Claire, Angela - Heart of Stone (Siren Publishing Classic) (10 page)

“Innocent?” He thought his head might just blow off. “I’ll tell you, Miss Melinda, you wouldn’t know innocent from lust if the guy brought your soft little hand to his hard…” He stopped just in time. Christ, what was wrong with him?

Melinda’s eyes darted down to his crotch, making it clear she’d known what he was about to say. And damned if that didn’t just become a self-fulfilling prophecy. His cock rose to the occasion at the thought of her soft hand dusting against it. Right. His cock thinking for him again.

She stared straight ahead at him now.

“Just stay away from Jesse Whelan. He wants one thing from you, gal.”

There was a long silence as they stared at each other, and then her eyes dipped down again.

“Looks to be the same thing you want from me.”

Goddamn her. He was sick of fighting this.

“Yeah. The same exact thing.” He closed the distance between them with zero effort. She just stood there, waiting for him, and he swept her into his arms, bending her back, grinding his mouth against those succulent lips. He thrust his tongue into her wet, warm mouth again and again and grabbed her ass, pulling her flush against him so she could see what she did to him. Her hands went helplessly to his shoulders. She wasn’t resisting him. It got through his lust-addled mind, though, that she wasn’t helping much either. He wrenched his lips away and stared down at her misty blue eyes. “Yeah, this is what I want from you. What I’m dying for, girl.” His lips traveled down her soft-as-a-rose-petal neck, and he brought his hand up to her firm breast, greedy with it now. “You let Jesse do this to you?” he mumbled, not even sure what he saying. “You let him touch you?”

It had been the wrong thing to say. She shoved against him violently, and, startled, he let her go. They were both breathing hard.

“No, I don’t let Jesse touch me like that. I’ve never let any man touch me like that. And darned if I’m not a fool for letting a jealous, crazed idiot who doesn’t even know what he wants touch me like that.”

It was a little hard to follow, but he thought he got the gist of it. His cock was throbbing and didn’t want to give up without a fight though. He reached for her again, but she backed off until she was against the kitchen wall. He advanced, closing her in, not sure what he was going to do. He knew what he wanted to do, and he knew what he should do, and they were nowhere near the same thing. He dipped his head until he could lay his mouth lightly on her cheek. “Why are you letting me then?”

“I don’t know.”

It was a small voice, trembling.

“Don’t you? This all new to you, Melinda? No boy back home? No man?”

“No. Nobody.”

“I won’t marry you.”

Her firm little chin jutted out. “I don’t recall asking you to.”

He swooped all the way down and kissed her, less furiously now, but with a purpose. Seduction. He admitted it now. He was going to seduce Melinda right now. She wouldn’t stop him.

He kissed her, his tongue thrusting in her mouth, and the hesitant way she responded confirmed she had never kissed anyone like this, well, anyone but him when he was half-asleep. The thought thrilled him, and he didn’t stop to analyze it.

He unbuttoned the back of her dress as they kissed and slid it over her shoulders. She freed her arms from the sleeves, and he did the same with her shift until she was naked to the waist. He pulled away from her lips only to fasten on one taut pink nipple, his hand going to fondle the other one. She cried out, and he reached down for her skirts, dragging them up her legs and anchoring them behind her as he lifted her up and tilted her against the wall, grinding his hard cock against the juncture of her legs.

Her soft hands sifted through his hair, and, enflamed, he tried to open his pants. If he could just get his near-to-bursting cock out, he was going to put an end to this madness once and for all.

And Melinda wouldn’t stop him.

But Ginny could.

It was almost like the wail right out of nowhere was a sign. They sprang apart, each breathing hard, and mumbling something, Melinda tugged her dress up and went in to Ginny. By the time she came back, she looked shy and embarrassed, and he had cooled off.

“She’s asleep now.”

He came right to the point. “That would have been a big mistake where we were heading.”

She said nothing, simply examined the wood floor.

“I do want you, Melinda. The way a man wants a woman. I have from the start.”

She looked up. “I want you too.”

The quiet murmur just about undid his resolve. But not quite.

“But it wouldn’t be right for me to take a girl like you, a girl I’m offering the protection of my home to. Not without marriage. And I meant what I said. This is not an audition for marriage.”

“And I meant what I said. I’m not asking you to marry me. I’m asking you to—”

“No, you’re not. If we can’t ah, rise above this thing between us, then I’ll have to send you back East, Melinda. I don’t want to. Ginny needs you, but I’ll have to.”

She turned wearily away. “I understand. That won’t be necessary. We’ll just forget this ever happened. I want to be here for Ginny.”

He sat up a long time after she’d gone back to her room, trying to convince himself he’d done the right thing. Of course there wasn’t one part of him, not his cock, not his brain, not his heart, that believed it.

Chapter Five

Regina Winthrop danced gracefully. It was just a country square dance, but she moved at one with the music, smiling at her partner, who was quite a good dancer as well. Jake.

