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r, suddenly appearing in the doorway like a e to scowl darkly and intimate the man completely and tried to keep his de and already plotting retribution against the woman undoubtedly nestled comfortably in one of the rooms upstairs

“I don’t suppose my wife is here is she? Unless I am much mistaken, that is her horse outside” He went on to describe Eliza in detail He could do that with confidence because he felt as though every inch of her was indelibly stamped on his mind

“Oh yes, sir! She arrived earlier and is upstairs The maids have just taken some water and food up to her” The innkeeper staiven his clear and accurate description

“Can you send up another tray and some more water? Thendirections to the room and two steps at a ti in temper

Standing outside the door, he wondered if he should burst in and scare her, but decided that keeping her on edge and wary of him was probably the best way to ensure her co

Gently he knocked on the door and waited

Eliza was about to take her first bite of the delicious looking pie when there was a knock on the door She paused and frowned, wondering if theShe eyed the vast array of foods before her and judged the distance to the door Nothing could urge her to cover the distance in search of answers From her seat at the table she called for the newcomer to enter and took a quick bite of the sumptuous meal

She about choked when a dusty and fiercely angry Edward casually sauntered into the room There are only a handful of ti happens that is so earth-shattering, so nerve-jarringly startling that the ies remain with you for the rest of your life Eliza knew this was one of those moments

Even froe He had to duck his head to fit through the door he was so tall Eliza judged he must be at least six feet tall, if not more He seemed to dwarf the room with his sheer presence His broad shoulders stretched and filled the black shirt to masculine perfection Eliza could see the ripple of muscle beneath the black cloth as he casually meandered across the room

Eliza sed and shifted uncomfortably in her chair, the pie in her mouth turned to ash as she watched hily over her He placed one hand on either arm of the chair in which she sat and drew so close to her that his nose was al hers

Despite her anxiety, Eliza vaguely noted his eyes were dark blue She hadn’t been able to see last night, but in daylight they were startling in their intensity Although right now they were also glinting with fierce temper that also made a muscle twitch in his square jaw Tendrils of dusty black locks fell over his broad forehead, his nostrils were flared and his lips fir silence for several moments

Eliza could practically feel the anger shi excuses vanished She could think of nothing other than the towering bulk ofto raise hell any moment now

The last thing she expected was the dip of his head as his lips crushed hers It wasn’t the kiss of lovers, fuelled by tenderness and lust This was an affirht and challengedher to object to complete submission It was quick; it was brutal and when he drew abruptly away, left her shaking with the force of the desire that swept through her

Although he had drawn back, he still loolare down at her for as long as it took Eliza frowned at him

“If you do that to ain, I will bloody well paddle your backside so hard you won’t be able to walk straight” Edward growled in a voice husky with thirst, hunger and the tide of relief that had threatened to buckle his knees He hated to feel so intensely about anyone