Page 92 of Her Beast

Julia’s knees turned to water.

Malcolm slid an arm around her waist, holding her upright as he skated to a stop. He took her chin and forced her to look up at him. “Too much truth for you?”

Julia’s blood was pounding in her ears. “No,” she said in a raspy voice. “Just—well, you surprised me.”

His eyebrow lifted. “You couldn’t tell that I desire you?”

“I know you think I am pretty, but—”

He gave a derisive snort. “Pretty? No. I don’t think you arepretty,” he spat the word, his nostrils flaring. “I think you are bloody gorgeous.”

She’d heard how beautiful she was all her life, but never had the words made her body respond in all the ways it was currently doing.

“But that doesn’t matter.”

His harsh words—which had been more of a snarl—yanked her from her pleasant daze. “What doesn’t matter?”

“It doesn’t matter how much I desire you because I won’t be acting on it.”

Julia flinched at his abrupt words, but then realized they sounded like something he’d said more for himself, than for her.

“Come, let’s skate,” he said, his tone final, almost… bleak.

Aside from the distant street noises the only sound was the softshushingof his blades on the ice as he pulled her along.

“Why?” she finally asked. “Because I’m betrothed?”

“No.”

Shush, shush, shush.

“Then why?”

He made an exasperated noise and she felt him turn to look at her, but she kept her eyes on the pond, concentrating on the soothingshushingrather than the bold questions she was asking and the answers she might not want to hear.

“There are many reasons,” he finally said. “But it isn’t your turn to ask questions. It is mine. Tell me about Lily.”

“But I’m not—”

“Tell me about her.”

Julia heaved a sigh, not caring how petulant it sounded. “What do you want to know?”

“How did you meet?”

“We were put into the same room my first year at school.” Julia laughed just recalling their first meeting. “We despised each other on sight. I think we are too similar—we both like to be the center of attention.”

“I never would have guessed.”

Julia ignored his teasing. “We fought constantly and begged the headmistress to move one of us, but she wouldn’t. All year long we squabbled.”

“About what?”

“Anything and everything.” Julia didn’t want to tell him about the cruel, childish pranks they pulled on each other—she didn’t even like to think about how hateful she’d been. Not that Lily hadn’t given as good as she’d got.

“Why did things change?”

“At our first Easter break there were only a handful of girls who stayed at the school.”

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