Why did I feel so undone around him? When he looked up at me, it sent my groin into a tizzy. Inexplicable.
'It’s just a twist,' he said, his fingers remaining against my skin. 'You’ll be all right. Bit of rest, bit of ice.'
His fingers pressed once, testing the joint, and my pulse quickened.When I inhaled sharply, he narrowed his eyes at me.
‘Pain?’ he asked.
I swallowed hard and shook my head. Those blue eyes darkened just enough to slap me out of whatever nonsense I indulged in.
Standing, I winced at the cold ground beneath my naked foot and cleared my throat. ‘Thanks, but I really must get on. Will you grab the floral centrepieces from the greenhouse and bring them indoors, please?’
‘Of course.’ Henry stood as I took my boot and pulled it back on before walking past him, ignoring the ache in my ankle.
'And Amanda?’ I turned as he said my name, the sound adding another ribbon of heat. ‘Next time you want to watch me chop wood, maybe do it from a safe distance, yeah?'
Mortification exploded in my chest. 'I was not watching you.'
He stepped closer to me, reaching out and running his thumb over my jaw. I should have stepped back, told him to fuck off, but I couldn’t help myself. I tipped my head just a fraction into his touch.
'I enjoyed being watched by you.’
That gravelly voice. That infuriating calm. He looked down at me, head tilted, eyes filled with soft amusement. 'You okay?'
'Fine,' I lied.
Then he left me there, all topsy turvy and both infuriated at his gall, and wet as his brazenness.
Maybe the puppy had teeth after all.
six
HENRY
By afternoon,Amanda was in a tizzy all over again. The champagne had been mistakenly delivered to the local pub, and she insisted we retrieve it at once.
Not that I minded an afternoon pub trip.
TheTipsy Otterwas already heaving by the time I pulled up in the ancient Land Rover, which was more duct tape than anything else. The village glowed, all golden windows, misted glass, and the bubble of merriment from within the busy pub.
Amanda stiffened in the passenger seat, tugging her coat tighter around her. 'It looks busy.'
'It’s nearly Christmas, the place will be stuffed until January third after Hogmany.'
Amanda frowned. 'Sounds ghastly. We’re just collecting the champagne, no socialising.'
'Course, quick in, quick out. No danger of actually enjoying anything remotely festive.'
She shot me a look. 'I do enjoy things. Just not festivities. There’s nothing wrong with that.'
‘I mean, you’ve made the Christmas trees at the manor look like a sad, beige forest.’ I probably shouldn’t poke the bear, but I couldn’t help myself.
‘Just because you know nothing about style, doesn’t mean the rest of the world wants that. I’m paid for my opinions,you are not.’ The village lights reflected on her grumpy face, and I bit back a smile.
'I give my opinions for free, aren’t you lucky?'
The village looked like a Christmas postcard. Fairy lights looped from lamppost to lamppost, and the cute coloured doors were decked with wreaths. A glistening frost gazed over everything in a glittering layer.
Stepping out of the Land Rover had nearly ended with me on my arse, grabbing the door at the last second to steady myself.
