And then everything stopped. She’d landed on something hard. Not the ground. She instinctively wrapped her arms around the hardness and held on tight.
“Am I dead?”
“No.”
She realized she was lying on top ofhim. Her rescuer. Well, technically it was his fault that she needed rescuing in the first place.
A rush of heat coursed through her body at the intimacy of their positions. She could feel every sinew of his muscular frame.
She opened her eyes.Blue.She blinked a few times because she’d never seen that shade of blue before. His eyes were beyond blue. They were aquamarine, like the Mediterranean, made even more striking by his golden tan. She couldn’t tell what color his hair was, as it was wet and plastered to his beautifully shaped head.
Oh, God! He’s gorgeous. He must be a male model. Or an actor. Or both.
“May we get up now?” he asked.
“Oh! I’m sorry.” She rolled off him and gasped at the sudden sharp pain in her abdomen. She closed her eyes, trying to gather enough strength to stand.
“Here, let me help you,” he said.
She nodded and reached out her hand to him. He pulled her up as though she were a rag doll. Her feet touched solid ground, and his arms steadied her.
“What in God’s name were you thinking standing on the edge of this bluff? As a matter of fact, who in God’s name are you, and what are you doing here? This is private property, and you’re trespassing.”
“I-I…” Gabriella could scarcely catch her breath, and she trembled at his withering gaze. Answering his questions was more than she could do until she figured out a story about how she got there.
Something about his appearance didn’t fit. Where washere? She was having trouble thinking of a plausible story, and the pain in her abdomen was making things worse.
It was all too much. Gabriella was no shrinking violet, but her current travails had taken a toll, and she felt herself sway. A haze darkened her vision, and her legs buckled. She was vaguely aware of being caught and lifted by muscled arms and pressed against a broad chest. She pressed her face against his chest, and she could hear his heart beating wildly. Once again, that rush of heat pervaded her senses.
She opened her eyes again and saw his expression. Anger. Frustration. And something else. Humor? Seeing that flicker of laughter lurking in his beautiful blue eyes made her smile.
“Thank you for saving me,” she whispered. She didn’t know what else to say, so she reached up and pressed her lips against his, and then the dark haze overcame her, and she closed her eyes once more.
“Vixen, what a bother you are,” he muttered. “Come, Xanthus.” The horse whinnied, following behind. Her savior’s long strides carried them away from the bluff’s edge. She opened her eyes just enough to peek at this man who was unlike any other she had known before. In what little light there was, she could see long tendrils of wet, wavy hair touching his shoulders and a face so angled that his cheekbones seemed chiseled from stone. Naturally, his stony face was set in a grimace. Even as she felt his wrath, she was tempted to sink her finger into the dimpled cleft in his chin. He was a curmudgeon and completely unmannerly, but he had saved her life and was now carrying her to safety. Somewhere.
She was completely without rational thought and hadn’t even noticed her own appearance.I doubt I look even half as good as this guy.Her eyes flickered open, and she noted his gaze had dropped to her chest and that his breaths became ever shorter and more labored with every step. He stumbled but recovered himself. “Blast it, cover yourself before we both take a tumble.”
His words roused her from her dreamlike state. She looked down and could see her blouse had torn open and her chest was in full view. Luckily, she was wearing a bra. She tugged at what was left of her blouse, trying to cover her breasts, but it was near impossible, as the delicate fabric was completely shredded. “I can’t cover up—my blouse is completely torn. Maybe you can just stop looking at them.”
He muttered another curse and averted his eyes, focusing on the path ahead, but his lips twitched in amusement.
What is it with this guy? He’s cursing one second and smiling the next.
Gabriella hadn’t been paying attention to where they were going, and she was surprised when he kicked open a massive wooden door and bellowed up the stairs, “Aunt Kitty, your person is required.”
He shook his head like a dog, and beads of moisture took flight. A minute later, a beguiling woman dressed head to toe in black widow’s weeds made her way down an imposing red-carpeted staircase. The older woman’s gown reminded Gabriella of a picture of her great-grandmother after her great-grandfather died.
Strange. Why is she dressed like that?
“What can be the matter, Jack? You are forever up to something.” The woman’s eyes widened at Gabriella. “Who—? Oh, dear me, what have you done now?”
If this Jack person had cast a critical gaze at her earlier, it was nothing compared to the vexation on his face when he answered his aunt. “I saved this demented woman’s life, that’s what I did. She was about to jump from our bluffs. I considered allowing it to unfold but decided better of it. It would have caused an annoying investigation from the local authorities, which would have interfered with your upcoming soirée. So, against my better judgment, I intervened. Something it seems I may live to regret.”
Even though he was glaring at her, Gaby couldn’t help but notice how unbearably handsome he was. “You can put me down now. I think I can stand on my own,” she said.
“Are you sure you won’t faint on me?”
“I’m quite sure,” she replied. “Fingers crossed,” she added.