Melinda felt a pang of what she knew was jealousy. What was wrong with her? She needed this job. Jake claimed he would never marry again and certainly he would never marry a poor nobody like her with the likes of Regina Winthrop being offered to him. The thought soured her stomach, even if she could marry, which she couldn’t. She reached for a glass of lemonade on the refreshments table but, in an impulse, instead took the hard punch.

“That’s got liquor in it, you know,” a silky smooth voice next to her said.

She glanced sideways at Jesse. “Yes, I’m counting on it.”

Jesse smiled. “Not having fun, sugar?”

“Where do you come from anyway, Jesse? Sometimes you sound northern like me, but sometimes you sound southern like just now.”

“And you’re dodging the question. How about we take a spin out on the dance floor and give them a run for their money?”

“Who?”

“You know who.”

She took a healthy swig of her punch. “I’m afraid that wouldn’t be a very good idea. I have strict instructions to stay away from you.”

“Aren’t you ever tired of being a good girl, Melinda?”

She reached for another glass.

“Yes, I am.” When she finished the second, she felt an unfamiliar sense of lightness. “Yes, Jesse, I am tired of being so good.”

Jesse looked around. “Where’s Ginny tonight?”

“The
Wilsons
took her overnight. Annie said I was young and should enjoy myself. This is my first dance, you know.”

“No, I didn’t. Not much cause for dances in the orphanage?”

She laughed, rather loudly if the glance Jesse gave Jake and
Regina
was any indication. “No, not much dancing in the orphanage. I imagine Regina Winthrop has seen her share of dances, though.”

“Well, maybe so, but it looks like she’s trying to make this one memorable. If she’s let our boss out of her clutches for two seconds tonight I’d be surprised.”

The observation caused Melinda to reach for another glass of the hard punch. She’d only gotten a swig or two in before Jesse pulled it away from her. He took her hand instead and led her out to the dance floor. “I think you’ve had enough of that, Miss Melinda.” He pulled her close and began to dance, coaxing her rather effortlessly into the steps. “Hmm, what a nice rhythm you have, honey,” he whispered in her ear. “You’re a natural.”

“I am?” The thought pleased her, but somehow she wasn’t sure she was thinking too clearly. The warmth of Jesse’s big lean body, so like Jake’s, was soothing, but not exciting like it was when Jake had held her this close. Jake, she thought miserably, who was sidling up to perfect Miss Regina right at this very moment.

“You are, Melinda, a real natural, yes, ma’am. I bet I could teach you just about anything and you’d catch on real quick, wouldn’t you?”

“You’re not teaching her anything, Whelan.” It was soft-spoken, but firm, and right at her elbow. Jake was there, pulling her away from Jesse before either of them had a chance to resist.

Jesse laughed. “I thought you were busy with
Regina
.”

“I don’t want to make a scene in here, Whelan, because it’s Melinda who’d suffer. But I expect you don’t care much about that, busy as you are trying to make Miss Winthrop jealous.”

“Look, boss, if you want to dance with Melinda, just say so. Looked to me like it was
Regina
you wanted to get cozy with, but I expect that was just a ruse, huh?”

Melinda wasn’t quite following this. They were speaking so low, almost as if they were having a regular conversation. She wandered back to the refreshment table and poured another glass of punch. She did manage to get it all down this time before someone took it out of her hand. This time it was Jake, Jesse nowhere to be seen.

“Why don’t you come show me what a good dancer you are, Melinda? Or is it just Jesse you can find the rhythm with?”

He pulled her out on the floor before she could respond, and the reward of being in his arms was enough to quiet whatever response she may have given. This was a slow dance, just perfect, and she pressed against him eagerly. It was a second before he put some space between them again, but he looked down at her intently for a minute before looking away, waving to a nearby dancing couple.

After a turn or two around the floor, Jake asked, “How much punch did that bastard Whelan give you?”

“He didn’t give me any, Jake. He kept taking it away from me, same as you. He did ask me if I was tired of being good, though.”

“I just bet he did.”

“I am, Jake. I’m so tired of being good.”

“You are good, Melinda. You’re a good girl. The way you take care of Ginny. You’re a good person.”

Somehow, this was not what she wanted to hear tonight. “What about me? Who’ll take care of me?”

He froze in the dance steps for just a second, and then continued to lead her around the dance floor smoothly. “You’ll be with Ginny and me for as long as we can get you to stay, then I expect you’ll marry and have children of your own.”

“No, I won’t. I can’t.”

“You’ve had too much to drink, honey, is all. That’s the punch talking. Of course you’ll marry. As pretty as you are, any man would be happy to have you.”

“But not you?” There, she’d said it. She wasn’t sorry, even though she knew she couldn’t ever marry this man anyway, not if he got down on his knees and proposed right now. No, she couldn’t ever risk it.

“No, not me. I’ve told you that.”

“Oh, of course. But you can marry somebody like Regina Winthrop.” She felt like she was going to cry, and for a second, he looked panicked. They stopped dancing.

“We should leave,” he said.

Just as well, considering the fool she’d just made of herself. Maybe what they said about the Irish and drinking was true after all. Great, just another curse hanging over her head.