Page 19 of Tomlin
“I wonder why that is.”
Because you’re my mate.
Fortunately, he managed to prevent those words from escaping.
She bit her lip. “Is it painful when we touch?”
“Painful isn’t exactly the correct term,” he said dryly, and she smiled at him.
“Then we should try again.”
“I think perhaps it would be better to wait.”
“But you’re still willing to try?”
Once again, he knew he should say no. But the possibility of being able to touch her and remain in control was too tempting to resist. He gave a quick nod, then rose.
“Now you should return to your bed, little scholar. That busy brain of yours needs rest.”
“I suppose so. Hopefully, I’ll be able to sleep now.”
As she rose to her feet, he spotted the mark on her robe. A stain created when he’d broken his mug and spilled his tea. The mark was beneath her left hip, and he automatically reached for it, his hand hovering just above the fabric.
“I’m sorry about your robe. I will do my best to remove the stain.”
“Thank you.”
She hesitated, then moved a fraction closer. Close enough that his fingers rested lightly on her silk-covered thigh.
“Does this help? To have something between us?”
It actually did help a little. The rush of emotion was still there but it was muted enough by the fabric to make it easier to retain control.
He found himself stroking the soft silk, warm from the skin beneath. His hand slid up over her hip and she sighed softly and leaned into his touch. Emboldened by his success, he carefully slid his hand higher and cupped a small, perfect breast. She gasped, and the intoxicating fragrance of her arousal flooded his senses.
To his horror, his hand immediately tightened around the soft flesh as a possessive growl escaped.
He immediately forced himself to release her, pulling back so quickly that he almost stumbled - and he never lost his footing.
“I appear to have overestimated the effectiveness of the barrier.”
Despite his attempt to sound normal the words came out as a harsh growl. She looked up at him, her eyes wide, and her pretty lips parted.
“You didn’t hurt me. You’re still in control.”
She spoke softly but with absolute certainty and reached for him again.
“I’m not,” he growled and flung himself out of the kitchen and away from his impossibly tempting mate.
He didn’t even bother to strip down as he headed for the door. Perhaps this time, he would succeed in exhausting himself to a point where he could regain some level of control. He took a deep breath of the cool evening air.
And then he ran.
CHAPTER 10
Etta sank back down in her chair as she heard the outer door close. That certainly hadn’t gone as she’d expected. But while she was disappointed that he hadn’t immediately agreed to her proposal, she was even more intrigued now.
What was causing his reaction to her? For that matter, what was causing her reaction to him? If someone had told her that she would enjoy a man behaving so dominantly, she would have laughed at them. But not only had she enjoyed that rush of excitement when he first touched her, she’d found it even more thrilling when his hand had tightened possessively around her breast. Was it some type of instinctive response? A feminine reaction to a dominant male?
