Bound by Love (Russian Connection 2)
Page 145
“You look tired. Are you not sleeping well?”
“Well enough.”
“What is troubling you, Leonida? Are you plagued by nightmares?”
She swallowed a sigh. The man was annoyingly perceptive. A fine talent when it came to his staff and tenants, but she preferred to keep some thoughts to herself.
“At times.”
“Has Gerhardt discovered any trace of Sir Charles?”
She grimaced. “Not that he has mentioned, but he rarely shares all that he knows.”
His hand cupped her cheek, the warmth of his palm rivaling the heat of the sun. She swallowed, barely keeping herself from rubbing against that soft touch like a contented cat.
“I could keep you safe at Meadowland. At least until the bastard has been captured.”
She regarded him with an exasperation that was not entirely feigned. “You are truly the most stubborn man I have ever encountered.”
His thumb brushed her bottom lip with an unnerving intimacy. Thank goodness they had reached the edge of the city and were away
from prying eyes.
“I would not need to be so stubborn if you would just be reasonable.”
“And by reasonable you mean giving in to your every command?”
“It would be a beginning.”
She rolled her eyes. “It is little wonder you have not yet wed. I feel pity for your poor wife.”
An indefinable emotion flickered through his magnificent eyes. “Do you?”
“Yes,” she said, pretending her heart did not clench with a vicious stab of pain.
“There is no need. When I care for a woman I willingly devote myself to her happiness.” He leaned forward to whisper directly in her ear. “She will be utterly and fully content.”
She shivered at the rush of exquisite awareness that tingled through her body. “Arrogant as well as stubborn.”
His lips brushed along the curve of her ear, his breath a caress against her neck. “You would vanquish a lesser man,” he assured her. “Unless, of course, you prefer a lapdog?”
She hastily scooted from his disturbing touch. Another moment and she would be a helpless puddle of need.
“I prefer a gentleman who can respect my ability to make my own decisions and not run roughshod over my opinions,” she snapped.
He draped an arm along the back of the seat, his brooding gaze moving restlessly over her upturned face.
“I have no intention of running roughshod over your opinions, only your fanciful belief I intend to hurt you.”
“Demanding that I be your mistress would hurt me,” she said, her voice pitched low so it would not carry to the servants.
He narrowed his gaze in frustration. “My only demand has been that you allow me the opportunity to enjoy your companionship. Any decision to share more than conversation will be made by you.”
RECOGNIZING THE STUBBORN expression that had settled on Leonida’s face, Stefan allowed a silence to descend on the carriage.
Damn it all. He was not stupid. He had seen her eyes light with pleasure when he had walked into her parlor. He could feel her response to his touch.
So why did she continue to push him away?