by Hatch, Donna
The stranger ran his tongue along his lip and she watched the motion as if hypnotized. He returned his attention to Elise. His eyes softened. “My beautiful angel.”
He cupped her cheek, leaned in, and kissed her softly.
Too startled to react, she froze.
His lips brushed against hers, light as a whisper and more provocative. His fingers slid to the back of her neck. His thumb stroked her cheek while his lips grew more insistent. The passion contained in such a gentle contact astonished her. For a blissful moment, she allowed her lips to melt into his, reveling in the long-absent touch of a man. An altogether unfamiliar longing began in the middle of her stomach and spread outward.
Edward had always been careful and controlled as if he feared he would sully her. This stranger, though gentle, kissed with passion, stirring a fire within she’d never known.
Remembering herself, she gasped and pushed against his chest. Even in his weakened state, he held her with surprising strength. When she pushed harder, he released her but with seemingly great reluctance. Her heart hammered against her chest as if it were trying to break free and heat rushed up her neck to her face. The desire lurking in those aqua depths excited and frightened her.
She held on to the fear. It was safer.
“Sir, you have taken unkind advantage of me,” she accused, her breathing ragged. Her traitorous lips ached for another kiss. “I am not a common wench to be used at whim.”
“No, there’s nothing common about you,” he murmured, his thumb caressing her cheek. Wickedness joined the desire so clear in his eyes.
Appalled at her lack of self-restraint and his lack of regret, she reached for something stronger than fear to protect herself from him—from herself—and seized anger. She sat further back, beyond his reach. “You must be half-mad from your ordeal to be behaving in such an atrocious manner!”
His eyes glittered with a devilish light. “I’m a healthy man who knows a brave and beautiful woman when I see one. Clearly, I’m in my right mind.” His recovering voice, rich and deep, rippled over her like a physical caress.
Infuriated that a stranger could have such power over her, she frowned. “You speak as a well-bred gentleman, but you certainly do not behave as one.”
He flashed an unrepentant grin. “I’ve had years of practice rejecting my upbringing.”
The frenzied fluttering in her stomach annoyed her as much as his shocking actions. “Perhaps I should have saved only the boy and let your friends have you.”
He lay back down, lacing his fingers behind his head, and laughed with abandon, the sort of truly mirthful laugh that invited one to join in.
She resisted. “Pray tell me; why you were being threatened by those men?”
Still amused, he tilted his head. “Are you always this direct?”
“Only under unusual circumstances.”
“Two men threatening to kill another man and a boy is not a circumstance you normally encounter?”
“Do not mock me, sir.”
“But you make it such fun. Your cheeks grow pink when you are riled. Or flustered. You’re really quite lovely.”
Since getting a straight answer seemed unlikely, Elise thought it best to flee this dangerously handsome man and his irreverent allure. No man had ever tempted her like this. What was the matter with her?
She pulled on her gloves, gathered the skirts of her riding habit, and stood. “Since you appear to be sufficiently recovered, I shall leave you.”
He grinned up at her. “Where have you been all this time, my angel?”
She picked up her gun and raised her chin. “Married to my husband,” she replied primly. “Good day, sir.”
“Wait,” he called, undaunted. “What is your name?”
She stowed the gun on the saddle and turned back, holding Prince’s reins. After dredging up every ounce of haughtiness she possessed, she looked down her nose at him and hoped he’d believe her façade. “As it is unlikely that you and I shall ever meet again, it hardly matters.”
His compelling laugh rang out again. “Then I shall just have to call you Angel.”
Far from being offended by her rebuff, he dared laugh at her. Twice! Annoyed more than she’d believed possible, she led her horse to a nearby boulder to use as a step. After mounting and settling herself upon the sidesaddle, she looked back with a frown, partly to reassure herself that he suffered no dangerous injuries, partly to restate her disapproval of his shocking conduct.
Most of all, to show him that she felt nothing whatsoever for him.
Or his scandalous kiss.
Still lying on his back, his eyes traveled lazily over her figure as if what he saw pleased him in an ungentlemanly way. “Farewell, my angel.”
“Humph.” She turned her horse to the narrow path.
His laughter chased her as she left the hollow.
She paused at the rise and looked out. The valley lay below her in every direction. No other riders appeared to be in the vicinity. It would be safe to leave the man and child here without fear of further encounters with ruffians.
She glanced back. The boy was helping the man to his feet, both speaking a language she could not identify. Spanish, perhaps? They mounted the blue roan and rode off in the opposite direction. Despite his obvious pains, the man’s laugh rang out over the valley again.
Fighting a smile of her own, she shook her head at his audacity and tried to banish the memory of his hands on her face and his lips on hers.
Most of all, she tried to banish the unwelcome awareness he’d stirred within her. The scoundrel! The next time she saw a man in danger, she’d keep her distance.
A word about the author…
Donna Hatch’s passion for writing began around age of 8 when she wrote her first short story. During her sophomore year in high school, she completed her first full-length novel. She wrote her second novel during her senior year, a fantasy romance which was later published under the title, Queen in Exile. Donna is the mother of six children (7 counting her husband) and lives in Arizona. She is also a sought-after speaker and workshop presenter. Her professional memberships include Desert Rose RWA, The Beau Monde—a Regency Chapter of RWA—and American Night Writers Association. Donna is also both a finalist and a winner of the prestigious Golden Quill Award.
All of her heroes are patterned after her husband of over 20 years, who continues to prove that there really is a happily ever after.
Visit Donna at www.donnahatch.com
