success in London. I am too tall as I have already told you, and my coloring is all wrong to be fashionable. It was Mandy with her peaches-and-cream skin, her pure-gold hair, and her lovely blue eyes they all sought. She is round, and petite, and quite appealing. The few men who sought me out did so hoping that I would plead their cases with Amanda.”
He did not miss the hurt in her voice. “What fools they were,” he said. “Your complexion is like ivory and wild pink roses, aperfect and fitting complement to your sea-green eyes and silver-gilt hair, which reminds me of a full April moon. I do not find you too tall.” He stopped as if to illustrate his point, and pulled her against him. “You come just to my shoulder, Miranda. I think that you are absolute perfection, and even if Amanda had not been spoken for, I should have chosen you.”
Startled, she gazed up at him, looking for any trace of mockery. There was none. His own bottle-green eyes looked steadily into hers, reflecting an expression she couldn’t quite fathom. Suddenly blushing, she turned her head aside, but he caught her little dimpled chin and, tipping her face up, sought her lips.
“No!” she whispered breathlessly, her heart hammering wildly.
“Yes!” he answered huskily, capturing her face between his two hands. “Oh, yes, Miranda sweet!” and his warm mouth covered hers in a passionate kiss that set her trembling wildly. His lips consumed her as nothing had ever done before. His hands slid away from her face, but their lips remained together. Slowly one arm slid down to encircle her waist, and the other hand moved up to tangle in her hair.
Gasping, she tore her mouth from his, and flung back her head, but to her shock his mouth blazed a trail of fiery kisses down her throat, lingering in the soft hollow of her neck with its wildly leaping pulse. “Please …” she pleaded, and through the mists of his desire, he heard the fright and confusion in her voice. He lifted his head slowly, reluctantly.
“It’s all right, wildcat. You tempt me, God knows, but I promise to behave myself.”
Her eyes were enormous and she touched her bruised lips wonderingly with trembling fingertips. “Is that what men do to women?”
“Sometimes. Usually they are driven to it. If I have frightened you, Miranda, I apologize. I could not resist you.”
“Is that all men do?”
“No. There are other things.”
“What other things?”
“Good Lord! Things I shall explain to you when we’re married.”
“Don’t you think I should know before we’re married?”
He chuckled richly. “I most certainly do not!”
“Why not?” The expression in her eyes now boded trouble, for it was extremely mutinous.
His own eyes narrowed. “You must trust my judgment in this, wildcat, for I have experience and you do not. Remember, my love, in a few weeks you will swear before God and man to obey me.”
“And you, Jared Dunham, will swear to cleave only to me. I think if we are to be married we should learn whether we suit each other in all ways.”
“You were half mad with fright just moments ago,” he said softly.
She blushed, but pressed on. “Yet you tell me there is more. What more? Would you have me terrified on our wedding night when I can do nothing about it? Perhaps you are the sort of man who looks forward to a quailing, frightened bride.”
“Do you wish me to seduce you, my love?”
“No, I do not wish to be seduced. One thing Mama is quite fond of telling us is that no one will buy the cow if they can obtain the milk for free.”
He laughed. That sounded just like Dorothea Dunham. “Then what is it you want, wildcat?”
“I want to know what else is involved in making love! How can I learn if I don’t know what to do? How do I know if I’ll like it if I don’t know what it is?”
He took her by the hand and drew her down to the mossy bank that edged the pond. “I must be out of my mind,” he muttered. “Now I am a
He did not miss the hurt in her voice. “What fools they were,” he said. “Your complexion is like ivory and wild pink roses, aperfect and fitting complement to your sea-green eyes and silver-gilt hair, which reminds me of a full April moon. I do not find you too tall.” He stopped as if to illustrate his point, and pulled her against him. “You come just to my shoulder, Miranda. I think that you are absolute perfection, and even if Amanda had not been spoken for, I should have chosen you.”
Startled, she gazed up at him, looking for any trace of mockery. There was none. His own bottle-green eyes looked steadily into hers, reflecting an expression she couldn’t quite fathom. Suddenly blushing, she turned her head aside, but he caught her little dimpled chin and, tipping her face up, sought her lips.
“No!” she whispered breathlessly, her heart hammering wildly.
“Yes!” he answered huskily, capturing her face between his two hands. “Oh, yes, Miranda sweet!” and his warm mouth covered hers in a passionate kiss that set her trembling wildly. His lips consumed her as nothing had ever done before. His hands slid away from her face, but their lips remained together. Slowly one arm slid down to encircle her waist, and the other hand moved up to tangle in her hair.
Gasping, she tore her mouth from his, and flung back her head, but to her shock his mouth blazed a trail of fiery kisses down her throat, lingering in the soft hollow of her neck with its wildly leaping pulse. “Please …” she pleaded, and through the mists of his desire, he heard the fright and confusion in her voice. He lifted his head slowly, reluctantly.
“It’s all right, wildcat. You tempt me, God knows, but I promise to behave myself.”
Her eyes were enormous and she touched her bruised lips wonderingly with trembling fingertips. “Is that what men do to women?”
“Sometimes. Usually they are driven to it. If I have frightened you, Miranda, I apologize. I could not resist you.”
“Is that all men do?”
“No. There are other things.”
“What other things?”
“Good Lord! Things I shall explain to you when we’re married.”
“Don’t you think I should know before we’re married?”
He chuckled richly. “I most certainly do not!”
“Why not?” The expression in her eyes now boded trouble, for it was extremely mutinous.
His own eyes narrowed. “You must trust my judgment in this, wildcat, for I have experience and you do not. Remember, my love, in a few weeks you will swear before God and man to obey me.”
“And you, Jared Dunham, will swear to cleave only to me. I think if we are to be married we should learn whether we suit each other in all ways.”
“You were half mad with fright just moments ago,” he said softly.
She blushed, but pressed on. “Yet you tell me there is more. What more? Would you have me terrified on our wedding night when I can do nothing about it? Perhaps you are the sort of man who looks forward to a quailing, frightened bride.”
“Do you wish me to seduce you, my love?”
“No, I do not wish to be seduced. One thing Mama is quite fond of telling us is that no one will buy the cow if they can obtain the milk for free.”
He laughed. That sounded just like Dorothea Dunham. “Then what is it you want, wildcat?”
“I want to know what else is involved in making love! How can I learn if I don’t know what to do? How do I know if I’ll like it if I don’t know what it is?”
He took her by the hand and drew her down to the mossy bank that edged the pond. “I must be out of my mind,” he muttered. “Now I am a
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