Married by Morning Read Online Free PDF Page B

leaping, and retreated into her room. She wasn’t ready to face Leo. It wasn’t fair that he had come back so soon.
    Of course, it was his estate. But still …
    She paced in a tight circle and tried to marshal the chaos of her thoughts. There was only one solution: She would avoid Leo. She would plead a headache and stay in her room.
    In the midst of her turmoil, there was a tap on the door. Someone entered without waiting for a response. Catherine nearly choked on her own heartbeat as she saw Leo’s tall, familiar form.
    “How dare you come into my room without…” Her voice faded as he closed the door.
    Leo turned to face her, his gaze sweeping over her. He was travel-rumpled and a bit dusty. His hair wanted a good brushing, the dark brown locks disheveled and falling over his forehead. He looked self-possessed but cautious, the ever-present mockery in his eyes replaced by something she couldn’t identify. Something new.
    Catherine’s hand drew into a fist against her midriff, and she struggled to catch up with her own breathing. She held still as he approached her, while her heart pounded with a dizzying mixture of dread and excitement.
    Leo’s hands went on either side of her shrinking body and gripped the edge of the dressing table behind her. He was too close, his masculine vitality surrounding her. He smelled like outside air, like dust and horses, like a healthy young male. As he leaned over her, one of his knees pressed gently into the mass of her skirts.
    “Why did you come back?” she asked weakly.
    He stared directly into her eyes. “You know why.”
    Before Catherine could stop herself, her gaze dropped to the firm contours of his mouth.
    “Cat … we have to talk about what happened.”
    “I don’t know what you mean.”
    He inclined his head slightly. “Would you like me to remind you?”
    “No, no…” She shook her head for emphasis. “No.”
    His lips twitched. “One ‘no’ is enough, darling.”
    Darling?
    Filled with anxiety, Catherine fought to keep her voice steady. “I thought I made it clear that I wanted to ignore what happened.”
    “And you expect that will make it go away?”
    “Yes, that’s what one does with mistakes,” she said with difficulty. “One sets them aside and moves on.”
    “Really?” Leo asked innocently. “My mistakes are usually so enjoyable that I tend to repeat them.”
    Catherine wondered what was wrong with her that she was tempted to smile. “This one will not be repeated.”
    “Ah, there’s the governess voice. All stern and disapproving. It makes me feel like a naughty schoolboy.” One of his hands lifted to caress the edge of her jaw.
    Her body raced with conflicting impulses, her skin craving his touch, her instincts warning her to move away from him. The result was a kind of stunned immobility, every muscle drawing up taut. “If you don’t leave my room this instant,” she heard herself say, “I’ll make a scene.”
    “Marks, there is nothing in the world I would enjoy more than watching you make a scene. In fact, I’ll help you. How shall we start?” Leo seemed to enjoy her discomfiture, the wash of uncontrollable color over her face.
    The pad of his thumb stroked the thin, soft skin beneath her jaw, a coaxing motion that caused her head to tilt back before she quite knew what she was doing. “I’ve never seen such eyes,” he said almost absently. “They remind me of the first time I saw the North Sea.” His fingertips followed the edge of her jaw. “When the wind chases the waves before it, the water is the same green-gray your eyes are now … and then it turns to blue at the horizon.”
    Catherine could only assume that he was mocking her again. She scowled at him. “What do you want from me?”
    Leo took a long time to answer, his fingers trailing to her earlobe, massaging lightly. “I want your secrets. And I’ll get them out of you one way or another.”
    That gave her the impetus to swat his hand away. “Stop