Justin regarded her a little ruefully. “No, I wouldn’t,” he agreed, and if there was anything odd in his tone Megan didn’t notice it.
With that small point cleared up, after having been once again assured that he truly wanted her company, Megan had no hesitation about sharing his supper. She munched companionably, if inelegantly, on a chicken leg, using it to gesture as she talked while Justin ate with a little more decorum and watched her with amusement. With grease rimming her mouth and her eyes sparkling merrily, she looked absurdly young; Justin had no difficulty at all in recognizing the mop-haired, dirty-faced urchin of twelve years before beneath the surface loveliness of the young woman. He encouraged her to state her views on everything from educating females to the world situation, and found to his pleasure that she was as intelligent as she was beautiful. Her views were rather naive, colored noticeably by both her youth and sex, but they were perceptive for all that. Justin marveled at the thought that he had had such a creature under his care for a dozen years and done almost nothing about it. He should have made her acquaintance long before now, instead of waiting until she was nearly grown up. Besides all
the other advantages, it would have made his present situation so much easier.
Over the next several days, Megan blossomed under Justin’s attention. He was obviously growing fond of her, and the knowledge brought a pretty flush to her cheeks, a sparkle to her eyes. For herself, she thought he was the most magnificent man she had ever known—not that she had known many. The rector who conducted services at the school every Sunday, and the fathers and brothers of her schoolmates, were about all she knew about the opposite sex. But Justin was everything she had ever dreamed a man should be: kind and funny, tender and strong all at the same time. The fact that he was so handsome made it even better. Megan knew that he was quite old, thirty-six he said, which sounded like a great age to her. But when he was laughing and teasing her he didn’t seem much older than she was herself. Megan knew she was fortunate to have such a man for her guardian. If she had been ordering one made to measure, she wouldn’t have changed a thing about him.
She spent a great portion of the day with him, playing cards, reading to him, although he was perfectly capable of reading to himself. He liked the sound of her voice, he said. They talked. She would have spent even more time with him if he had not insisted that she get out in the fresh air for several hours each day. He told her sternly that her chatter tired him; that he needed to rest, so would she please go away and leave him in peace for a bit. Megan knew that he had no
intention of resting while she was gone, and suspected that he actually missed her, because he always seemed pleased to see her when she got back.
Justin found Megan both a delight and a torment. Her unself-conscious beauty attracted him more every day, and it took a great deal of control to keep in mind that she was his ward. Quite apart from the appeal she made to his senses, he found himself liking her very much. She seemed a precocious child one moment, a wise old granny the next. Her way of thinking amused and intrigued him, and he found the smallest things about her, from the dimple that appeared in her cheek when she smiled at him to the husky, three-noted sound of her laugh, ever fascinating. All too clearly he realized that he was being drawn into treacherous waters with each day that passed. But he was confident that his self-control would prove more than a match for the unwelcome stirrings of his body. Besides, the only way to be totally safe from temptation was to remove it firmly from his vicinity; and, chained by his leg to the bed, he saw no easy way of getting Megan out of his life. To tell the truth, he didn’t even want to, although he knew that when he was well again, it was the only responsible course of action to take. If she was dead set against school, then he would not force her to return, although he had not told her yet. Instead, he would bully or bribe his Aunt Sophronsia, who was chronically embarrassed for funds, into providing a home for Megan. He would hire a governess to oversee the remainder of her education, and would
himself call upon her as frequently as he could manage. But for now, until his leg healed, he was content to let things ride. After all, what possible harm could come from simply enjoying a few weeks of his ward’s company?
A week after the accident, Dr. Ryan called, bringing with him Justin’s crutch. He would have brought it sooner, he said, but knowing the Earl of old he had guessed that, once he had a means of getting out of bed, he would not hesitate to use it, and the leg had needed a certain period of rest. Justin was too thankful to get the crutch to make a fuss about the slowness of its delivery. With Dr. Ryan carefully monitoring his efforts, he managed to lever himself out of bed and balance precariously with the crutch’s support. By the time the doctor left, half an hour later, Justin could stand with tolerable assurance and even walk across the room with a fair degree of ease. Dr. Ryan warned him strictly against attempting to negotiate the stairs, telling him frankly that another bad fall before the leg had healed might lame him for life. Justin faithfully promised to limit his perambulations to his bedroom and the hallway outside.
