Grayson Brothers Series Boxed Set (4 books in 1) (38 page)

His mouth hovered inches from her own. “
Now
would be a good answer.”

She gripped the oars. “Then answer one more question for me. Do you think you can ever learn to care for me?”

“Yes.” He slipped the oars from her hands. “Now answer my question. Are you afraid of me?”

She opened her mouth to say no, but she’d promised him the truth. She was afraid. With nothing more than a kiss or a touch, he had the ability to make her lose control. Her feelings were involved now and she was afraid of getting hurt again. She met his eyes. “Yes. I’m afraid. A little.”

“Why?” He leaned forward and brushed her temple with his lips. “When are you afraid?”

“When you make me feel like this.”

He lowered his mouth to her neck, and her eyes fluttered closed. “What are you feeling now?” he asked, his breath warm against her ear.

“Tense.” Her chest shuddered as she drew a breath. “Shaky.”

“I feel that way, too.” He kissed the corner of her mouth. “My heart is pounding just as hard as yours, Amée.”

She drew back, wondering if Kyle had just called her by another woman’s name.

He clutched the oars in one hand and brushed the back of his knuckles across her cheek. “I think of a softer name when I look at you. Amée is a French name meaning ‘beloved’. It suits you.” He lowered his head, his lips a breath away from hers. “Am I entitled to a birthday kiss?”

“Yes,” she whispered, and he kissed her.

The seductive swirl of his tongue made Amelia forget they were in a rotted little boat in the middle of Canadaway Creek where any passerby could see them.

His shoulders tensed as he dragged the oars into the boat, but he didn’t stop kissing her. He took it deeper, slower, until Amelia felt her bones melt and raw, needy desire burn through her body.

He circled her waist and tugged her toward him. She half stood to shift herself onto his lap—and the bottom dropped out of her world.

Literally.

Her foot burst through the rotted bottom of the boat and she fell backward as water gushed in around her shin like a small geyser.

Kyle gripped her waist and glanced down to see what had happened.

Amelia struggled for a few frantic seconds before she was able to wiggle her foot out of the huge, gaping hole. She glanced at the shore and knew there was no way they were going to be able to row her boat ashore before it filled with water. “Please tell me you can swim,” she said, glancing at Kyle, but he sat there staring at the burbling water like a boy who’d just had his favorite toy ripped out of his hands.

“I don’t believe this!” he said.

Amelia couldn’t hold back her laugh.

He swung a disbelieving look at her. “What’s so funny? We’re going to sink!”

She was soaked to her calves and the water outside the boat was within inches of sweeping over the sides, but she crouched there and laughed because Kyle’s expression was so boyish and vulnerable it was precious. “Come on, Captain,” she said, giggling. “It’s out of fashion to go down with the ship.”

“I told you this thing wouldn’t float.”

“Don’t complain.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet, trying to be careful not to break through the bottom of the boat again. “You got a birthday kiss out of it, didn’t you?”

He grinned and jumped from the boat with her.

“Gah!” Kyle gasped and swept his hair out of his eyes. “There’s still ice in this water!”

Amelia laughed. The ice had melted over a month ago, but the lakes and creeks in New York were still cold in June. Despite the shock and discomfort, the adventure of the unexpected swim was exhilarating to her.

“Take off your shoes,” she said, bobbing in the water, fumbling with the laces on Evelyn’s hand-me-down work boots. As the first boot sank, she yanked off her stocking and tugged at her other boot. “Do you know how many times I’ve wanted to do something like this?”

Kyle swirled his arms at his sides to keep his head above water. “Our muscles will freeze up before we can make it to shore.”

“We’ll make it.” She dropped the other boot into the cold depths and swam toward Kyle with her jaw quivering. “Every day of the last four years I’ve wanted to do something outrageous, to feel alive. Teachers aren’t allowed to have fun.” She stopped in front of him. “Lie back and lift your foot.” When he hesitated, she shoved his shoulder. “Come on, I can’t tread water all day. Your boots will only slow us down.”

