Abandoned to the Prodigal - Mary Lancaster Page 0,32
completely her own.
If he just turned his head a little, his lips would touch her cheek, and from there, her lips… He had kissed her before, and his body remembered. Desire curled through him, a heavy, pleasurable ache that he could only ignore. It was exquisite torture he could not bring himself to end.
She did that, up to a point, by standing and peering through the trees after the gamekeeper. The fine muslin of her gown brushed against his face, and he rose abruptly, almost desperately, to stand beside her.
Disappointed, Gun rolled and got to his feet, too, gazing expectantly at Dan.
“He’s gone,” Juliet murmured. “Maybe we should stay off the path.”
Dan nodded as casually as he could and picked up the easel once more. At once, she reached for the leash, and their fingers touched. To Dan, it was electric. Her fingers stilled, her gaze lifted to his face, a tiny, questioning frown on her beautiful face. The world stood still.
With women, as in most other aspects of his life, Dan was used to following his instincts. Usually, it had worked out well for him, and for the girls in question. Undoubtedly, this was the moment he could kiss Juliet—truly, deeply kiss her—and change their relationship forever. He knew she would let him, and if he did it as he wished, with all the sweetness and sensuality of which he was capable, he knew she would like it…
But this damnable new sense of responsibility was getting in his way. She was not just another girl looking for flirtation or a little passion. He could not make her ruin true.
He twisted his lips into a smile and let go of the leash, striding on in the direction of the house.
Chapter Eight
Juliet was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she didn’t notice her brother and sister until they were almost upon her.
Something had changed in Dan. Or in the way she regarded him. It wasn’t so much a change in feelings as a change in emphasis. She had always been conscious of his physical attractions—his dramatic, handsome face and charming, easy smile, the casual grace of his long, lean body. Sometimes, when she’d glanced at him, her heart had given a pleasant little flutter. She liked looking at him. She liked being with him, and she had been undeniably delighted to see him walking toward her from the river.
But in those ridiculous moments hiding from Campbell, the gamekeeper, and dementedly tickling Gun to keep him silent, she had found herself pressed against Dan’s shoulder. She could smell the soap he used, feel the brush of his hair against her cheek, her lips as she’d whispered in his ear. Her body had responded most agreeably to his nearness, and something about his stillness had spoken of his awareness. The emphasis had shifted. He was no longer simply a kind friend who shared her humor as well as her troubles. He was an attractive man who could, who did, recognize her womanly charms.
And the moment she’d taken the leash… Touching him had been accidental. Lingering over it hadn’t, although she had almost felt incapable of moving. When she had lifted her gaze to his, she had barely been able to breathe for the heat of desire had stood out in his eyes as clearly as the sun in a cloudless sky.
It made her heart soar. Even the fact that he had done nothing about it and had merely walked on, excited her more. And although they had said little on the last part of their journey, she would not have forgone it for the world.
It was only as they had parted with a cheerful promise to meet tomorrow that the doubts had begun. He was a man. Men felt desire all the time, and mostly it had little to do with love—which was why a lady should never complain when her husband strayed, for it had nothing to do with his feeling for his wife and family. According to her mother, who had imparted a good deal of such wisdom upon Juliet’s engagement to Jeremy Catesby.
So, she should not dwell on such odd, passing moments with Dan. They meant nothing and could lead to nothing. She was ruined in the eyes of the world and was, therefore, not wife material for anyone. They both knew that. Besides, if she made this into something it was not, she would lose his friendship, this precious time with him and, probably, her sanity.