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torture device had been a challenge. She only hoped she could convince her hostess she needed a midnight snack.
    “Listen, Sam, I’ve got to tell you the truth before you and I can go any further.” When she attempted to tug her hand away, he tightened his grip. Ava gave up with a slight growl. One corner of his mouth twitched at the sound. “This whole women-should-be-subservient thing won’t cut it for me. I’m used to doing whatever I want whenever I want.” The added fabric of her long skirts kept becoming twisted around her feet. “Apparently there’s a trick to dealing with all this damn clothing too.”
    “I rather doubt the time period will prohibit your already ingrained habits.” His laughter erupted in a rich stream that wrapped around her like the softest cashmere sweater. “The key with the skirts is to take dainty steps. Men of this time do not care for their women to take galumphing strides. Females are fragile, after all, and need to sit behind a tea tray looking pretty, content to raise a family and manage their households, which is why they need male protection.”
    “Oh, tell me you did not just say that.” This time, she managed to wrench her arm from his grasp and rounded on him, her hands propped on silk-covered hips. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself, and—”
    He stepped into her personal space, so close she caught a whiff of the spicy scent he wore. “Do you have a job, Miss Lesarris? Are you able to provide the basic human necessities for yourself? In this time, do you even have a clue of how to procure food or money? Are you aware of what exactly it means to be a woman in this period?”
    “I’m sure I could figure it out.” She hadn’t noticed before how imposing he appeared, yet standing six inches from him, with the heat from his body seeping into hers, she had to acknowledge him as he was—powerful and very much an annoyed male. Internally, her wolf whined and laid down, front paws over her eyes. You’ve got to be kidding me. Of course, her smartass wolf had no answer. He’s not even a wolf. If he had been, she would have felt it.
    Sam leaned a few more inches toward her. Tiny reddish hairs interspersed with gray shadowed his jawline and gave him a devil-may-care appearance. “For me, I welcome a spirited woman. Too often, females of my acquaintance are too skittish and fearful. When I encounter one who has a backbone, I want to know more about her. It is refreshing to know exactly where I stand in a woman’s estimation. Especially now.”
    During his speech, he’d steadily advanced, while she’d had no choice except to retreat. The backs of her knees connected with a wrought iron bench, and she collapsed onto it with no pretense of ladylike balance. Her skirts twisted beneath her, effectively rendering her immobile. “Somehow I get the feeling you’ve intimidated women before, Mr. Tremaine.”
    He sat down, and as he turned slightly toward her, his leg brushed hers. A jolt shot up her spine as if she’d touched a light switch on a dry winter’s day. “I wouldn’t say intimidate, Miss Lesarris, only convince them to my way of thinking.” His grin, in the fading light, had the power to make her blood heat and her pulse slam through her veins. But it was his fiery red hair that captured her imagination and played havoc with her libido. Here and there, an errant gray hair frosted his locks. The urge to run her fingers through the thick waves nearly overcame her, but she beat it back.
    Caution was needed.
    He narrowed his gaze as if assessing her. “Of course, it’s been years since I had anything to do with a woman, for intimidation purposes or otherwise.”
    “I’m sorry to hear that. Men like you should always have an interesting woman on their arm.” She mentally smacked herself for flirting with a stranger, yet something about him resonated within her soul. Staring into his brown eyes that held a flash of brandy richness, she gave him a