Kyle floated on his back, fanning his arms while Amelia jerked his laces open and tugged off his boots. He stared at her, unable to believe he’d let her get him into that rotting boat.

“Let’s go,” she said, her eyes sparkling and face radiant with the thrill of their unexpected adventure. “I’ll race you.”

He grinned and stroked hard to catch her, willing his cold arms and legs to function, praying with each hard stroke that Amelia would be able to make it on her own because he wasn’t sure his muscles would function in the cold long enough to help her.

“Last one to shore fills the bathtub,” she said, her breath coming in hard pants as she kept her body one stroke ahead of him.

“Do you have to talk about a hot bath when I’m freezing my... important parts off?”

Her laughter mixed with the sound of splashing water. If they made it to shore he would gladly fill the tub.

“I like my bathwater really deep and hot, Kyle.”

The thought of anything hot and deep cramped his stomach and he was glad his privates were too numb to react. He stroked hard until he was beside Amelia. “Are you doing all right?” he asked, fearing the tightness gripping his own body might be affecting her, as well.

“Get that look off your face,” she said, panting and moving her arms in jerky arcs through the frigid water. “I intend to get that bath and I’m not going to carry those buckets myself.”

He laughed and got a face full of water that he blinked and coughed away. “Only a few more yards, Amée.”

“I like it when you call me that.” She sank down in the water, her face disappearing for a couple of tense seconds.

Kyle grabbed her elbow and lifted her, burning his precious reserve of energy. “If you do that again, I’m going to hog the bathtub all night while you shiver on the sofa.”

She looked pathetic grinning through blue lips, but her eyes still sparked with determination as she slapped her arms through the water. “That was just a trick to tire you out before the last stretch.”

He laughed, enjoying her teasing. His chest filled with admiration when she clenched her jaw and put her head down, flailing her way toward shore with admirable tenacity. He kept pace, but made sure he climbed onto the rocky bank behind her, glad he was alive to worry about hauling buckets of water for his amazing wife.

“Please tell me we aren’t far from home,” she said, crawling onto the shore. Sitting in the sunshine with her head hanging, her rib cage heaving, she watched him do the same.

Panting, he sat beside her. “Probably thirty minutes, but I know a shortcut that will get us back faster.”

She lifted her face and brushed her dripping hair back. “The sun feels wonderful,” she said, her eyes closed, her mouth parted and shivering.

In all his fantasies he’d never seen a more beautiful woman, never imagined that a prim little teacher would turn out to be his seductive, sassy wife. Droplets of water covered her face and body, sparkling in the sun, tempting him to kiss them off her skin.

“That was the most fun I’ve ever had in that boat,” she said then laughed and met his eyes. “You should have seen your face, Kyle. That was worth every minute of the swim to shore.”

He started to frown, but caught himself, and realized he had truly enjoyed the adventure with Amelia. Though he would have never guessed it, he liked her sassiness and her challenges and the outrageous things she said to make him laugh. The uninhibited side of her personality intrigued him.

His gaze roved over her wet clothing. The skin on her neck was speckled with goose bumps, her nipples erect and visible through his old shirt that she’d started wearing to the mill. A disk-like bump marked her rib cage and he touched his finger to the hard spot. “What’s this?”

Curious, she looked down and considered the lump a moment then sat up and dug something out of her deep pocket. “I meant to ask you about these,” she said, dumping three coin-like objects into his palm.

When he saw what they were, he glanced at her in shock. “Where did you get these?”

“From Papa’s desk. Why? What are they?”

His gut clenched and he felt sick as he turned the pieces in his fingers, finally understanding where Tom’s money had been going. “These are gaming counters,” he said, unable to lie to her, but wishing he didn’t have to tell her. “They use them at gambling houses in place of money.”

