Page 40 of House of Thorns
Chapter Eleven
A Hound on the Hunt
Raw attraction. Pure, raw attraction overwhelmed Nicholas as he found himself drowning in Olivia’s expressive, jade-green eyes. She was beautiful, impossible to resist, like a fairy creature from another realm.
She stepped back, but an invisible string pulled him forward. He couldn’t be part from her. No man could. Her lips called him like a siren. His hand lifted of its own will to run a thumb down the line of her jaw in a caress of the gentlest kind.
Her lashes dipped, the silent, slight movement a loud testament to the truth. She, like he, couldn’t deny the raw attraction between them, ignited the moment their lips touched in his mother’s garden.
Then, she was melting against him. For all her curves, she felt so fragile in his arms, yet he knew her to be a pillar of strength, a firebrand.
Who moved first, he couldn’t say. It didn’t matter. Her lips touched his, soft, warm, satiny, and for a timeless, blissful moment, the world was right. The tip of her tongue teased his. The scent of her hair unleashed a deep desire to graze his teeth down the soft flesh of her neck.
Then, as quickly as it began, the magical moment ended.
“Forgive me,” she said, abruptly pulling away.
Forgive me—not the exact words he wanted to hear. There would be no good ending to a sentence that began with ‘forgive.’
“Why?” he asked, his voice hoarse even to his own ears.
She met his gaze fully, guilt suffusing her face. “Lord help me, how could I do this to my own cousin?”
Relief that her reluctance stemmed only from Deborah’s lies warred with the dismay that she still believed them. Hadn’t he managed to clear his name—even a bit? “I swear upon my soul that I never touched her, lass.”
Doubt clouded her eyes. At least part of her wanted to believe him, but that only meant the remainder didn’t. He drew a sharp breath. Such was the price of his reputation.
But then, he had only himself to blame.
Olivia swallowed and took another step back. “Still, this is a mistake.”
By God, how he wanted to follow her, sweep her into his arms, and kiss sense into those sweet lips. Instead, with every ounce of willpower, he forced himself to ask calmly, “How?”
Olivia rolled her eyes with a snort. “These stains, for a start.” She held out her hands.
He caught her fingers and covered them with kisses.
She jerked her hand, but it was a half-hearted tug. “You are making this difficult.”
“I’m delighted to hear it,” he chuckled, knowing the half-hearted tug spoke volumes.
“We stand an ocean apart,” she breathed. “I am a working woman.”
Nicholas dropped a slow kiss on her palm, his gaze locked with hers. Again, the tantalizing lashes dipped. Her breath hitched.
Then, she regained control and rolled her eyes. “I’m serious.”
“As am I,” he murmured in his most seductive tone.
He was so close to kissing her, of tasting those lips again. Already, he could see her resolve waver.
Something leapt from the shelves above.
“What—” He jumped back.
Olivia laughed as a large tabby cat lifted its twitching tail and strolled down the counter.
“May I introduce you to Mr. Peppers?” She reached over and tickled the cat under his chin. “He’s always sneaking in here, causing problems.”
