Fate's Intervention (26 page)

“
Not really, no!
”
He muttered and instantly let out a string of curses when she misconstrued his statement, lifted her skirt, and ran down the steps toward him.
“
S
top!
”
He yelled
when she was halfway down.

The tone in his voice made Marcelle do just that,
“
W
hat
? What is it?
”

“
T
urn around and go back up the steps,
”
he said between clenched teeth.

“
Why? It
’
s not like you
’
ve contracted a contagious disease or anything, and why are you suddenly behaving so strangely?
”
Marcelle asked.
“
It
’
s like you
’
re angry with me for something I haven
’
t even done. Why are you so put out, by the way?
”

“
Because of that stupid little teasing question you asked, that
’
s why!
”
Matthew blurted, his temper rising.

“
T
easing question? You mean you
’
re behaving churlishly because I simply asked if you were going to kiss me goodbye?
”
D
isbelief clearly show
ed
on
Marcelle
’
s
face in the morning light.

“
Hell, yes!
”

“
Well, I have never, in all my born days, heard of anything so ridiculous in my entire life,
”
Marcelle snapped.
“
If you don
’
t wish to kiss me, then all you have to do is say so. There
’
s absolutely no call for this sort of behavior.
”

“
If I don
’
t wish to . . . Woman, I want to do more than just kiss you. Damnation! I spent half the night thinking of exactly that, and if you don
’
t get your
tail end
back up those stairs then I
’
m going to . . .  ,
”
Matthew started, but Marcelle cut his tirade short.

“
What?
A
re
you
threatening
me?
”

“
You
’
re a smart woman. Take it anyway you like, but don
’
t ever tease me about kissing you, or anything like it again.
”

“
You know, Matthew, for a man full-grown, you sure are acting like a baby,
”
Marcelle said angrily
,
“
e
specially over a little comment about a kiss. I mean, a
kiss
for heaven
’
s sakes. It
’
s not
as if
I asked you to take me to bed before you leave!
A
lthough, by your behavior, that would likely be as abhorrent to you as kissing me would be, despite your declarations to the contrary!
”

Damn! That did it! He
was
going to kiss her, and this time he didn
’
t have time to take a dunk in the creek to cool his ardor before he left, but he wasn
’
t going to let her get away with
taunting
him
–
the little tease. He was only sorry that time didn
’
t permit his teaching her a real lesson. His irritation further elevated. Didn
’
t she know what she was doing to him?

The look he pinned on her as he started in her direction startled Marcelle into silencing her speech. He
looked
angry. She took a step backwards, spun on her heels and headed for the house. She wasn
’
t exactly sure what he had in mind, but her brain told her that she didn
’
t want to stick around and find out what he did to a woman when riled. She may have been curious once, but she hadn
’
t been on the receiving end at the time.

“
Oh, no you don
’
t,
”
he growled, picking up his own pace.
“
You started this, you little devil, and now I
’
m going to finish it.
”
Marcelle squealed when he reached for her. She broke into a run and made it to her
father
’
s study, albeit with Matthew hot on her heels. However, she wasn
’
t exactly sure what to do now that he had her cornered.

She attempted to put the desk between the two of them, but before she could do so, Matthew caught up with her. He grabbed her arm and yanked her around to face him.

“
T
his is why it
’
s going to be damn uncomfortable on that horse for a while,
w
oman,
”
he whispered, clasping hold of her hips and pulling her firmly against his arousal.
“
You don
’
t tempt a man unless you can put out his fire. Do you understand now?
”

Marcelle gasped and nodded,
“
I said it in jest, Matthew,
”
she whispered hoarsely.
“
Besides, kissing isn
’
t the same as . . . ,
”

“
Don
’
t say it! Especially since you haven
’
t a clue what you
’
re talking about. I
’
m going to show you
though just how much a kiss
can
affect you, then we
’
ll see if you
’
re still willing to tease me.
”
Matthew slid his hands up her back, clasping her neck with one hand and holding her tight with the other.

“
A
s for being a jesting comment. Kissing you, or the thought of anything else relating to taking you in my arms for that matter, hardly makes me want to break into uncontrollable laughter,
”
he whispered a moment before claiming her mouth in a kiss that sent a raging inferno shooting through her body.

