Free A Christmas Knight by Kate Hardy

for him, because he could pretend he’d never had a child. So now you understand why I have to say no.’
    â€˜I understand why you want to say no,’ he said. ‘But I’m so aware of you. And sometimes I catch your eye at work or at the stables and I think it’s the same for you, too. There’s chemistry between us.’
    â€˜Yes,’ she admitted with a sigh. ‘But I can’t possibly act on it.’
    Though she hadn’t loosened her hand from his. Which was a good sign. He drew her hand up to his mouth and kissed the back of it, very gently. ‘I like you, Louisa. And I happen to like your son. He’s got a good heart and he’s kind. Yes, he’s very direct and he’ll only talk about what he’s interested in—if you try and head him off, he’ll changethe subject right back. Some people would find that hard to deal with, but I’m used to that already because of Andy. It doesn’t worry me.’
    Her eyes were very clear. ‘Tyler likes you.’
    â€˜Good.’ He paused. And she’d admitted that she was attracted to him. ‘This thing between you and me—how about we keep it just between us, see where it takes us? And, as far as everyone else is concerned, we’re just good friends.’
    â€˜You mean, have a secret affair?’
    â€˜No,’ he said. ‘I don’t mean anything tawdry or hole-in-the-corner. I mean we’ll keep it to ourselves until we’re sure what we’re doing and we’re ready to let other people know that we’re seeing each other.’
    â€˜Did she hurt you that much?’
    He frowned. ‘Who?’
    â€˜The woman who’s made you wary of relationships.’
    He shook his head. ‘It isn’t what you think. I used to be—well, I guess I had a bit of a reputation. All my relationships were short and sweet, just for fun, but it was always mutual. I simply never met anyone who made me want to change that and settle down. And then…’ Then he’d caused his brother to end up in a wheelchair. Everything had seemed different after that. ‘Life changed,’ he said, knowing it was way too succinct but not quite ready to tell her the rest. ‘I decided to focus on my career. Except now I’ve met you, and I can’t get you out of my head. And you make me want to try to be…’ He paused, trying to think of the right word. ‘Different.’
    â€˜Different, how?’ she asked. ‘What’s wrong with you as you are?’
    A million things, Dominic thought. ‘It’s complicated. And I don’t really want to talk about it right now.’ He knew he was being unreasonable; she’d opened up to him, so heought to do the same with her. But this was all so new. He wanted her to know him better before he told her about Oliver.
    â€˜So this is just between you and me.’
    This time, he knew, she wasn’t saying no. ‘Just between you and me,’ he echoed softly. He kissed the inside of her wrist, and his mouth tingled at the contact. He knew it affected her the same way, because he felt the shiver running through her. ‘Louisa.’
    She cupped his face with her free hand. ‘I’m out of practice at this.’
    â€˜That makes two of us.’ He turned his head so he could kiss her palm.
    â€˜Dominic…’
    And then he was kissing her properly. A sweet, tender, exploring kiss that left them both shaking.
    A tear slid down her face when he broke the kiss.
    â€˜Don’t cry, honey.’ He wiped away the tear with the pad of his thumb.
    â€˜I just…never expected this.’
    â€˜Neither did I. Work and the stables were going to be my life. Until you walked into the restroom. That’s why I was so rude to you—it threw me,’ he said.
    â€˜I thought you were being all formal and unapproachable.’
    â€˜No. I was trying to keep some distance