She rolled her eyes and tossed a seashell at him. “Go! And stop bragging about your prowess.”
He reached over and tweaked her nose. “It is all a complete waste of time. I am not going to marry again.”
But as he spoke the words, an odd feeling came over him.
He could not credit it and refused to credit it because… No, it was too far-fetched.
Eden?
Chapter Four
Eden stared upat Connor, her nose still twitching because he had just given it a playful tweak. He cast her a smile that melted her heart, leaned temptingly close, and asked whether she thought the London diamonds would flutter over him.
What conceit! He knew they all would.
Even she could not stop gawking at him while his shirt was pasted to his broad chest and she could make out every muscle and sinew of his magnificent body. His shirt, that gloriously wet shirt, had become practically transparent, and she saw every ripple along the flat planes of his stomach and noted every flex of his powerful arms.
Oh, my.
His trousers were made of sturdier material, so there was no transparency there—and thank goodness, for that would have been quite the scandal. But the dark fabric clung to his long, well-shaped legs. The legs of a warrior, hard and muscled.
Good grief.
He was called a Silver Duke for a reason. These men were unattainable gods.
“Yes, Connor. Those peahens will flutter around you, as you well know. Now go on before I toss a hunk of moldy cheese at you.”
He laughed, gave her a light kiss on the cheek, and then took himself off.
Her own heart did not merely flutter but took flying leaps the moment his warm lips pressed softly against her cheek.
This was not good.
She did not want to have feelings for Connor beyond the longstanding friendship between them. They had developed a pleasant and easy rapport over the years. She adored his mother and his children.
Having feelings for him would complicate everything.
And now her parents had arrived to add to the complications.
She would have found an excuse to leave the party and return home had they not shown up, but their presence had chased her out of her own house. This was a nightmare for her. She could not abide their constant battles. All their refined airs and social graces were forgotten whenever they faced each other. Why did they always have to fight in front of her?
Rather than endure them, she had chosen to spend the week at Connor’s home. But how would this be any easier for her? She could not deny that her feelings toward him had changed recently. Their friendship was evolving in a new and dangerous direction, as far as she was concerned.
Could she stop herself from falling in love with him?
Sighing, she watched him disappear up the row of stairs and follow Brewster back to the house. Once he was out of sight, she returned her attention to his children. For now, they were playing nicely together while building their sandcastle.
Eden stowed their food in the pouch—not that anything remained other than a morsel barely enough to feed a mouse—and then joined them in their project.
“What did you do with your spectacles?” young Connor asked when he realized she had taken them off.
“I tucked them away to keep them safe. The metal frame heated under the sun and became too uncomfortable on my nose.”
He cast her an approving stare that was far too grown-up for his young years. “You look nice without them.”
Alex and Priscilla agreed.
“Well, I need them to see in the distance or else everything looks a blur,” Eden said, trying to sound sensible when she was still reeling from the casual kiss their father had planted on her cheek. Had he thought twice about the gesture? She doubted he was even aware he had done it.
