Feeling the sting of tears at the back of her throat, Carly twisted said carroty mess into a quick knot. Liv would have hated Dare James, she felt sure. She would have said he was overbearing and obnoxious and... Carly frowned. Actually, Liv probably would have found him funny and flirtatious. She definitely would have thought that his muscles were ‘divine’—her favourite expression—and no doubt those rose-coloured glasses she’d viewed life through would have had her thinking him a hero always wanting to ride in and save the day.
Carly shook her head. Some hero coming over all macho and moving an injured child without first getting medical clearance. So, it was likely only a sprain. He hadn’t known that, had he?
The man had heartbreak city written all over his horrible face and it was very lucky he’d gone without saying goodbye because she would have told him exactly what she thought of him. She would have told him... A hot flush rose up her neckline as she remembered the way she had wrapped herself around him in the forest like an anaconda in heat.
God, how embarrassing.
But she wouldn’t think about that. The fact was he was gone and she needed to concentrate on her future. On a plan for her future. He could go jump on his white charger and choose some other woman’s heart to stomp on. Some other woman to ruin. Her lips twisted into a brittle smile. She’d been in one disastrous relationship already and the old adage held true: once bitten twice shy.
And here she was thinking about him again.
Frustrated, she closed her bedroom door and headed down the hallway. It was just that, okay, she could see the appeal he held with his athletic build, and maybe that take-charge mentality meant that he did things exceptionally well when he did them. Like kiss.
The man knew what to do with his mouth, that was for sure. He’d kissed her as if he’d owned her and she’d loved it. An involuntary shudder raced through her. The truth was, being in Dare James’s arms had made her feel incredibly soft and feminine, and, yes, if she was being honest, sexy. He’d made her feel so very sexy.
Her toes curled inside her heels at the thought. No amount of talking to herself late into the night had been able to reassure her that Daniel’s constant cheating had been merely a reflection of who he was as a person, instead of who she was as a woman. Somehow she had still felt a small twinge of responsibility for his infidelities because she’d known his libido was a lot higher than hers. He’d told her often enough.
But with Dare...
Carly sighed when she realised where her thoughts were headed again. He’s gone, she reminded herself briskly. And now she wouldn’t be distracted in her care of the Baron, nor would she be constantly on edge, looking over her shoulder for when she might next run into him. He could go throw that swaggering grin and dimpled cheek at some other poor woman and see how she liked it.
A lot, probably. Especially if he kissed her as well. Carly swallowed heavily. If he touched her breasts and did that thing with his fingers—
‘Mind if I accompany you down to dinner?’
Whirling around at the sound of his voice, Carly clapped her hand over heart as if that might stop it from flying out of her chest. Goddammit, where was a defib when you needed one?
She sucked in a lungful of air. ‘What are you doing, creeping up on me like that?’ she fumed. Her face bright red as much from the carnal thoughts she’d been having as the fright she’d just received.
Dare’s brow rose questioningly. ‘I don’t believe I’ve ever crept anywhere.’
Carly’s lips compressed together at his mocking tone. ‘Stalking, then.’
He gave a short laugh. ‘Not my style either. Maybe this is just a happy coincidence.’
Carly frowned. ‘I thought you had left,’ she said accusingly.
‘Without saying goodbye?’ His eyes moved lazily down her body, making her want to squirm. ‘Are you really so eager to see the back of me, Red?’
Did he even need to ask? ‘You were the one who said you were going,’ she pointed out coolly. ‘And I heard your raucous death trap take off down the driveway hours ago.’
He shrugged. ‘I needed to go for a ride. Clear my thinking.’