. He demanded that she work hard, but Raven found herself craving his praise. Even the slightest compliment warmed her more than was warranted.
She proved a fast learner and appeared to surprise him with her agility and quickness, but to her admittedly untrained eye, Kell’s skill seemed truly remarkable. When in an offhanded tone she asked how he had become so good, he surprised her by giving her a candid reply.
“It was a retaliation of sorts against my uncle. He was a champion fencer, and I was eager to deflate his pride. So I set out to compete on his level and even excel. I relished the day I was good enough to challenge him and win.” His mouth curled, evidently at some dark memory. “Uncle William considered me part devil, and I made it a point to live up to my reputation.”
Raven would have liked to hear more but refrained from asking, already regretting having given Kell an opening to share further confidences.
The following week, she thought she would finally have a brief respite from Kell when the sun made an afternoon appearance. Declaring she had to get outdoors or go mad, she bundled up in her new cloak and braved the frigid temperatures to tromp about in the heavy snow.
To her dismay, however, Kell accompanied her.
The countryside sparkled a crystalline white and offered a breathtaking view, but all Raven could think about was the man beside her, especially when he took her elbow to help her maintain her balance on the slippery paths recently cleared by the Luttrell gardeners. She had just begun to grow accustomed to the texture and depths of the icy drifts when she was startled to feel a thud on her shoulder and a burst of snow spraying her face.
Kell had thrown a snowball at her, she realized in astonishment.
“I expect you’ve never engaged in a snow fight,” he said with a challenging grin.
“Now where would I have learned that?” Raven demanded, placing her hands on her hips in annoyance.
“There is an art to fashioning a good snowball. Would you like me to teach you?”
“I suppose so,” she replied, intrigued despite herself.
Quite against her will, she allowed him to introduce her to the deliciously childish pastime of a snow fighting.
For a time the air was filled with flying snow and laughter and shrieks of protest. Raven couldn’t remember when she had enjoyed herself more-or when Kell had seemed happier. It warmed her to see him so lighthearted. His smile had always been so elusive that she delighted in his devilish grin as he stalked her.
But then she hurled a well-aimed missile that sent his hat sailing, and he retaliated by tackling her face-first in a snowbank.
“Pax!” she cried, weak with mirth as she struggled to turn over.
When she found herself pinned beneath his weight, Raven suddenly stilled, gazing up at Kell. The sun picked up the glinting blue highlights in the ebony waves of his hair, while the cold had flushed his cheeks and his sensual mouth…
Kell froze as well, staring back at her. He was drowning, drowning in the shimmering ocean of her eyes. When he felt Raven shift uneasily beneath him, the sharp yearning welled up in him like an ache. He wanted so badly to stake his claim on her. What he wouldn’t give to be in a real bed with her just now, bringing her to pleasure and taking pleasure in return.
Seeing her laughter fade, though, Kell knew he had let his feverish lust become too apparent. Abruptly he rolled off her and helped her up, and they resumed their fight, yet the moment was no longer as blithe and natural between them.
Kell muttered an oath under his breath, not knowing how much more he could take of this tormenting dance. These past days had been a sadistic form of torture for him, as well as a severe exercise in control. He’d done his best to retire late and rise early to minimize the amount of time he had to endure lying next to Raven, burning with desire yet permitted to do nothing more than share his body heat.
It was no doubt fortunate she had erected a wall between them, he thought, watching her brush snow from her new cloak. He could fall for her so easily. He had never met a woman who tied him in such knots. Her merest smile left him breathless, while her touch sent fire streaking through him.
Yet he couldn’t make the dire mistake of falling in love with her. That was the surest path to heartache, for Raven would likely spurn him…and he would earn his brother’s resentment at the same stroke.
The more determined Kell was to deny his passion, however, the more fiercely his need grew to possess her. Three mornings later, he gave up trying to fight his longing when he woke to find Raven curled against him and his erection throbbing. He lay quietly watching her, feeling a powerful tenderness for this woman who was his wife.
His heart performed a somersault when she slowly stirred awake. She looked incredibly alluring-soft and sleepy, her defenses down, her hair falling loosely over her shoulders in a wild mane.
He resolved then to overcome her resistance, whatever it took…and he knew it would take a great deal when she reacted. Seeing him watching her, Raven abruptly started to draw back.
Kell wrapped his fingers in her hair. “Don’t go,” he murmured. “Stay and keep me warm.”
Obligingly she remained where she was, yet he could feel the tension in every part of her body.
He fingered a raven lock of her hair. “I’m still not certain what makes you so afraid to give yourself to me.”
Her gaze lowered, focusing on his bare chest. “I told you. I never intend to succumb to hopeless passion the way my mother did.”
“You never speak of your father,” Kell observed evenly.