Page 97 of The Dravenhearst Brides
Margot’s eyes were closed, but her feet were moving. Twirling. The fortissimo of the violin swelled in her ear.
Babette’s fingers warmed within her own, coming alive. Two turns later, her chest bloomed with heat, the way it did after a sip of bourbon went down. Deliciously hot.
When she opened her eyes, it was like emerging from underwater, wrenching forcibly through the surface. A gasping breath, pulling fresh air into her lungs. A steady hand in her own.
And before her, his face.
Dark hair. Strong jaw. A Dravenhearst man.Hers.
“Merrick?” she whispered. She was engulfed by him, tucked into his arms. Dancing in a silent marble ballroom in the dead of night. A dozen Margots and Merricks—reflected in the mirrors—revolved in a close hold.
“Is that finally you?” he asked. “Are you back with me?”
“What happened?”
“You said never to wake you.”
She swallowed. The edges of the dream were growing hazy.
“You said never to wake you,” he repeated, whispering now, “but I couldn’t stand it, couldn’t bear to see you dancing without me. Who do you dance with, if not me?”
He dipped her slowly, bending her back. His nose grazed the soft skin of her throat.
“It was only a dream…” she told him as he raised her from the dip. “A dream, nothing more.”
They stopped moving.
He dragged his thumb over her bottom lip, pulling. Eyes heavy-lidded with desire.
A shudder ran through her at the memory.If you want to be wanted…
“Dreaming or no,” he breathed, “dancing is a dangerous game.”
When he pressed his lips to hers, hungry and sweet, she could only agree.
A dangerous game indeed.
31
October 15, 1907
Darling,
Meet me in the rickhouse. I won’t tell a soul.
Yours,
Ruth
Margotshiveredinthemorning chill. Inside the pasture, Fox and Omaha trotted side by side, Merrick and Julian astride. The horses nickered, breath crystallizing in the air before their long snouts.
Ruth sidled up on her right. “Perhaps you’ll come inside the fence this time?”
Margot didn’t even glance over. She was riveted by Merrick, legs spread wide, thighs strong and tight around his mount.
Ruth fiddled with the latch, then swung the gate open.
Reluctantly, Margot dragged her gaze from her husband. She took a deep breath and entered the pasture.