Megan had been out for her daily ride during the doctor’s visit, and it was Mrs. Donovan who insisted that Justin rest after trekking back and forth across the room perhaps two dozen times. Justin, who was more tired by the small exertion than he cared to admit, was agreeable, although he absolutely refused to return to bed. Mrs. Donovan, with many disapproving
noises, was persuaded to pull a chair up to the window so that Justin could sit and enjoy the view.
When she had done all she could to see to his comfort, including tucking a quilt about his legs, she left him at last to his own devices. Justin rested his head against the high back of the leather chair, idly watching the antics of a gaggle of geese as they chased each other across the lawn.
When Megan strolled into view, the skirt of her black riding habit tucked carelessly over one arm to expose a ruffle of petticoats and neat leather boots, Justin smiled a little and leaned forward so that he could get a better view. He realized that he had been watching for her without knowing it, aware that she must cross this particular stretch of lawn on her return from the stables. With her hair confined in a loose knot on the top of her head and the severe lines of her habit emphasizing the lissome grace of her form, she was dazzling. Justin saw her laugh as the geese clustered around her skirts, squawking and scrabbling for any crumbs of food she might have brought them. She had nothing, as she tried to convey to them by holding out empty hands and shaking her head. When they refused to believe her, growing more vociferous in their demands, she laughed again, and picked up her skirts before sprinting for the house.
When she had disappeared from sight, Justin leaned back in his chair. She would be up shortly, he thought, and he was right.
She swept into the room with only the briefest of knocks.
“What did Dr. Ryan say?” she demanded breathlessly, addressing her question to the bed before she saw that it was empty. Justin grinned at her from his chair; he liked the way her eyes lit up with surprise and pleasure when she saw that he was out of bed at last.
“He said that you may not have crippled me for life, after all.”
She stuck out her tongue at him. “Very funny, my lord.”
Justin’s grin widened as she danced across the room toward him. With her rosy cheeks and wide smile, she reminded him of sunshine and fresh flowers and the carefree days of his own youth. As she neared his chair, he could not resist the impulse to tease her a little. He pretended to cower, throwing up both hands to ward her off. She stopped to stare at him.
“Before you make any more nefarious attempts at murder, I think I should tell you that you no longer have a motive: I’ve decided not to send you back to school, so you see, you really have no reason to get rid of me.”
Justin grinned broadly as he watched her eyes widen with incredulous delight.
“Oh, Justin!” she cried. Before Justin could ponder the wisdom of permitting this familiar form of address, she effectively distracted his attention by flinging herself at him in an excess of joy. Her skirts
brushed the splinted leg, which was thrust out stiffly before him, and then her arms closed about his neck in an impassioned embrace.
“Careful,” he warned, still laughing as his hands came up to her waist. And the laughter died in his throat and he felt her soft lips brush his cheek. With a stunning rush of desire, he realized that he would only have to move his head a fraction to touch her lips with his.
CHAPTER
5
Justin’s jaw felt bristly against her lips; although he had shaved that morning, his beard grew fast, and it was now late afternoon. Megan tasted the rough saltiness of his skin with lips that were slightly parted. The now familiar smell of him—a combination of good cigars, soap, and sweat—enveloped her as she kissed his cheek with impulsive fervor. Her arms were wrapped around the strong column of his throat, squeezing tightly in an effort to communicate her joy; her fingers touched the thick hair at the nape of his neck, vaguely registering the alien texture. Her kiss was as innocent as a young child’s, and when her lips brushed his, she did not even consider drawing away.
