Free Boxed Set: Innocent Immigrant by Jax Lusty Page A

insisted.
    “I’m not laughing at you; my smile is because your feisty spirit mixed with an appealing dose of timidity is so appealing. I love that you stand up for yourself when you feel overwhelmed.”
    He released my chin and came around the table, pulling out a chair alongside me. He took my shoulders and gently turned me on the stool where I sat so that I faced him. Then he sat in the chair, shuffling it close until his legs bracketed mine. As he leaned forward, he snaked his legs around the stool, and it felt as though he’d hooked his feet together behind me.
    I was imprisoned in a manner that startled me because again I’d become aroused. A growing part of me wished he’d envelop me with his arms in a similar manner to the way I felt trapped by his legs. At that moment, I wanted all of the responsibility for my future taken away from me because making a decision had suddenly become too hard.
    “Relax here.” He tapped the top of my thighs, which I’d clenched together, not to relieve that intermittent ache between them, but to prevent them resting against his. To do so would be giving in, letting him win, and even worse, I knew I would enjoy the feeling.
    “Here, Katie.” He slipped one hand between my thighs, just above my knees, spreading his fingers to push my legs apart. As I allowed my muscles to relax, my legs did indeed fall against his, bringing that beautiful smile to his face. I noticed for the first time a small dimple in his left cheek, and the way his smile reached his eyes, lightening their colour.
    “Why don’t we stay with the eyes a moment, Katie? Keep looking at me, and let your mind be easy.”
    I did as he asked and felt myself relax, my breathing steady. I wanted to stay looking at him this way, studying his face properly for the first time. His eyebrows arched in gentle curves, framing the deep blue pools of irises many women would envy. Like this, his eyes were kind, his mouth quirking a little at the corners, showing his pleasure in me. His jaw was strong, without the puffiness of many men equal to his position I’d seen on the ship. They had taken too much rich food and liquor, and not performed enough physical labour, so that their cheeks hung slack, draping over the bony structure of their faces.
    Indeed, Griff Tucker was a handsome man.
    “Shall we start today again?” he asked gently.
    “Yes...yes, I’d like that.” I glanced towards Ari, to gauge his reaction.
    “Uh-uh, stay looking at me.”
    I slipped my gaze back to his eyes.
    “Now, I’m going into the Mission as I explained before. You can spend the morning with Ari and the horses. If you have any questions about last night, you can ask them now, or talk to Ari through the morning. I know what you saw was a shock to you, but if you agree to become my wife, you will become accustomed to these acts, and dare I say, take much pleasure from them. That is Ari’s and my duty to you. Do you understand?”
    For some reason, it all now made sense and wasn’t as frightening as it had seemed before. “Yes, I understand,” I told him.
    “Good. Don’t forget now, if you misbehave, Ari has the birch.”
    I blushed at the idea, and again came the thought that even the birch didn’t seem so much of a threat.
    He stood, and I immediately missed the heat and comfort of his thighs. As he passed me to gather his jacket, he pressed his lips to the top of my head, creating a warm spot that I found I could recall as a physical memory most of that morning.
    ~o0o~
    I spent the morning with Ari on the farm. On the way to the paddocks, he pointed out his favourite manuka bush, asking me if I could see any obvious places he’d removed the thin branches to make a birch. When I looked aghast, he laughed and told me he was teasing.
    We went to a paddock where three mares and their foals grazed. I waited outside the gate, but Ari entered the field, walking around the mares, scratching and petting them before applying his touch to the