He scowled at that fanciful, impossible idea. “Let’s work on aiming for a while.”
The abrupt change in subject had her glancing at him. “I thought we’d been doing that already.”
“No. We’ve been working on your drawing of the bow.”
She sniffed. “Then you’ll have to show me how to improve my aim because I don’t see how I can do it any better.”
He reallyhadgot her dander up, hadn’t he? “All you do is draw back the arrow to your cheek so it’s directly lined up below your eye, the way I showed you before. Now line up the end of the shaft with the tip of the arrow and the center of the target—”
“How am I supposed to do that when I have the end of the arrow against my cheek?” she complained. “That makes no sense.”
Her arm shook a little, making it clear she was coming to the end of her stamina. Drawing a bow was harder work than most people realized, especially the wayshe’dbeen trying to draw it.
“Perhaps we should continue this another time.” Right now, he would happily join the groom in a pint.
She steadied her arm. “Just a few more shots. Honestly, I’m fine. I want to aim correctly at least once before we leave. If you could just show me—”
“Certainly.” He stood behind her again, this time trying to put more of his energy into holding the bow for her and less of it into holdingher.
It didn’t work, especially because he wasn’t wearing his gloves. Putting his hand on her draw hand meant his bare hand was resting against her cheek. Her soft, silky cheek.
Swearing silently, he positioned the arrow the way he’d described. He released her hands. She shot the arrow. It went wide.
“Why didn’t that work?” she asked.
“Because it’s nearly impossible for me to aim properly when I can’t put the end of the shaft up tomycheek.”
“Oh! You’re right, of course. Here.” She thrust the bow into his hands and withdrew another arrow from the quiver. “Why don’tyouaim as if you’re going to shoot at the target, and I will observe how you do it.”
Thank God she didn’t want him touching her again.
He did as she’d asked, shifting his weight onto his good leg so he could stay upright. Once he’d drawn back the bowstring, she peered closely at his bow and arrow from one side. Then she did it from the other. Finally, she took off his gloves and moved behind him.
But when she reached around him to coverhishands withhers, thus pushing her breasts into his back and her lower half against his arse, he’d had enough.
Dropping the bow and arrow, he rounded on her. “Damn it, Gwyn. What are you about?”
“I’m trying to learn how to aim,” she said, sounding bewildered.
He knew better than to believe that. And he refused to fall for her tactics. “That’s not all you’re doing, admit it.”
“I honestly have no idea what you mean.”
Snorting, he grabbed his cane and advanced on her. “You’re cozying up to me. Bad enough you were forcing me to put my arms around you every other shot, but now you’re pressing your body up against mine, which is even worse. It’s all meant to tempt me into doing something rash so you can punish me for misleading you about the shooting lessons.”
“Why on earth would I choose that method to punish you?” she asked, backing away until she came up hard against a large birch. “You’ve made it quite clear you don’t find me appealing in that way.”
That caught him off guard. “How in God’s name did I makethatclear?”
She jutted out her chin. “By refusing to speak of our kiss. By pretending it never happened, as if it were some . . . vile thing you’d endured for the sake of your ‘mission’ to protect me.”
Could she really be that unaware of the many ways she made him lust after her? Did he dare believe her?
He leaned in to plant one forearm against the tree next to her head. “Has it occurred to you that perhaps my ‘mission’ to protect you meansnotdoing things like kissing you?”
“Why should it? It isn’t as if you’d do anything ungentlemanly to me. We both know you aren’t attracted to me. You think I’m a silly, spoiled female who—”
He kissed her. He couldn’t help it. She was blathering nonsense, and he had to make it stop. It was either that or lose his temper at her for thinking he would fall for her blatant lies.
