Now he’d tasted her?
Well, he’d liked it even less.
She wasdelicious. In every sense.
“You know, I remember the year you taught Beavis to cheat.”
Her words dragged him from his contemplation and he scowled across the carriage at her. “What?”
Rosie sat primly, a book on her lap, swaying slightly with the motion of the train. When he’d picked her up today—and had practically begged Merida to come with them, as a chaperone—his traveling companion had been dressed as a pampered duke’s daughter, in a periwinkle wool traveling gown of the highest quality and a hat to match.
Cannae fault her sense of costuming, at least.
Hecouldfault Merida for claiming she had an engagement she couldn’t possibly miss, and therefore couldn’t chaperone them. “You are practically cousins,” she’d announced, eyes sparkling. “No one will think anything of it.”
Except Bull was having decidedlyuncousinly thoughts about Rosie…
Whose lips now twitched as she closed her book. “It was about four years ago. My brother could not understand why he kept losing to Lochlan and Keenan?—”
The memory popped into Bull’s head. “And I explained that they were Thorne’s sons, so they were cheating.”
She smiled. “And he insisted you teach him how to cheat.”
“He was…no’ verra good at it.”
“I know!” Her chuckle was deep, throaty. Arousing, dammit. “But he definitely enjoyed himself more after your lesson. He loses less often.”
The cards flashed again, one hand to the next, fanning in the air as he tossed them. Bull’s scowled eased in speculation. “Do ye play cards?”
“Oh yes.” Primly, she moved her book to the bench beside her. “A lady is expected to be able to play in polite company, after all.”
Bull hid his wince. Whist or Piquet didn’t sound that appealing, butanythingto pass the time…
To his surprise, Rosie reached across the car and snatched the cards from his hand. She shuffled competently, then shifted sideways so she could deal two cards face-down to the bench, and two cards face up. She turned to him with a brow raised in challenge.
Bull was unable to hide how impressed he was. “Vignt-un?” It wasn’t a game he expected her to know. “Dinnae tell me ye’re playing that in polite company.”
Her green eyes were sparkling with mischief. “I might be a lady, but I am also Demon Hayle’s daughter.”
“Dinnae remind me,” he groaned, moving to sit beside her and scoop up his cards. “He’s going to kill me.”
“Oh, grow some bollocks, ye toad-spotted cuntwomble.” As if she just hadn’t insulted the fook out of him with that chirpy little tone, Rosie studied her cards. “Ready?”
And despite telling himself he was going to do his best to avoid her during their journey, Bull found himself grinning. “Hit me.”
She lifted the deck of cards, nodded once, then hauled off and punched him in the shoulder with the hand she’d been about to use to deal.
The punch didn’t hurt, but itdidsurprise a laugh out of him. “Notthatkind of hit!”
“Oh?” The minx blinked innocently. “Oh, you wanted anothercard?”
Chuckling, Bull slid his cards into his sleeve, reached over, and caught her hand. “Next time ye punch a man, Rosie…” He curled her fingers down, then teased the knuckle of her middle finger up so it stood a half-inch above the rest. “Do it with this knuckle. It’s sharp enough to dig into his flesh with all the force of yer blow behind it.”
She’d inexplicably stopped breathing. When he glanced at her face, it was to see her gaze locked on his. Suddenly the air in the carriage seemed too warm, too charged. His fingers tightened around hers for a moment before he forced himself to release her.
They both sucked in a breath as he sat back, and he could swear he could feel his skin tingling where it had touched hers. In his trousers his cock was throbbing, reminding him that he’d been painfully aroused since that kiss last night.
An unrelenting need that could only be sated by?—
