear I'll kill you"

Quinlan ignored the warning "Don't you think you should go to bed before it's tiet up?"

Connor took a threatening step toward his friend Quinlan i privacy, Connor That's why she'syour blankets"

"I realize that," he said He hadn't realized it, of course, but he wasn't about to ad another word and caught up with Brenna near the lake He wasn't at all amused that they'd come full circle and were now close to where they started

"Were you planning to prepare our bed in England?"

Chapter 5

"This will do," she answered

The isolated spot she'd chosen was a flat piece of nothing squeezed in between the pines There was barely enough rooh, and for what he voas going to be the very last time, he let her have her way He stood behind her as he re to control his teh he was sure she would try toproject out of the si quick about it

When she was finished, she re hi his, and stared into his eyes, holding her breath while she waited for him to touch her

He didn't move Tension filled the air between the as she stared into those dark, inscrutable eyes of his, looking for the first sign of displeasure Lord, she couldn't stand the silence long

"I had thought to keep ht to take them off," she whispered

And still he waited She told herself she had made the decision and noas up to her to keep her word Her hands shook as she untied the belt at her waist, and the woolen round

She thought about own off, because the ht was blocked by the tree branches there and shadoould hide her nudity fro such a coward

Should she tell hiown? No, she decided, he would find out soon enough Her heart was pounding frantically, but her anxiety had faded a little—because he wasn't attacking her, she supposed—and sohts was the realization that Connor wouldn't deliberately hurt her She couldn't understand why she felt that way, but she did, and oddly, her hands weren't shaking nearly asto her, and that ravely while she gathered her courage and then slowly reaze on Connor all the while, searching for a hint of displeasure or disgust because her body was so terribly imperfect She was fully aware of her flaws Her brsts were too large, her hps too narrow, and her legs were too long for the rest of her body He was bound to notice, she knew, and if he so ht she would close her eyes and die of shaered on her parted lips, her full breasts, her narroaist, the blond curls shielding her virginity, her long legs, all the while trying to remember how to draw a breath Dear God, he hadn't expected such beauty He was overwhelined such a woman could exist, and if he weren't a practical oddess sent down froht in his sainted father's na desperate to take her into his arive in to his body's demands yet, but stood where he was and let her take the lead once again For sootten it into her head that she should be the oneconclusion when he had hesitated instead of ordering her to remove her clothes and be damned quick about it He had shaken his head at her to let her know he didn't care for her decision to keep her clothes on, but before he could explain exactly what he wanted her to do, she changed her ot exactly what he wanted

The blush covering her face reflected her e to look defiant and not afraid, but she orried He could see it in her eyes, in the way she stood as straight and rigid as a spear, and in her hands clenching and unclenching at her sides Oh, yes, she really was perfect

She ressor now, and when he didn't reach for her, she slowly began to relax

Why didn't he take off his clothes? She worried about that for a full ht you would reht want land help their husbands disrobe"

She was obviouslyIf it helped relieve her fear, he didn't mind

"Do you wanther, then decided what had worked before would work again, and so he siree herself for what she thought she would find, before she finally gathered enough guhtless as a butterfly's wings, brushed over his, and the second the knot was undone and his plaid began to drop to the ground, she took a quick step back

He wasn't wearing any underclothes She noticed that right away, God help her for being foolish enough to look, and she deliberately turned her attention to his chin until her heart callimpse below his waist before she forced herself to look away It was still h to land