Free An Act of Love by Brooke Hastings

Randy retorted. She
knew by the sparkle in his eyes that he was only needling her, but
couldn't help snapping at the bait. To be called a vestal virgin was
bad enough, but
chubby
? And a
child
?
    "When my father finds out that you've got me instead of
Lin he'll have your head," she warned him. "He's very
protective…"
    "Come off it, Linda. I've seen your sister and I've spoken
to her on the phone. There's a picture on your father's desk of the two
of you and I've seen that, also. One more word about being Miranda and
I swear I'll turn you over my knee…" He cut himself off,
grinning at her. "But don't worry. I'll make sure you enjoy it as much
as I do."
    By now Randy didn't trust herself to speak. The man was
totally impossible. He wouldn't listen to a word she said, he was the
worst tease she'd ever had the misfortune to encounter, and his
self-confidence was so great that it approached epic proportions. It
took her a few minutes to calm down enough to realize that she was
handling him all wrong. She wasn't sure just what he wanted from Linda,
but the simplest way to resolve the situation was to find out and give
it to him. She could afford to be charitable—after all, she'd
have the last laugh when they met again in New York.
    She finished up her coffee and started to toy with the
cup, asking ingenuously, "Where are we, Luke?"
    "It's enough for you to know that we're somewhere in
Maine, at a cabin my great-uncle left me. It's a long
story—I'll tell you about it sometime. But right now you need
to clean up the kitchen and get to bed. Tomorrow will be a long day."
    Randy didn't bother to ask what he meant. As she worked in
the kitchen Luke brought in more wood from outside, stacking it on the
hearth. Randy quickly realized that there was no heat in the cabin
beyond what was provided by the fire.
    Luke brushed off his pants, yawned and stretched. "Unless
you want to freeze your beautiful backside off, leave your bedroom door
open. It gets cold here at night. And if you want a shower do it now,
because I turn the water heater onto pilot at night to save gas.
Everything has to be flown in."
    There was no lock on the bathroom door and Randy was
half-afraid that Luke would try to stroll in and watch her, but he
apparently had more finesse than that. The long-sleeved, high-necked
flannel nightgown wasn't the kind of sleepwear that drove men mad, so
she wasn't particularly concerned when she opened the door to find him
standing just outside—until he dropped a hand onto her
shoulder. No man, she told herself, had the right to be so sexy,
especially not Luke Griffin. His closeness made her pulses race, but
she forced a boredom into her voice that she was far from feeling.
    "Did you want something?" she asked coolly.
    He studied her detached expression for an uncomfortably
long moment, then removed his hand. Since Randy was trapped between the
wall and his body there was no need for him to actually touch her in
order to detain her. "Yes, I want something," he murmured.
    He twined a large hand through her hair to gently pull her
head up and placed his other hand on her neck, the thumb lightly
caressing her jaw. Randy met his gaze with a level stare, resolutely
ignoring the fact that his hands were scorching her face. He kissed her
softly on the mouth, rubbing his lips back and forth over her own, but
she refused to respond. Fortunately he didn't persist, but straightened
up and shook his head, smiling. "But it doesn't look like I'll get it
tonight." Then he walked into the bathroom, closing the door just a
little too hard.
    Back in her own room Randy snuggled under the goosedown
covers and curled up into a tight ball, trying to warm up. She'd won a
minor victory just now and permitted herself the luxury of relishing
it. Luke was obviously annoyed that she hadn't tumbled straight into
his bed, and her rejection must have been all the more galling since he
thought it had come from a woman who'd allegedly had more lovers than
she