“Well, now—” he leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands over his flat stomach “—do you mean to tell me what brought you here?”
“I…” Selena looked away, deploring her regrettable tendency to blush. “I was worried about you… when you didn’t come home.”
“So you came down here to spy on me?”
“No, of course not!” Her eyes flew back to Kyle’s. When he raised a teasing eyebrow at her, Selena grew indignant. “Very well, I admit I wanted to know what you were doing here. But I didn’t intend to spy. I didn’t plan to stay, either. I was merely going to talk to you and make sure you weren’t pursuing other women. But Angel thought that would make you angry. Seducing you was her idea.”
“I didn’t think it was yours,” Kyle said wryly. When Selena remained silent, he shook his head. “I can’t believe Thaddeus actually brought you to a place like this.”
“I’m afraid I didn’t give him much choice.”
“What did you tell him?”
“That you needed some clean socks.”
“Socks?” Kyle stared at her a second, then threw back his head with a shout of laughter.
“I know it was a feeble excuse, but that was the only one I could think of at the time. I didn’t want him to know why I was concerned.”
Kyle’s laughter slowly died as he surveyed the soft flush on her cheeks. Was it possible that she might be jealous? Any woman’s pride would suffer over a roving husband, but Selena wasn’t the type to let her emotions show. Yet her distress seemed genuine. It was almost as if she truly cared. He was conscious of the pleasure that thought engendered.
“I hope you know now,” he said softly, “that I wasn’t pursuing other women.”
“Well, yes. I saw you last night fighting those men. And Angel explained the rest to me. I think you might have told me, though.”
“I didn’t
want to upset you.” He paused, then glanced down at her breasts, where her wrapper had fallen open. Through the thin linen of her chemise, her rosy nipples were clearly visible. “Actually, I rather like the way it turned out. I was getting bored with my own company. That doesn’t mean, however, that I want you coming here again. As much as I’d enjoy having you, it would be too dangerous.”
Selena nodded, though she barely comprehended what she was agreeing to, Kyle’s hot gaze was so distracting. It required a great effort to remain still and submit to his perusal without either covering herself or baring herself further.
Kyle must have realized her dilemma, for he grinned. “Come on,” he said with a murmur of laughter. “Get dressed and I’ll take you home before we wind up in bed again.”
She obeyed unwillingly, reluctant to end the pleasant interlude, and Kyle was fully dressed by the time she had finished buttoning up her gown. She was beginning to pin up her hair when she felt his hands warm on her shoulders and the press of his lips against her nape. “Leave your hair loose,” he whispered. “I like it better that way.”
Selena shuddered, loving the way his hands and mouth felt on her body. His caresses were addictive. And it seemed as if he, too, were addicted to touching her, for his hands glided around her to cup her breasts.
“Wanton,” he said with a chuckle when she arched shamelessly against his palms, but there was unmistakable approval in his voice.
Perhaps she was wanton, Selena reflected as they went downstairs to take their leave of their hostess. She had thrown herself at Kyle and practically forced him to make love to her. But she didn’t regret it. At least now he wasn’t avoiding her. Far from it. When she was seated before him on his big roan horse, Kyle wrapped an arm securely around her waist, settling her firmly against his body.
And the closeness between them this morning wasn’t merely physical. Their hearts and minds seemed to be touching, as well. As they left both towns behind, Kyle continued to tease her with an intimacy that would have shocked her a month before. He roasted her particularly about Angel’s parting comment. The redhead had told Selena that if she ever required a job, she knew where to come. But while Kyle jested about Selena’s ability to become a prime attraction, his threat to flay her alive if she so much as put a toe inside Heaven’s Gate again held a possessiveness that warmed her. As they rode along the sun-dappled road beneath sentinel oaks and venerable cedars, Selena relaxed against him, enjoying the solid play of muscles at her back and the strong beat of his heart.
Only when they were in sight of Montrose did reality intrude on their intimacy. Selena felt Kyle suddenly stiffen, and she followed his gaze to where a gig had drawn up before the house. A woman and child were seated in the carriage, while Bea stood beside them, deep in conversation. In spite of her best intentions, Selena felt her heart sink. Then she firmly yanked it back up again. Danielle was part of the legacy she had inherited when she married Kyle.
“I didn’t plan this,” Kyle said quickly, as if worried about her reaction.
“I know,” Selena answered with determined serenity. “I did. I thought you might like to have some time with your son, so I invited Danielle and Clay to visit.”
Kyle placed a finger under her chin, turning her face toward his. He searched her eyes for a moment, then shook his head. “You,” he said in soft amazement, “are the damnedest woman.”
She wasn’t certain but she thought it might be a compliment. She couldn’t mistake the approval in the tender smile Kyle gave her. It was reward enough, she decided, for her efforts to quell her jealousy.
The meeting wasn’t awkward at all after the first moment, for everyone took their cue from her. When she greeted Danielle warmly and shook her hand, treating Danielle for what she was—a close family friend—they all relaxed.
After that the visit took on the air of a holiday. Selena shook Clay’s hand, too, which made him giggle, and then proposed a picnic, saying she had promised Felicity one.
“Pic-nic,” Clay parroted, clapping his hands.