Her brows furrowed. “Why would Papa have them?” she asked, but as soon as the words were out of her mouth, understanding filled her eyes and her shoulders sagged. “Oh, no.” She pressed her fingertips to her mouth and stared at Kyle. “You were right, weren’t you?”

“Maybe there’s another explanation.”

She shook her head. “There isn’t. I checked his books for you.” She shivered and hooked her arms around her drawn-up knees. “Jeb said Papa went to Philadelphia every few weeks to see James Hale about the deck beam contract we have with him, but he never said anything about Papa gambling.”

“If your father was spending his time in a gaming hall he wouldn’t have told a soul. Not even Jeb.”

“Probably not,” she said, staring at the water where she’d just lost her little rowboat. “Papa kept his troubles to himself.” Her body trembled and she lowered her head to her knees, looking so lost and hurt that Kyle couldn’t stop himself from drawing her into his arms. She put her head on his shoulder and hooked her arms around his waist, and for the first time in his life, Kyle felt completely connected with another human being.

* * *

When they entered their woodshed twenty minutes later, their clothes were still dripping wet and Amelia was shivering. Kyle peeled off his shirt and tossed it over a stack of firewood. He unbuttoned his pants and her eyes widened.

“What are you doing?”

“Keeping our floors dry.” Too cold to worry about modesty, either his or Amelia’s, Kyle slid his pants and undershorts down to his ankles then stepped out of the wet clothes.

Amelia gasped and turned her back.

Kyle grinned. “You can undress while I get us some towels.”

“You’re enjoying this, you skunk.”

He was. Absolutely. “Do you need help undressing?” he asked, fighting back a laugh as she blindly swatted at him.

“Get me a towel before I freeze to death.”

Kyle laughed all the way to the linen closet in the bathroom. He pulled out a towel, opened it up and wrapped it around his hips. The next towel he opened was much smaller and he’d nearly shoved it back into the cupboard before a wicked little voice told him not to do it. He shook open the towel again and held it up, estimating how much of his wife’s lovely body it would cover. Not much by his guess.

Perfect. He tucked it under his arm and headed back to the woodshed.

“Where are you?” he asked, scanning the deserted room.

“Behind the woodpile.”

Kyle fought back a laugh. Typical woman. She was freezing to death and was more worried about modesty than survival.

“Here’s your towel.” He tossed it across the woodpile.

“Thank you.” He heard movement then a gasp. “Kyle Grayson, this isn’t a towel, it’s a washcloth!”

Kyle bit his lip and counted to three before he could speak through his laughter. “It’s the biggest linen I have,” he said. “My towel is small, too.”

Her head inched above the woodpile and she peeked at his hips. “We are ordering new linens from Agatha’s store tomorrow.”

“Order whatever you like, Amée.” She was going to kill him when she found out they had towels as large as a horse blanket. “I’ll go put water on the stove for our bath.”

“Use the water I have heating for laundry. I’ll do the washing tomorrow.”

“All right, but you won the first bath.”

“Well, I’m not coming out until the tub is filled. That’s your job.”

Kyle shook his head and went to the kitchen. He dragged the tub out of the pantry, filled it with hot water, added enough cold water to make it comfortable then headed back to the woodshed.

“Are you still out here?”

“Y-yes. Please tell me the b-bath is ready.”

What a goose she was! Before she froze to death, Kyle marched around the woodpile, intending to drag her out if necessary. Amelia shrieked and scrambled to close the towel around her torso. Her slender legs looked a mile long. His gaze traveled from her ankles up every beautiful inch of skin until the small scrap of towel hid what he wanted to see most. His gaze drifted upward to the creamy swell of her breasts partially concealed by blue fabric and the sash of her dark, wet hair.

Despite her discomfort, Kyle grinned and swept her up into his arms.

“Stop! My towel is coming off!”

He glanced down and saw her beautiful breasts. Tempted beyond his resistance, he hurried through the parlor and into the kitchen. Before he lost control, he plopped her into the tub, towel and all.

