Instead of condemnation she heard curiosity.
“No I didn’t use you, Elijah. I wanted you…I…You were…” she trailed off at loss at how to explain how he had been for her. “You were like the land itself. Raw and potent…I was drawn to you before you touched me, and when you finally kissed me you lit me aflame with passion and feelings that drowned me. You still do.”
A slow color burned along his cheekbones and she blinked in amazement. Had her words flustered him? “Are you not in the least bit curious why Thomas never wanted me?”
Blazing green eyes met hers. “I suspected.”
“As Thomas explained one day, he simply wasn’t built to desire any woman.”
Her heart lurched when Elijah moved and sat beside her, his knee drawn up, resting on the massive oak trunk as well.
“That is why it was hard for me to forgive Thomas’s actions against you,” Elijah said.
As if on cue, the lashes on her back burned. Its phantom caress always teased at her whenever she thought about it. “I never got to thank you,” she murmured. “But I am deeply regretful my actions hurt your friendship.”
He turned his head and her breath hitched. His lips were scant inches from hers. “Do not be. A man who hits a woman…even one who would think to whip her is less than pond scum.”
She swallowed. “Thank you.”
His eyes rove her face with an intensity that had heat pooling low and hot.
“Are you going to kiss me?”
“No.”
Her gaze dipped to his lips. “You are staring.”
“I am thinking.”
She shifted even closer to him, breathing in his scent—musk, leather, and sandalwood soap. Her heart rate doubled. “Are you thinking about kissing me?”
“No.”
The amusement in his tone had her lifting her eyes to meet his. She gasped at the lust firing from his gaze. Yet he did nothing. She admired his restraint, for she wanted to climb into his lap and be devoured by him. “If you suspected why Thomas never wanted me. Why were you so angry with me?”
Elijah sighed. “I was angry with myself. I had made a vow never to be with a woman like you again….and I broke that vow and allowed myself to believe in the promise of another future, a future that was a façade.”
Her mouth went dry and she wished she hadn’t mentioned it. She did not want him to be thinking about how lacking she was for this life.
“Do not ever go into town alone,” he ordered suddenly.
She nodded, grateful for the, shift in subject. “I won’t,” she agreed.
“Always take at least two ranch hands with you. If they are unavailable, wait until I am available.”
“I will,” she promised.
His gaze dropped to her lips and she held her breath in an agony of hopeful anticipation. He withdrew and disappointment settled in her stomach. Before she could say anything, he gripped her hair and wound it in his hand, drawing her towards him.
Her heart stuttered when he lifted his hand and caressed her cheek. “This does not mean anything,” he growled and then took her lips.
From the intensity in his eyes and his grip she’d expected him to ravish her mouth. Instead, his tongue was a teasing foray, a gentle exploration she had never expected. Sheridan parted her lips allowing him easier access. He pleasured her mouth in small nips and licks, more teasing and soothing than sensual. Tears pricked behind her lids as she twined her hand around his neck and returned his kiss. It had been so long since he’d touched her with such wonderful care.
Before she could sink into the embrace, he slowly pulled from her and leaned back against the tree. He released her hair, shifting its thick strands through his fingers. He said nothing, simply rested his arm on his knee and watched the horizon in contemplative silence.
He said it meant nothing. But to her it meant everything, and for the first time she really felt he might fall in love with her. She clenched her fingers in the blanket, hoping she was not leading her stubborn heart to pain and disappointment.
“Would you like to dance?” he asked gruffly.