Touched, she smiled and replied, “Always the gentleman.”
“Always.” He flexed his hand.
“Sore?”
“Yes. Been a while since I’ve done something like that. It’ll be worse in the morning if I don’t get some ice. Hope Dovie has some.” He paused for a moment as if weighing what he wanted to say, all the while viewing her with a soft intensity. “Listen, I know you don’t need protecting, but I couldn’t help myself. If I stepped in where I didn’t belong, my apologies.”
“You did fine,” she softly replied. “And you’re right, I can take care of myself, but sometimes a girl gets tired of fighting alone.”
Silence rose between them. She didn’t know why he set off the feelings he did, but the longer she held his gaze, the higher the draw rose.
He reached out and a whisper-light fingertip trailed down her cheek. “Anytime you need a partner, let me know.”
Her reactions to him were slipping past the reins of her legendary control. She covered his hand with hers and gently pressed her lips against the knuckles. “A kiss to make it feel better.”
He smiled. “If I kiss you in return, will you feed me to a bear?”
“If it’s a bad kiss, I might.”
“I’ll have to make it a good one, then, I guess.”
“Yes, you do.”
“I’m out of practice.”
“Are you going to kiss me or talk me to death?”
He leaned in, brushed his lips against hers, and murmured, “I love a woman who says what she wants.” The potency of the kiss that followed awakened her senses and kindled the embers of her lust. He was no novice at this, and before his seductive magic reduced her mind tojam, she took a step back. “Come home with me. I’ve ice and whatever else you may want.”
“Are you sure? I’ve a long list of what I want to do with you.”
Her knees went weak. “Do I impress you as being unsure?”
“A gentleman always asks.”
“I want you in my bed, McCray. That plain enough for you?”
“Yes, ma’am. It is.”
A male voice interrupted them. “Quite a display you put on back there, McCray.”
They turned to see Avery Jarvis standing there. Where he’d come from or how much he’d seen or heard, she didn’t know.
He continued, “Man like you could draw a lot of unwanted attention putting your hands on a man like Ketchum. You might want to be careful.”
“A man like me draws unwanted attention from men like Ketchum just for waking up every morning, but thanks for your concern. Good night.” He offered Spring his arm. She responded, and together they set out towards the livery to retrieve the buggy for the drive to her cabin. Neither looked back.
Led by the light of the full moon, Spring guided the buggy slowly. McCray hadn’t saidanything since they’d left the livery. There wasn’t enough light to see his features clearly, but she sensed distance. “If you’ve changed your mind, McCray, that’s fine.”
“I haven’t. Jarvis has me angry at Ketchum all over again.”
She understood. She’d been angry at Ketchum for years. “Should I distract you?”
He chuckled against the night. “Your invitation is distracting enough, honestly. I’ll be better shortly.”
“Good, because when we get home, I’ll need your full attention.”
“And you shall have it.”