feed her newborn infant, so the man would want to know that she can do it or else risk the infant starving. Unless they found a wet nurse, of course. What else does the book say?”
“Yes, that is exactly right, Dahlia. While a man will ultimately peruse a woman’s entire body, his first gaze is...there...because they are the source of life, the source of milk for his newborn children. So, if he does not like the look of them, he will pass her over as a suitable mate.”
He paused again to gaze at her. “Wainscott did not pass you over for that reason. Your body is spectacular, if you want my opinion. And I am not saying this to flatter you. I am saying it because it is a fact. That weasel behaved abominably toward you because he is greedy and ambitious. He would have married a cow if she came with a title and a pot of gold.”
She laughed softly. “So, you still like him, then?”
He laughed along with her, for this was their private jest. He’d detested the man from the first, and Dahlia knew it. “So we’ve learned the man’s need is to spread his seed. But he also has to protect the children he sires, or they will die.”
She nodded. “How does a man reconcile these two urges?”
“The author states that a man’s brain functions on two levels. In effect, he has two brains. One is simple or low, and the other is a higher brain allowing for more complex thought. When a man’s brain is at its lowest function, he is only thinking of–”
He groaned and shook his head. “He is only thinking of sex. Sorry, Dahlia. Just let me know if you find this too offensive, and I’ll stop.”
“Heavens, no. These are the good bits, aren’t they?”
He grinned. “It is his simple brain at work, the one formed thousands of years ago at the dawn of Creation when men first walked the primeval earth. Very little thought occurs when the man’s sexual urges are aroused. Perhaps no thought at all.”
She was staring at him now, studying him quite intently as she took in his features. “I cannot imagine you ever behaving so crudely, Ronan.”
“I don’t know. This book is not far off the mark. You see a better side of me because that is how I am when I’m around you. A better man. Not that I am a fiend by any means whenever I am not around you, but neither am I a saint.”
“Oh, I see.” She pursed her lips in thought. “But I cannot imagine you doing what Gerald–”
“Never! There is no excuse for what he did. It was low and venal. As I said, I am not a saint, but to hurt someone as he did you? Wouldn’t ever happen.”
“That’s because Braydens are protective by nature. You are no exception.”
He knew it was true. He couldn’t be around Dahlia without wanting to take her in his arms and shield her from the ills of the world. Yet, he also liked that she wanted something more in life and was determined to make a mark for herself. “So, we now know that very little thought occurs when a man is using his low brain.” He read on. “But that is good. It is evidence of his compelling need to breed heirs with any fertile female he comes across.”
“Wait, is this condoning Gerald’s behavior?”
“Hell, no. He wasn’t in a lustful frenzy over Lady Alexandra. What he was doing was cold and calculated.”
“What about you, Ronan?” She no longer appeared stiff and tense, but had propped one elbow on the reading table and was resting her cheek on her hand.
“What about me?”
“Have you ever felt this way about a woman? So wild for her, you could not control yourself?”
“Perhaps when I was an idiot boy of fourteen. Women were new and fascinating creatures for me back then.”
“But the fascination quickly wore off?”
He laughed softly. “No, women remain a fascinating puzzle to me. But it did not take me long to move beyond the desire for a quick tumble. In any event, it is not in my nature to chase every woman I see.”
“Of course not. Why would you need to when they all come to you?”
“I assure you, they do not. Nor do I encourage them. At one time, I was content with meaningless dalliances, but I am well beyond that now. It is a natural progression, I think. To move beyond that low