A Time & Place for Every Laird by Angeline Fortin (ebook reader TXT) 📕

to great lengths to be constantly entertaining—a talenthe claimed was a necessity at court—he sometimes fell into spellsof pensive reserve, standing on the deck and staring blankly out atthe sound.

The loss he had suffered was an enormousone, but since Fielding’s research had been uncovered, Hugh hadn’tagain broached the subject of his feelings and the world he clearlypined for. Since he steadfastly refused to speak of his feelings,Claire did everything she could to offer her silent support andlure him from the darkness where she had dwelled for so long, backinto the light.

He had brought her spirit back to life … andapparently her hormones as well.

Yet her hormones were much farther ahead inthe game than her mind was. For all that she wanted and desired himwith almost overwhelming urgency, her mind was still at war.

Denying her body’s urges left Claire withenergy of her own to expel, and so she had gone for a run theprevious morning, a practice that had long been her habit but hadbeen neglected since she had met Hugh. In the misty dawn, she hadrun for over an hour along the windy back roads of Bainbridgebefore returning to the house, pleasantly exhausted.

Concerned by her unexplained absence, Hughhad been pacing the kitchen when she returned, and Claire had toldhim that she had gone running. The humor that his bafflement hadwrought had buoyed her mood considerably, and a lightheartedargument had begun.

Hugh had stated that a man might run from anangry bull but not for sport. She had pointed out that clearly hemust exercise regularly. There was no way he could look like thatwithout it. Oh, there was no chance that Hugh was a runner withthat big body but clearly he did something to bulk up.

After finding out that he fenced, rode, andhelped his tenants in their fields and in repairing buildings,Claire had argued the finer points of cardio fitness, pointing outthat it was good for heart health, and that good cardio would beessential when the zombie apocalypse came.

That had led to an explanation of popculture and an offer of a movie to explain the zombie phenomenon.Hugh had quickly rejected the idea, now clearly wary of themedium.

But the balance had been restored betweenthem … at least for a brief time.

Until last night.

The day had been fine and sunny, so Hugh hadoffered to build a fire on the beach after dinner. Claire had runto the store and purchased the fixings for s’mores and had showedHugh how to toast the marshmallows and create the heavenly treat.As with all the sweets he had availed himself of thus far, he hadloved it. The atmosphere had been playful, and the laughterplentiful as they talked and ate them all, right down to whenClaire had held the last bit of chocolate and Hugh the finalmarshmallow. She had playfully tried to keep the chocolate bar outof his reach while he lunged for it. He had caught her about thewaist and thrown her down on the sand, laughing down at her.

Hugh had wrestled the candy away from herand popped it in his mouth before dropping down on the sand next toher with a grin. Relaxing back on the beach, Claire had just beenentranced by his joy and her own in the moment until Hugh had benthis head and pressed a hard kiss against her lips. As unexpected asit was, Claire had had only a moment’s impression of warmth andchocolate before he had lifted his head, his eyes suddenly seriouson hers. Resting on one forearm, he had lifted a hand to twist alock of her hair around his finger as he stared down at her.

She had been sure he meant to say somethingor do something, but in the end, Hugh had only stretched out nextto her and folded an arm beneath his head as a pillow. Wrapping anarm around her waist, he had pulled her close against him with asatisfied grunt. “Sugar coma,” he had whispered in her ear, drawinganother round of low chuckles as they relaxed against each other inthe warmth of the fire under a canopy of stars.

It had been as disappointing as it waslovely. Claire hadn’t wanted to let the moment end, and it hadn’t.This morning she had awoken with the dawn, still in his arms on thebeach. Hugh’s big body had been curled around hers, warding off thechill of the night after their fire had burned to embers. Clairehad relished the feel of his body against hers, gloried in the bodycontact she had been missing for so long. She had felt exposed yetsheltered, free yet ensnared. Alive. Loved.

And as Hugh had started to awaken, his handsroaming over her body … desired. Aroused.

Hugh had nuzzled her neck, whispering huskywords she couldn’t understand as he pulled her tightly against him,against the length of his hard arousal. Claire’s breath had caught,her heart racing, as his hand had crept up to cup her breast.Rolling her onto her back, he had lifted himself over her but hadseemed to come fully awake then, staring down at her with somesurprise.

As hot as his eyes had been, as fullyaroused as his body had been, Hugh hadn’t taken advantage of themoment. Instead, he had levered himself away, muttering somethingabout needing more firewood.

Now Claire was staring at those forgottenpages, not knowing what she had read or even what book she held,wallowing in unrequited lust while Hugh stacked wood. No, lustwasn’t the problem. Hugh wasn’t even the problem. She was.

There was no way Claire could continue todeny that she wanted him. She did. Desperately so.

So what was she to do?Give in? Seduce him into bed? Have a good, sweaty romp to relievethe tension? Oh, yes, her body cried, and Claire shivered at the thought of Hughlooming over her.

Thenwhat, her mind argued?

A door slammed and Claire jumped a foot offher chair as Hugh stomped into the room. “I hunger,” heannounced.

Don’t we all?“Well, then, by all means, your grace, it must beas you demand, mustn’t it?”

Hugh frowned, assessing her from head totoe. “Yer angry. I meant nae disrespect.”

With a sigh, Claire shook her head. “Ididn’t mean