Twin of Ice (Montgomery/Taggert 6)

“Please don’t,” she said, ineffectually pushing at him.

He moved his hand up to her carefully arranged hair, buried his fingers in it and slowly began to work his way through. Her thick, soft hair fell about her shoulders and Kane ran the fingers of both his hands through it.

“Pretty,” he murmured, looking at her, their faces very close. The next moment he tilted her head to the side and began to kiss her in a way that made her feel as if she were dissolving. He played with her lips, pulling the lower one out with his teeth, touching the tip of his tongue to her lip.

Houston stood still as waves of feeling coursed through her body. Then, with abandon, she put her arms about his neck and pressed her body against his. Kane reacted instantly, pulling her close, bending her to fit the planes of his big body.

When he began to bend his knees and descend to the carpet and pillows, Houston didn’t even consider protesting, but clung to him as if he were a life-giving force. His lips never left hers as they lay side by side on the carpet.

Kane ran his hand down her hip and thigh as his mouth travelled down her neck.

“Kane,” she whispered, her head back, her leg pressed between his.

“Yes, sweetheart, I’m here,” he whispered, his voice sending chills down her body.

His hand pulled her dress up to explore her legs, quickly finding the bare expanse of thigh above her gartered stockings and under her long, loose drawers.

Houston had no mind, no thoughts at all, but only felt the heavenly sensations of his hand on her skin, his lips on her face. Instinctively, she moved closer to him, wedged her leg between his even tighter.

With a groan, Kane pushed her away, lay beside her, looking at her for just a second, then stood.

“Get up,” he said coldly and walked away, his back to her as he looked out the dark window.

Houston felt dirty, humiliated, cheated, as she lay on the rug, her skirts hiked about her waist. Swift tears came to her eyes as she slowly stood and tried to regain her composure.

“Go fix your hair,” Kane said, not turning around. “Fix your hair and I’ll take you home to your mother.”

As quickly as she could, Houston fled the room, her hand to her mouth to prevent a sob coming out.

The two bathrooms downstairs were off the kitchen and in Kane’s office. She didn’t want to risk seeing either Edan or Mrs. Murchison so she ran upstairs to a bath near Kane’s bedroom.

Once inside the marble-covered room, she gave herself over to tears. He’d wanted to marry a lady, and he was disgusted that she’d acted like a harlot. Yet this was what Blair had meant when she’d said she saw sparks when Leander kissed her. Never had Lee’s kisses made her feel anything, but Kane’s . . .

She looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes alive and sparkling, her mouth slightly swollen, her cheeks pink, her hair wild about her shoulders. This was not the lady he’d wanted. No wonder he pushed her away from him.

Again, the tears began to flow.

As soon as Houston left the drawing room, Kane made his way to his office, where Edan sat behind the desk, his nose in a pile of papers.

“Houston leave?” Edan asked absently. When Kane didn’t answer, the blond man looked up to see Kane, with shaking hands, pour himself a water glass half full of whiskey.

“What have you done to her?” Edan asked, barely concealed anger in his voice. “I told you she wasn’t like other women.”

“What the hell do you know about her? And you should damn well ask what she’s done to me. I want you to hitch up her buggy and take her home.”

“What happened?”

“Women!” Kane said in disgust. “They never act the way they’re supposed to. There’s only one reason why I ever wanted to marry a lady and—.”

“Fenton again,” Edan said tiredly.

“You’re damned right, Fenton!” Kane half shouted. “Everything I’ve ever done, all I’ve ever worked for, I’ve done in order to repay Fenton for what he did to me. All those years of work, the years I spent scrapin’, I had one dream and that was that someday he’d come to dinner at my house. My house would be four times the size of his and sittin’ at the foot of the table would be my wife, the woman he once denied me, his precious daughter Pamela.”

“But you’ve had to make do with another woman,” Edan said. “Isn’t Houston to your liking?”

Kane took a deep drink of his whiskey. “She puts on a damn good act,” he said. “She must want my money real bad.”

“And what if she’s not after your money? What if she wants a husband, children?”