Page 62 of Hunted By the Guardian
Jonathan was watching her, his eyes wide, his lips slightly parted, and she ached to forget all about common sense and just go back to him. To kiss him again, and to get lost in it.
No. I can’t. This isn’t what I want—I can’t bear to be trapped in a marriage the way my mother was. And Jonathan doesn’t wish to marry either. He’s been very clear about that.
She turned and rushed out of the room before the temptation could get the better of her again.
CHAPTER 32
It was only the desire to see for herself that Noah was doing all right that prompted Violet to appear at breakfast the following morning. If not for her concern over him, she would have had the meal sent to her room. She probably would have stayed in her room all day. It felt safer right now.
She didn’t know quite what she was so afraid of, though. Certainly, it was not the idea of being kissed again. That thought was appealing. If she had thought it was going to happen, she didn’t think she would have been able to make choices to prevent it.
But it wouldn’t happen, of course, not after the way she had received last night’s kiss. He would have realized that it was a terrible idea, even if he hadn’t been certain of that at first. He would never want to kiss her again.
No, what was really troubling Violet, she realized, was the thought of how awkward things were going to be between herself and Jonathan. She had no idea what she would say to him when she saw him. How were you supposed to communicate with a man after you’d kissed him? Would they acknowledge what had happened? Or would he try to pretend that nothing had happened between them at all? She knew that if he did want to pretend that, she would go along with it.
As it turned out, there was no need to make the decision, because Noah was already at the breakfast table when Violet arrived. There was no possibility they could talk about the kiss in front of him—it would be harmful if he knew about it—so she took her seat without so much as a glance in Jonathan’s direction.
She had never been more aware of him, though. It was as if he was touching her, so present was he in her mind. She actually felt the moment he looked up and took her in, as if his gaze was his hand running over her body, and she had to force herself not to shiver. It was deliciously pleasurable, intimate, to be noticed like this, and the mere fact of ignoring him felt attentive in its own right.
She turned to Noah and smiled. “It’s so good to see you feeling better,” she said. “Your plate is very full.” It was true. He had piled on a mountain of eggs.
He smiled at her. “I’m hungry!” he said. “I feel like I haven’t eaten in a year.”
“That’s probably because of your fever,” she said. “You didn’t eat at all yesterday, and you used a lot of energy fighting off that illness.”
“Was I very sick?” His eyes were saucers. “Did I almost die?” There was an excitement in the question, as though almost dying was the most thrilling thing he could imagine.
It made Violet feel as if a rock had settled in her stomach.
Jonathan spoke up. “You didn’t almost die,” he told Noah gruffly. “You were very sick, but you wouldn’t have died. You did give Violet a scare, though.”
Noah looked down guiltily. “I didn’t mean to.”
“I know that,” Violet assured him, smiling. “I’m just glad to see that you’re feeling better, Noah.”
“I feel great,” Noah said. “Can we have a picnic today?”
“I think today we should stay home and rest up,” Violet said.
Noah pouted. “But I’m very rested. I don’t feel tired at all.”
“Well, I do,” she said firmly. “Today will be a rest day, and maybe tomorrow we can talk about a picnic.”
“Oh…all right.” He slumped a little in his chair, but only for a moment. Then he picked up his fork and began to eat again.
Jonathan cleared his throat. “Violet,” he said. “I’ve been thinking.”
Was this going to be about the kiss? Her head darted up. Surely he wasn’t going to try to discuss that right in front of Noah…was he?
Jonathan set his own fork down. “You and I have been in conflict over this house,” he said. “And I don’t think it needs to be that way. I think we both have our reasons for wanting to be here, and…well, it hasn’t posed that much of a problem.”
Was he joking, saying that? Trying to sort out who should have the house was a massive problem for both of them. He couldn’t mean to suggest otherwise.
He took a sip of his drink and went on. “We’ve lived together so peacefully that I don’t see why it should be necessary for you to leave,” he said. “I know what it means to you to be here, and what Noah means to you, and those are not things I have any desire to take away or to interfere with. So I just want you to know that as far as I'm concerned, you’re welcome to stay, no matter what happens. I’m happy to have you here. You can continue living in your room, and we can tend to Noah together. And that should solve everything. Don’t you agree?”
Violet looked up.
He was smiling at her. Eager. Excited. He was pleased with himself. He thought he had given her a wonderful gift.
