Page 16 of Dimitri
"Ah." She jolted when he dipped his hand beneath the folds at her back. "Lace and not much of it."
Her eyes flashed fire. "If you don't remove your hand, scene or no scene, I'm going to knee you in the balls."
Realizing she meant every word, he retreated with a grin. "Just satisfying my curiosity."
Her eyes smoldered and as soon as the song ended, she spun out of his arms and made her way to the banquet.
Chapter 5
By the time she ate the sumptuous food and chatted with the Mckenzies and studiously avoided their annoying and arrogant grandson, it was close to midnight. Making her escape, she called for her vehicle and changed out of the ankle breakers. She had put knee-high boots with comfortable heels in the back of her vehicle as well as a thick cashmere jacket.
She had promised to see Jaime and the rest but wondered if it was too late. Crunching her way past the barns, she approached the cottages and saw that there was a campfire burning and the very people she wanted to see were gathered around it.
All of them greeted her with enthusiasm, making up for her frustrated anger at the man she had just met. She was pelted with questions and given enough information to assure her that her 'boys' were doing well and had found their places.
Saying her goodbyes, she made her way back and could not help but stop at the corral where a magnificent stallion was racing around, hooves kicking up snow and ebony mane flying.
"Beautiful, isn't he?"
Determined not to allow him to see that he had startled her, she did not respond.
"I'm told by one of the hands that he was brought here from the Middle East. You're shorter."
Turning her head, she shot him a look of pure dislike. "Are you following me?"
He grinned. "You left without saying goodbye."
"I did, to the people who invited me. Go away."
"I have to make certain you're all right."
"That's not your job."
"Curiously, I'm making it mine." He tugged on a fat coil of hair in fascination, simply holding on when she tried to jerk away. "You went to see to your charges."
"So?"
"To assure yourself they're being taken care of."
"I already know that."
"They speak highly of you. I would say they have their, how do you put it? Crushes. I don't blame them." He wound the coil around his wrist and used it to draw her towards him.
"Let go."
"My grandmother tells me we're neighbors."
"We're not."
"You own the lovely pink and white cottage a few miles away. I have seen it on my rides. You should invite me for tea."
"Hold your breath." She was furious with herself for lingering. "I need to leave."
"It's after midnight," he murmured.
She noticed he wasn't wearing a jacket. "You should go in before you catch pneumonia."
He chuckled. "Don't sound so hopeful. This," using his free hand, he flicked it in the air in dismissal, "it's nothing compared to the winter in Russia." His eyes drifted to her mouth and theurge to taste was overpowering. "I would like to take you with me to visit."
