Free Carousel by Barbara Baldwin Page B

huge table and worked as he ate. Knowing Jaci enjoyed dining with Amanda and the household staff rather than with him burned in his gut. Of course, it would have appeared inappropriate if he had asked her to join him, for although he considered her a lady, she was a member of his staff.
    It pleased him greatly, therefore, when she followed him into his study to ask that Amanda begin taking her meals with him. If the child sat at table, that meant her governess would have to sit there also, instead of hiding away in her room. Of course, it wouldn't do to let her know how much he favored the idea. She might decide against it if only to be contrary.
    "A five-year-old child has no business sitting at table with adults." He loved to bait her, for her eyes sparked with defiance and her cheeks glowed with color.
    "She must learn table manners, and what better way than to model the behavior of her elders."
    He moved closer, for she smelled of springtime even though heavy frost had hit the meadows last eve. He watched her lips as she spoke and recalled the one time he had kissed her. It had begun more to calm her, though passion lay beneath the surface, and now he wondered what she would say if he kissed her again. "Are you saying I'm old?"
    "You know that's not what I meant." Her blush grew brighter.
    "Dinner is a place for adult conversation. Perhaps instead, you would care to join me?"
    "I, well, that is..."
    Nicholas thought he had pushed her too far when she gave a sigh and turned away. It appeared she needed only to collect her thoughts, for in a moment she turned back, her eyes once again full of fire.
    "I will consent to dine with you, if Amanda can, also. The opportunity will be there for her to listen and learn from adult conversation. Besides, she adores you and doesn't see you except for riding lessons."
    Now that was hitting below the belt, he thought, for he loved his niece, and wanted only what was best for her. To retaliate, he decided to see how far Miss Eastman was willing to go to obtain her desired objective.
    "Are you, perhaps, afraid to spend time alone with me?" The question brought him closer.
    "No, of course not." She took a step back, coming to stop against the wall.
    "Do you think I might take advantage of you?" He raised a hand to each side of her head, bracing them on the wall behind her and effectively blocking her escape.
    "No, I'm sure you wouldn't do that. You're a gentlemen, after all." She said the words, but he didn't think she quite believed them. Her gaze darted all around, looking for a way out.
    "Even a gentleman might be tempted," he breathed close to her temple, intoxicated by her essence. He turned his head a fraction and kissed the soft skin of her forehead. She trembled, but when a tumultuous sigh escaped, tickling his neck, it was his undoing.
    One hand remained braced against the wall, holding him steady and slightly apart from her. The other gently tilted her chin. As he lowered his head, he caught the glint of passion in her eyes and smiled. Not a smile of spite, for he didn't want her on opposite sides from him. He smiled for joy that she shared some of the same feelings that had been tormenting him throughout the past months of her employment at Wildwood.
    Her lips were as he remembered: hot and soft and sweet. He ached to move closer, but deliberately held himself back, keeping a very thin barrier of air between them, until she stepped away from the wall, wrapping her arms around his neck. He groaned, circling her waist and pulling her to him. Passion ignited quickly and he couldn't have said who started it; only that he didn't want it to end.
    He slanted his mouth across hers; his tongue traced the softness of her lips. When his hands slid down to her buttocks to tighten his hold, she didn't pull away from the evidence of his passion. She didn't even gasp. Instead, she moved her hips in a subtle but erotic motion and Nicholas thought he would make love to her right there on the