“She said it was obvious because Emily pulled away every time he touched her.”
“Uh-huh.” He put as much boredom as he could into the phrase. He didn’t want to hear how wonderful McKinnely was.
“I don’t think that’s true.”
She didn’t? Despite his urge to avoid talking about good-looking-once-a-hero McKinnely, he had to hear this one. “You don’t?”
“No.”
“You don’t think a woman scooting a man’s touch is a sign she’s not too sweet on him?”
“No.”
“Why?”
Her shoulder pushed into his stomach as she took a deep breath. Had she been facing him, she would have blown him over when she let it out. “Because I used to pull away from you.”
It took him a minute to recover from the shock of dragging this particular subject into the open. He finally found his voice. “Not anymore.”
“It’s a fact I’m not proud of.”
“It doesn’t bother me.”
“Yes. It does.”
“You ever hear a wife shouldn’t disagree with her husband?”
“Yes.”
“So why are you disagreeing with me?”
“Because I think you like it.”
“I’d have to be a perverse S.O.B to like arguing.”
Shameless picked up his pace. Asa guessed he decided they were close enough to home to push the rules. Apparently, Elizabeth did, too, because she said, “But you do.”
He smiled. She was hanging in there despite the nervousness betrayed by her voice. “Why is that do you think?”
“I haven’t a clue.”
“But you’ve decided to humor me?”
“Not exactly.”
Her spine was stiffening up. As a result, she wasn’t moving with the horse, but more like bouncing on it. He waited. Three bounces later, he was rewarded.
“I’ve decided to use it,” she admitted.
“Anything in that fancy school say that’s a bit underhanded?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re not feeling guilty?”
“No. I’m being honest.” She took a breath, and he could tell she’d been thinking on this for awhile. “If I tell you, then it’s not trickery.”
“Some might call that hair-splitting,” he pointed out, not really minding.
“But not you?”
She sounded so hopeful, he didn’t have the heart to tease her. “No. I guess I can live with fair warning as long as you answer me one question.”
“What’s the question?”
“Why?”
“I’m not happy with our marriage.”
If Shameless hadn’t pulled up short in front of the hitching post, he probably would have jerked him to a halt. She’d blindsided him. He hadn’t seen it coming anymore than he’d anticipated the hurt. He kept his voice calm. “You’re not happy with our marriage, so you’re going to argue with me to improve it?”
He must not have been successful in covering his irritation because the hands that had been folded in her lap were stroking his forearm as if to soothe him. “Sort of.”
He tipped up her chin, but beyond a blush to her cheeks, her expression gave nothing away. He shook his head. “You’re going to have to explain that one, ‘cause, sure enough, you lost me in the twists and turns.”
Her chin butted his finger, but he didn’t heed the silent demand. Given no other option, she evaded his searching gaze by lowering her lids. “I can’t.”
He pondered a minute. The whole conversation had started out with the way Emily evaded Cougar’s touch, and how Elizabeth didn’t feel that was a sign that a woman didn’t like the touch of a man. Shameless snorted and stomped his foot. Willoughby echoed the impatient sound. Asa ignored both. “Are you saying you don’t dislike my touch?”
He might not have been successful in hiding his astonishment. Her whole body winced at his shout. “Lower your voice!”
“Well,” he asked, keeping his voice down, “are you?”
“It’s hard to say.”
“I think we’d better go into the house and discuss this.”
“No!”
“You want to sit out here in the cold when there’s a perfectly warm house a few feet away?”
“Please. Just let me say this before I lose my—”
He leaned back in the saddle. “Never let it be said I’d interrupt a lady.”
Her “You just did” was a muttered aside. For once, he didn’t feel like smiling when the real Elizabeth snuck past her prim disguise.
“I’m not used to being touched. My father wasn’t very…demonstrative that way.” She cut him a quick glance from under her lashes. “You touch me a lot.”
He shrugged. “You feel good.”
“I’m not saying it’s bad. I’m just not comfortable with it.”
“You seemed damned comfortable a few minutes ago.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about.” She took an audible breath. “The truth is, I’m afraid of how much I like it when you touch me!” she confessed in a breathless rush.
The blurted-out truth hung between them. The knot in his stomach that had been there since she’d mentioned McKinnely and her dissatisfaction with their marriage started to loosen. “Why?”
“You’ll stop and I’ll be used to it.”
And she didn’t want to he hurt. That he understood. “Why would I stop?”
“When I disappoint you, you’ll stop.”
“You know, I’m getting darned tired of everyone telling me what I’m going to do and not do.”