Free The Color of Love by Radclyffe Page B

irksome and appealing all at once. A lot like the woman
herself.
    “If I didn’t know better,” Emily said,
feigning annoyance, “I’d think you did that on purpose.”
    “I might have, if I’d known you would have
enjoyed it.”
    “I didn’t say that.” Emily narrowed her eyes.
“Do you actually enjoy shocking people?”
    “Were you?” Derian asked quietly, suddenly
very close. “Shocked?”
    “No,” Emily said, unable to hide the truth.
“I was not.”
    “What then?”
    “Surprised,” Emily whispered, “that’s all.”
    “So you don’t really find me shocking?”
Derian traced a finger over the top of Emily’s hand.
    “No,” Emily said softly, feeling the weight
of Derian’s finger pulse in her center. “I find you unexpected.”
    Derian’s gaze intensified. “Not like the
rumors and gossip columns would have you believe?”
    “I might be guilty of enjoying the glitz and
glamour of your world,” Emily said, letting Derian search her eyes, “but I can
tell reality from fantasy in my own.”
    “Can you?” Derian murmured, catching Emily’s
fingers in her palm. “How about tonight?”
    “What about tonight?” Emily had the oddest
sensation she was falling into the undercurrents swirling in Derian’s eyes and
wondered if she cared.
    “Are you sure you wouldn’t like this to be a
date?” Derian’s fingers linked with Emily’s. “Because I would.”
    “I can’t think of a worse idea.”
    Derian didn’t look offended. She looked
curious. “Why?”
    “Oh, a million reasons,” Emily said lightly,
resisting the urge to step back. She couldn’t retreat. She never retreated. And
if she did now, Derian would know in an instant she was attracted. She could
hardly be blamed for an unconscious and purely automatic response. Derian
Winfield was beautiful, intelligent, clever, and surprisingly tender. “You’re
Henrietta’s niece, and it’s probably not a good idea for us to have any kind of
personal relationship under the best of circumstances, but definitely not
these. You’re likely to disappear at any moment, which is fine, really, but
there’s no point in pretending that we have anything in common. So I think any
kind of relationship between us should be purely friendly and professional.”
    The corner of Derian’s mouth worked as if she
were trying not to laugh. Emily frowned. “What?”
    “Friendly and professional. Right.” Derian
leaned forward, kissed Emily softly on the mouth. “Okay.”
    Emily’s lips parted as Derian released her
hand. Her heart thundered in her ears and a twisting sensation coiled inside
her. She wasn’t sure if it was the kiss or Derian’s audacity that disoriented
her, but for an instant, she forgot everything except the smooth heat of Derian
Winfield’s mouth. The kiss was barely a kiss, just a fleeting touch, silky
soft. Just enough to make her lips tingle. She tugged at her lower lip for a
second, willing the sensation to disappear. There. Much better. She stared at
Derian, found her watching her with a dark, penetrating expression that made
her shiver.
    “Why did you do that?”
    Derian shrugged, looking not the least bit
perturbed by the annoyance in Emily’s tone. “Because I’ve been thinking about
it since I stepped into the shower. And because you have an incredibly
attractive mouth.”
    “But I just said—”
    “I know,” Derian said easily. “I heard. But
if it’s all right with you, I’m going to disagree.”
    “With what?” Emily folded her arms, watching
Derian light candles at each end of a dining table set into an alcove with
floor-to-ceiling windows and a spectacular view of the park.
    “The purely professional part. I’m good with
friendly, though.” Derian tapped a console on the wall and quiet strains of
music filled the room.
    Feeling began to return to Emily’s hands and
feet. She hadn’t realized she couldn’t feel them until then. She concentrated
on keeping her voice steady. “I should