“Careful, Ardmoor. Maddy’ll have my
head if you come to harm! Had to promise I’d keep an
eye on you.”
“Treats me like I’m a bloody china
doll! I won’t break if I fall! Half my leg is gone
already, and the peg can be replaced.”
“Surely your sister worries about
the part of you that can’t be replaced,” Wickerdun
suggested.
“Just what we need, a bloody
peacemaker.” Ardmoor whipped his head around at the
sound of Spode’s low whistle. Looked in the direction
Spode and Wickerdun stared. “Bloody hell!” The two men
beside him remained silent while they watched Geoffrey
assist Emily to her feet. The three men continued
forward.
Geoffrey was positive she was as
aroused as he. Well, perhaps not as aroused, but she
was interested. There’d been no screaming for him to
unhand her. No strident demands he release her. She’d
stared at him with a look of wonder. His cheek still
tingled where she’d touched and stroked. True, she’d
been wearing mittens, but his cheek still tingled,
which led him to wonder what it would feel like if her
bare fingers touched and stroked. His mind conjured up
a picture of her touching his bare body. Which in turn
inflamed that part of him that had been idle for so
long. That’s when her eyes widened even more.
“I want to kiss you.” It was a
foolish thing to say. He realized that as soon as the
words passed his lips. She struggled to rise, but
collapsed and gazed into his eyes.
Geoffrey blinked. Why?
“Why? Because…I’ve had the urge to pull you into my
arms and kiss you from the first moment I saw you.”
She drew back and arched a brow at
him. “The first moment you saw me you accused me of
conspiring to take your children from you. The words
you used, however, were more colorful.”
Geoffrey smiled and watched her
eyes darken; his smile deepened. “True. But I was
attracted to you, which might have angered me.”
Geoffrey looked up at the four
pairs of eyes peering down at them. “We were
discussing Joy’s wish.”
“Ooh, ooh! Has Lady Emily—”
Geoffrey broke in. “A lady’s
decision is never rushed, princess.” He helped Emily
rise, but growled softly upon spying the approach of
his brother, Spode and Ardmoor.
