Page 36 of Single Desire
In the gig, the wind whipped his hair; he wore no hat. She could almost feel those jet-black strands against her lips once more. Nor did he wear gloves. He handled the reins with capable strength, his fingers tightening when necessary, gentling as he gave the horse its head.
Her heart gave an odd little flutter. Her gaze was riveted on his hands. She felt her face heat. His fingers were lean and strong. Those hands had touched her, bared her breasts, shockingly intimate. Remembering the way he’d made her touch him, curling her fingers around—
She must have made some sound. He glanced over at her.
“What’s that, Irish?”
“I…” She sought to dismiss her awareness, and managed to drag her gaze away from his hands. To the east lay the forest. To the west…
“I smell the sea.”
“Indeed.” They rounded a bend, and a broad expanse of water came into view. “Shall we go down to the beach?”
Maura nodded.
He guided the gig off the road, jumped down and secured the horse and carriage. By then she had already climbed down herself. Tugging up her skirt—she’d forgone her petticoats when he’d advised wearing something suitable for the outdoors—she followed him through a fringe of tall grasses. She stopped at the edge, peering down. The beach was perhaps a hundred feet below.
“You aren’t frightened of heights, are you, Irish?”
Maura’s head came up. A challenge? “Certainly not! I grew up near the sea. High above the sea, I might add.”
“Somehow I didn’t think you’d be afraid.” A half smile curled his lips. Their eyes met. “My brave, fearless Irish wife. Let us go, then.”
Maura would have led the way, but Alec stopped her with a shake of the head. “Let me go first. The path is steep and rocky, and wide enough for only one.” His smile turned devilish. “That way I’ll be there to catch you if need be, like the pirate in your dream this morning.”
Oh, but he was a rogue! She considered it a challenge, one she would not lose. The path wound down the hillside, but sure-footed as a goat, she followed him down. She was feeling triumphant when the pebbles began to give way beneath her feet.
Alec turned at that moment, and catching her hands, pulled her upright, saving her from falling on her bum.
But he didn’t let go. Instead a long arm slid around her waist. With him a foot below her, caught up against him like this, they were literally face-to-face. His gaze drifted slowly over her features, dwelling for ages on her lips.
Maura’s heart lurched. Her breath thinned to a wisp. She had the oddest sensation that he wanted to kiss her. Oh, but then a sudden gleam in those beautiful blue eyes appeared, a wicked gleam, of course. She had the feeling he knew precisely the effect he had on her. Oh, bother! What the devil was wrong with her? She was being utterly ridiculous. He had made his feelings toward her perfectly clear. He did not welcome a wife. He did not welcome her.
Alec swung her that last foot to the sand. “There. Delivered safe, sound, and unharmed.”
Maura stepped back hurriedly. The beach here was wide, skirting the headland to the south. She pointed that way. “What lies beyond? Another beach?”
He nodded. “Much of the coastline here is a series of headlands and coves.”
“Can we walk there?”
“If you like.”
She caught her skirt up in her hands and trudged along beside him. The wind as they came to the headland was fierce, whipping strands of her hair across her face, even beneathher bonnet. She tried brushing them back but finally stopped fighting it. But the winds calmed once they neared the cove.
Despite the gray skies, it was stunningly beautiful. The beach surrounding the cove was but a narrow strand, dotted with boulders and trees here and there. Gentle waves lapped the shore.
Hands on his hips, Alec glanced around. “Lord, I haven’t been here in ages.” A faint smile rimmed his lips. “Aidan and I used to come here and race each other across—to this day, my mother doesn’t know it. And while we were here, we’d pretend we were pirates.” He pointed to an outcropping of rocks. “There’s even a cave behind those rocks.”
“And I suppose you were the fierce pirate captain.”
He grinned suddenly, a grin that made her breath catch. “Of course. I’m the eldest.”
Maura stilled the clamor of her heart. “By how many years?”
“Two.”
“Well, then,” she concluded dryly, “I rather suspect it wasn’t so much that you were older, but simply that your brother was smaller than you.”
