Free Twice the Temptation by Suzanne Enoch

coat.”
     
      “You won’t throw her out in the street?”
     
      He turned his head, gazing at her. “Providing a bowl of cream isn’t a very great sacrifice,” he said slowly. “I think we’ll manage.”
     
      “Good,” she said, smiling.
     
      “Unless you wish her.”
     
      “Oh, no. Mama would never have an animal in the house. She doesn’t like to trip over things.”
     
      There seemed to be a great many things her mother didn’t tolerate. “Then she’ll stay with me. I would appreciate if you would name her, though. The only thing I could come up with is Claws, or perhaps Scratchy, but that’s when she was a boy cat.”
     
      With another chuckle, Evangeline freed the kitten’s claws from his coat and lifted her up to look her in the eye. “Elektra,” she said after a moment.
     
      “Ah, the father-killing heroine of Greek myth.” Somehow, her choice wasn’t a bit surprising. She seemed something of a man-killer, herself.
     
      “If you don’t like it, then choose something else.”
     
      “Elektra is fine.”
     
      “Hmph.”
     
      “Truly. I like it. Elektra. Very nice. A strong name for a brave young kitten. All of the others ran away, you know. She stayed to get her share of milk.”
     
      Finally Evangeline’s mouth softened again. Good. At least she wasn’t mad at him. Now, though, at the sight of her upcurved, slightly parted lips, he wanted to kiss her. He’d been dreaming of kissing her again for the past three nights, uncertain whether it had been as pleasant and stimulating as he remembered, or whether he’d been too drunk to realize that nothing spectacular had happened at all.
     
      “You are an unusual man,” she commented quietly, cuddling Elektra against her chest, “taking in stray kittens and inviting women who’ve slapped you out to luncheon.”
     
      So she remembered the kiss, too—or at least the end of it. “I kissed you without invitation. I deserved to be slapped.”
     
      “And so now you’re a completely proper gentleman?”
     
      “No. But the next time we kiss, I will ask you first.”
     
      Her cheeks darkened. “What makes you think there will be a next time?”
     
      “Because I can’t imagine there not being one.”
     
      That stopped her for a moment. She sat beside him, absently scratching Elektra and gazing at the crowded London streets around them. Apparently he’d given the correct response, since she hadn’t slapped him or thrown the cat at his head. And oddly enough, he’d also given a completely honest response. He did want to kiss her again, and however efficiently she seemed to evade him, he knew—knew—he would kiss her again.
     
      “Where are we going?” she asked finally, still not facing him.
     
      “St. James’s Park. I thought we might picnic beside the pond.”
     
      “That sounds nice.”
     
      He nodded, fighting against the urge to smile. “Did you bring your evil gemstone?” he queried, mostly to give her a moment to recover her usual, more acerbic self.
     
      “No, I didn’t. I told you it was nonsense. There’s no such thing as a diamond giving someone bad luck or good luck.”
     
      “There are those who would dispute that. As we’re here together and it’s elsewhere, I, for instance, would say that its absence is good luck.”
     
      “For you, perhaps.”
     
      “But if my theory is correct, to prove it you would only need to wear it, and I would fall off the carriage and break my neck.”
     
      Finally she faced him again, her expression serious, but her hazel eyes dancing. “If only I could be certain, I might risk it.”
     
      “Very amusing, Gilly. I consider that your leaving it behind means you like me and don’t wish me to lose any appendages.”
     
      “Suit yourself, butI merely considered a diamond necklace too much decoration for a picnic.”
     
      Connoll grinned. “Very well. I’ll be grateful and keep my peace.”