Free The Reluctant Suitor by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss Page A

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    ve truly enjoyed seeing you again.”
    A tentative smile tugged at the soft lips as he beckoned her forward, and when she finally complied, albeit hesitantly, he laid an arm about her shoulders. “My sister hugged me and welcomed me back, Adriana.
    Might I dare hope that you’re delighted enough with my return to do the same?”
    “Welcome home, my lord,” she murmured, offering him a tentative smile as she drew a step closer.
    “Come, give us a hug,” he urged warmly, as if she were only a child of six again. “And a kiss.” Her apparent reluctance caused him to crinkle a brow above a warmly glowing, yet somewhat dubious stare.
    “You’re not afraid of me, now are you? Where is that little girl whose pluck won my father’s admiration?
    ”
    Considering that every eye in the hall was upon her, Adriana mentally took a deep breath to barricade herself against the nervous jitters. How could they understand that in all her life this was the only man
    who, as a youth, had wounded her so deeply that she hadn’t yet forgotten it? She had often wondered if that singular experience had been the reason she didn’t allow suitors to get too close even now.
    Tentatively she slipped an arm about his shoulders as he bent near to accommodate her height. Even so, she felt her heart hammering in her chest and found that very strange indeed, considering that she had come to believe that no man frightened her. She was rather surprised to hear the chortling laughter of the other nobles as her lips brushed his warmly bronzed cheek.
    “There now, that’s better,” Colton murmured near her ear before he drew away. When Adriana looked up, she found her gaze ensnared by the glittering sheen of the gray eyes. A pleased smile curved his handsome lips, deepening the furrows in his cheeks. His voice was husky and muted as it invaded her senses. “Now I truly feel welcomed home.”
    “So that’s how you wrangle a kiss from the pretty ones,” Stuart observed drolly from several paces away. Grinning, he eagerly beckoned to Adriana. “Leave that wily rascal, my girl, and come here to me.
    Although I may not have known you as well as his lordship before his departure, I’ve certainly become better acquainted with you since. Am I not more deserving of your affection? Am I not more pleasing to look upon?”
    Chuckling at the other’s playful cajoling, Colton laid a hand lightly on the sleeve covering Adriana’s forearm, as if to forestall the possibility of her falling into the man’s trap. “Stay near, my dear,” he advised roguishly. “You need my stalwart protection, for the major is obviously a rake, of whom tender young maids such as yourself should be wary.”
    At the major’s scoffing hoot, Colton slipped his own arm about the lady’s shoulders and faced his challenger with a grin that seemed waggishly proud of his triumph over the other. Colton was amazed to feel his senses awakening to the delicate scent of roses that clung to the lady. Dipping his head near the brim of her top hat again, he breathed in the intoxicating bouquet.
    “Your fragrance reminds me of Mother’s rose garden from years back,” he murmured warmly. “Do you suppose there are any blooms in it this time of year? I’d be pleased if you’d show it to me ere the day is over.”
    If the warmth in her cheeks didn’t cause her enough chagrin, Adriana could feel the heat rising to her ears. To her regret, her tormentor noticed and seemed somewhat amazed as he brushed a fingertip along the dainty fold curving over the top of an ear, just beneath the brim of her hat. “I do believe you’re blushing, Adriana.”
    Although Colton would’ve acted no differently had he thought of the young man who had chased her into the house, it soon became apparent his presumptuousness in handling the lady with casual ease snapped that one’s restraint. With eyes blazing, the fellow crossed the hall with long, outraged strides.
    The brisk, intrusive approach of