who have their fun and never have to suffer for it. But I’m too much of a coward to try it. I’d always worry about consequences and about hurting other people.” She closed her eyes, breathing him in. “I always felt so free with you. I could tease, and you never took me seriously. I could try my wings, I could fly, without any danger of falling.”
“Until one night you flew too close to the flame and singed your pretty wings,” he murmured drily. “Were you shocked?”
“Oh, yes,” she confessed. “I didn’t expect it, you see. And I didn’t realize how vulnerable I might be.”
“I did,” he replied. His arms tightened. “We were both holding back for different reasons, bottling up our passions. Inevitably, it was going to get away from us one day. It just happened to be with each other. And I’m damned glad about that,” he added curtly. “Another man might have taken advantage of it and seduced you for real.”
She colored softly. “I can’t imagine letting any other man do those things to me,” she said honestly.
He actually shuddered. “Don’t say things like that. I’m more vulnerable than you realize.”
“Because she’s gone.”
He paused for an instant, and when his voice finally came, it was cold and measured. “Yes. Because she’s gone. I did warn you that anything I did to you would be out of desire for her. Didn’t you hear me?”
“I was too busy kissing you.” She laughed gently.
He laughed, too, despite himself. “Imp,” he muttered, tightening his arms and then loosening them to step away from her and look down into her quiet eyes. “You seemed to like kissing me.”
She tossed back her head, living the dream all over again. “You have a nice mouth. Very slow, very experienced.”
“Yours isn’t bad, either,” he murmured, dropping his eyes to it. He touched her cheek and traced her lips with his thumbs. “I’m sorry we’re so close to the house. We could strip and go swimming.”
“My father would let Ludwig eat you,” she said with a laugh.
He sighed. “It was just a thought. I’d give a lot to see you out of your clothes, pretty thing.”
That was embarrassing and a little exciting, all at once. “Well, you haven’t missed much,” she said.
“Not from the waist up, anyway,” he agreed too readily, and laughed at her shocked little gasp. “God, you’re sweet to tease. I’d forgotten that women could be shocked. Women in my set tend to be pretty blasé about sex.”
“Probably because there isn’t a lot they don’t know about it.” She tried to step back, but he caught her long hair and held her there in front of him.
“You’re nervous of me,” he murmured. “Why should you be? You could always scream for help.”
“Yes, I know.” She tugged at his hand. “I don’t want to stand in for Bess, King.”
“You told me that in the beginning. I haven’t forgotten.” He hesitated for a minute before he reluctantly let her go. “You sound positive enough about it.”
His voice gave nothing away, but she thought he sounded a bit irritated. She tossed her hair and laughed up at him. “How would you feel if I kissed you and pretended you were some sexy man I wanted?”
His blood surged. “I’d break your sweet neck,” he said without a second’s hesitation.
She laughed even louder. “You see? Tit for tat, big man.”
He made a swipe at her behind, and she barely sidestepped in time.
“If you hit me,” she threatened, “I’ll tell my daddy.”
“Go ahead,” he challenged. “I dare you.”
“You ought to be shaking in your shoes,” she replied. “He’s got friends in high places.”
He got her meaning and grinned, all his bad temper gone. “You know, I laugh more with you than I’ve ever laughed in my life,” he remarked as they wandered back down the beach toward the brightly lit cottage.
“I don’t think you even knew how to laugh at the beginning,” she recalled. “You were a little frightening. All business and cold as ice.”
“Cold on the outside,” he said softly. “Never on the inside.”
That was a blatant insinuation, and she ignored it. “Are you and Dad going fishing tomorrow?”
“Yes, we are.” He glanced her way. “Are you coming with us?”
“I’d like to, but I’ve got to get in touch with Angel Mahoney and tell her I’m going to need another week on those new designs. Angel is vice president of the Seawear collection, and she bought my designs for the chain of boutiques Seawear owns. I thought they