Read Online Gerrity'S Bride by Carolyn Davidson - Free Book Online

his nostrils flared as he inhaled abruptly. “I’m sorry, Emmaline. I shouldn’t have touched you in anger.”
    “No...” She shook her head.
    For a moment, she swayed, her own breathing irregular, her heart fluttering within her breast like a captured bird that strained to escape. Once more his hands framed her shoulders, and he steadied her, his jaw firm, his gaze sober, only the strange light in his eyes giving her a glimpse of the emotion he held in check.
    Her laugh was uneven and forced as she tilted her head to one side. “You’ve really done it now, you know,” she said, her voice trembling.
    “Have I?” He muttered the words through lips that barely moved.
    “Yes, you’ve let the cat out of the bag. You told Miss Hopkins that you’re going to marry me. The whole town will know it by nightfall, if the Arizona Territory is anything like the state of Kentucky. And I suspect people are alike the world over.”
    “Maybe,” he conceded roughly.
    She tilted her head back, her eyes meeting his. “Are you going to marry me?” she whispered, and he nodded without hesitation.
    “When?” she asked in the same whisper, as if she could not raise her voice beyond the soft questioning that was but a breath of sound.
    “As soon as I can make the arrangements.”
    Her mouth formed a soft O and he yielded to the temptation of her lips, his mouth descending to cover them with his own.
    She shivered in surprise, bracing herself for the same sort of assault he had launched on the porch only days ago. Instead, Emmaline found that the mouth he pressed to hers was all warmth and tenderness. His hands slid up to either side of her head, holding her with gentle purpose as he explored the textures of her face. Her eyes closed and she caught her breath as his caress brushed against her cheek and then to her temple, his nose burrowing in the curls that lay in abandon against her brow.
    She was caught up in the pleasure he offered. With only a moment’s hesitation, she leaned into his embrace and relaxed against the broad firmness of his chest. Tentatively her fingers crept to his shoulders, and she grasped handfuls of his shirt.
    He gentled his touch, only his mouth paying homage to the softness of her skin, the curve of her throat, and again to the lips that inhaled his scent.
    This time he growled a wordless sound of triumph as he parted her lips and edged his tongue against the tender skin. “Open your mouth for me,” he said with dark purpose, his lips brushing carefully with coaxing movements.
    She shook her head, moving against his grasp. Her eyes opened in dismay as his demand penetrated her lassitude.
    His sigh was deep and his regret enormous as he drew back. A trace of humor lit the depths of his eyes and his mouth twisted in wry acceptance as he viewed the flushed face of the woman he intended to marry.
    She wore his brand—the glow of latent passion that lay just beneath the surface of her bewilderment. He tamped down the surge of desire that billowed once more within him.
    “You’ll open for me next time,” he promised her in a lazy drawl that told her of his satisfaction at this turn of events.
    She dropped her hands from him, confusion darkening her eyes as she considered what he had demanded of her. Then, the determination within caused her to her stiffen against his grasp. She shook away his hands, stepping back from the nearness of his big body.
    “Don’t count on it,” she said softly. “Don’t count on it, Gerrity.”
    Her skirts swished about her, her head lifted in defiance, and he let her go as she brushed past him, turning to watch as she left the room.
    It wasn’t until she closed the door of her room behind her that Emmaline crumpled. Leaning against the heavy planks, she slid down to sit on the floor, burying her face in her hands. Her fingertips traced the path his lips had taken, barely touching the surface of her flesh where the heated kisses had burned against her.
    “Oh, Delilah,”