Amelia gasped and blinked water from her eyes, still scrabbling to hang on to the towel. He raked his hair back with shaking hands, wondering what he was going to do. He honestly couldn’t stand the abstinence any longer.

Suddenly, his towel was yanked completely off his hips.

He stood with his bare ass facing his wife. “I would suggest you return my towel,” he said, knowing if he turned around in his current state of arousal he’d ruin his chances of ever consummating his marriage.

To his shock, Amelia giggled. “What an interesting place for a birthmark.”

Kyle slapped a hand over his left buttocks. He hated that mark. If she said one word...

“It looks like a little turtle.”

He held out his right hand. “Give me my towel.”

“Can’t. It’s wet.”

“Then I might as well join you in the tub.” He turned to face her and Amelia shrieked and ducked her face. She huddled beneath both soaked towels while Kyle stood boldly before her, waiting for her to open her eyes. She kept her eyes squeezed shut and shoved a sopping wet towel at him. “Here. You can have it back.”

“Too late.” He put his hands on her shoulders and her eyes sprang open. “Hold your breath.” Before she could ask why, he pushed her under the water to douse her hair.

She came up blinking and brushing water off her face. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to wash your hair.”

“What?” She coughed and glared at him.

He glanced at the small shelf on the side of the tub and picked up the most feminine bottle he saw. He sniffed it then poured a handful of what he hoped was soap into his hand. The second it began to lather he plopped it on Amelia’s head and started kneading it into her hair.

“You’re insane!” She hunched forward and gripped her towel, giving Kyle a wonderful view of her exposed back. She was submerged from the waist down, but the water was clear enough for him to see the exquisite peach shape of her backside.

“You don’t have a birthmark anywhere back here,” he said. She swatted at him and he laughed, thoroughly enjoying himself.

“Get out of here.”

He knelt beside the tub and massaged her scalp. “Relax, Amée.”

“I would if you’d leave the kitchen.”

He wasn’t budging.

“Please,” she said, her voice close to begging.

He sighed and rinsed his hands in the bathwater as slowly as possible, brushing her back until she squirmed away. Finally, he stood up, unashamed of his desire, but he knew Amelia would keep her eyes downcast anyhow. “I’ll be back in a few minutes with a dry towel for you.”

“Make sure you get one for yourself, too.”

He grinned as he left the kitchen, but a second later he tripped over the jutting rocking chair leg that Amelia had moved into the middle of the parlor. He cursed and limped down the hall, reminding himself why he hated the rocking chair. He’d bought it for Evelyn. He’d built her this house, furnished it for her, and offered her a life of security, but she’d chosen his brother.

“Are you all right?” Amelia called from the kitchen.

“I’m fine.” Kyle dug through the linen closet until he found a large, thick towel for Amelia, and another one for himself. After concealing his lower half, he sat on the sofa and let his wife enjoy soaking in the hot water.

“Are you ever going to bring me a towel?” she called, and he considered telling her no, but he’d teased her enough.

He took her towel to the kitchen and laughed when he saw her shielding herself with the two towels she’d dragged into the tub with her. “I’ll close my eyes,” he said, opening up the dry towel and holding it like a blanket.

“Kyle Grayson!”

Kyle opened one eye and peeked at his wife’s outraged expression.

“You gave me this... this
washcloth
on purpose!”

He grinned.

To his surprise, she laughed and stood up in the tub. Water streamed down her bare skin as she let her tiny towels fall into her hands. Kyle’s jaw dropped and his heart careened into his ribs.

She smacked him right in the face with her sopping wet towels. “You rat!”

He laughed and swept the yards of toweling around her, lifting his beautiful, playful wife into his arms.

She gasped as he cradled her against him. Water dripped off his hair and nose, but he lowered his mouth and kissed her anyhow. To his delight, she didn’t protest. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him back, the water from their bath mingling with their kiss.