Megan felt his hands go hard on her waist, digging into her flesh with a force that should have hurt but didn’t. Then he kissed her mouth, very gently; a soft, butterfly kiss. At first Megan was a little surprised at his action; she was not used to being touched, much less kissed, having never been around anyone who cared enough about her to physically demonstrate
their affection. Her eyes opened instinctively, and she found him looking at her with a strange hot gleam in his golden eyes that she had never seen there before. Hesitantly, she smiled at him, deciding that she liked his kiss very much. The gleam intensified so that it seemed as if it would burn her, and he made a sound that was midway between a laugh and a groan. Then he was pulling her down so that she was sitting on his good leg, nestled against his shoulder; his arms slid all the way around her waist. Her head was tilted back across the hard muscles of his upper arm; against her ear she could hear the heavy thud of his heart. Her smile quivered and died as she stared up at him, mesmerized by that unreadable something in his dark face.
“Am I frightening you?” he asked with a husky note in his voice that made it sound as if he was having trouble speaking at all. Megan’s eyes widened as she looked at him, then she slowly shook her head. Whatever this feeling that he was arousing in her was, it certainly wasn’t fear.
“I won’t hurt you,” he promised as he bent over her. Megan believed him. Her fingers curled trustingly against the soft brocade covering his chest as he kissed her lightly. He dropped soft little kisses on her cheeks, temples, forehead, nose, and chin. She lay quietly in his arms, perfectly still except for her hands, which curled and uncurled against his chest, feeling a delicate warm glow start in the pit of her stomach and then pulse outward along her veins. His hands moved
to stroke the loosened tendrils of her hair. She looked at him gravely, her eyes deep purple pools in the pale oval of her face. Justin smiled the ghost of a smile as he looked down at her; his golden eyes still held that hot, excited glow, but the curve of his long mouth was tender.
“Close your eyes, darling,” he instructed softly, touching her eyelids with a gentle forefinger. Megan obeyed without question, feeling a tremulous excitement begin to spiral inside her as he laid his mouth against hers again.
His mouth was hard and warm as he brushed it back and forth across hers; he stroked her lips with his in a whisper-like caress, careful not to hurt or alarm her. When he felt her mouth quiver beneath his, he touched her lower lip with the tip of his tongue, tracing the outline of her lips before sliding between them to probe the smooth surface of her teeth. At the intimate touch, Megan felt an odd melting sensation.
“Justin,” she whispered shakily, her hands moving with blind sureness to clutch the back of his neck. As she murmured his name, Justin took advantage of her parted lips to slide his tongue between her teeth. The bold invasion made Megan gasp, and she stiffened instinctively as his tongue began to explore the hot, sweet recesses of her mouth. Justin felt her uncertainty and slowly withdrew his tongue. He kissed her lips again, briefly, gently. With a sense of wonderment, Megan felt the tremors that racked the long muscles of his arms as they enclosed her. His body heat seemed
to be drugging her; she could feel it wrapping about her like a warm, protective cocoon.
She was very conscious of the hardness of his chest against her breasts. Beneath her she could feel the steely muscles of his thigh as she half-lay across it.
For the first time in her life, Megan was made intensely aware of the differences between a man and a woman. He was so hard, she so soft; he was strong, she was weak; he needed, and it was her lot to give. His kisses intoxicated her, enchanted her, made her quake with delight. From the answering shudders that rippled his arms as he held her, from the dark rush of blood to his high cheekbones, from the piercing heat of his eyes as they moved over her, she knew that he was as enthralled by the touch of her mouth as she was by his. All question of right and wrong fled from her consciousness as she looked dazedly into his lean, handsome face. Her body had come awake at last, and it yearned for him fiercely, with an instinctive knowledge that transcended the innocence of her mind. He was as entrapped by passion as she was herself, and yet she knew that she had only to utter the slightest sound of protest to secure her instant release. The knowledge only increased her longing to be sheltered in his arms forever.
“Justin,” she said. He gave a long, moaning sigh, and then his mouth was on hers, hot and shaking, kissing her with a hard passion that would have terrified her had anyone else been doing it; but from him, it excited her almost past bearing.