His tongue slid between her lips, demanding entry. He felt a moment of
resistance
, but she was not going to deny him
–
not now. He wrapped his hand in her unbound hair and tugged slightly, applying more pressure until her mouth opened under his onslaught, then his tongue dove in, circling and teasing in a dance that only true mates can master
; a
nd
master it she did. Within seconds, she was kissing him back with all the pent-up ardor and frustration that he had no doubt mimicked his own. Still, he could not teach her a lesson if she was satisfied, so he released her the moment she acquiesced. It took a
Herculean
effort, but the satisfaction he felt when he saw her bemused expression would make the uncomfortable ride worth it.

“
Let
’
s see how easy it is for
you
to cool down now,
”
he said, a smile on his face.

Without waiting for a response, he turned, retrieved his hat where it had fallen, and stormed out of the house.

Marcelle sank to the floor, her legs unable to hold her and felt a shiver run down her spine. Perhaps she should tease him more often, she thought, her fingers running lightly over her swollen lips.

She smiled, got
up,
and walked on unsteady legs to the window.
She caught a glimpse of Matthew as he rode out of sight and burst into laughter. So that
’
s what an aroused man rides like, she thought.

Marcelle hummed softly to herself as she did her chores. Matthew had been gone over a week, but her heart and body still carried the remnants of his kiss, his touch. He was right.
A
kiss like that stayed with a body a long, long time, so she could easily understand why he didn
’
t want to even mention kissing, unless he could
do
the kissing.

He never meant for it to be arousing, she was sure.
Undoubtedly
, he had meant to punish her for
taunting
him mercilessly, as he
’
d said, but the only suffering she was going through wasn
’
t from the actual kiss, but in knowing that he would probably never do it again.

Unless I tease him some more
, she thought with a giggle.

She was dusting the balustrade with flourished sweeps of her arm, her body swaying gently in time with the soft tune issuing from her softly parted lips.

Peter stopped at the head of the stairs, watching his daughter wonderingly. If he didn
’
t know better, he
’
d say she was a woman in love, but with whom? She hadn
’
t behaved this way before Matthew
’
s departure or he
’
d think it was Matthew that had her all addlepated. Unless, of
course, something had happened after he
’
d gone to bed the night before Matthew
’
s departure that set her on this course of infatuation.

Strange that he didn
’
t notice anything that would lead him to believe they were interested in each other as more than friends. No more than their normally witty repartee. Nothing, certainly, that told him either had changed their minds about taking a trip down the aisle.

If Matthew
were the cause of Marcelle’s sudden shift in demeanor . . . well,
he wasn
’
t quite certain how to feel about it. Yes,
he would be honored for
Matthew
to be
his son-in-law, but is that what Matthew wanted? He
’
d never suggested as much.

He felt confident that Matthew was a man of honor and wouldn
’
t take advantage of Marcelle without the intent of marriage.
At
least he couldn
’
t see him doing that. Which left
him wondering
who had put the added bounce in her step? Matthew, or another man, unknown to him?

She glanced up and smiled at him, a slight blush on her cheeks. She knew he
’
d caught her daydreaming.

“
Good morning,
Father
.
”

“
Marcelle,
”
he said simply, his eyes narrowing in question. Marcelle turned away and placed her dust rag on the hall table. Obviously, it was her intent to avoid his unspoken query.
“
Why don
’
t you join me in the study, dearest?
”
Her
father
said, moving slowly down the stairs.
“
I
’
d like a word with you.
”

“
I
’
m
very
busy right now
Father
,
”
Marcelle answered lamely, reaching for the polish.

“
Now, Marcelle.
”
Marcelle sighed and followed her
father
into his study.

“
Have a seat.
”

“
A
re
you feeling quite all right,
Father
?
”
Marcelle asked, solicitously.
Although
she was concerned for her
father
’
s well-being, she was hoping to divert the question she
’
d seen in his eyes.
A
fter
all, how do you tell your
father
that the man supposed to look after you
,
was taking
consensual
liberties.
“
You look more lively than usual, I must say.
”