In My Wildest Fantasies Read Free

lifted, and he grinned again. "Yes, it does feel quite nice."
    He continued to work his hand over her elbow while his horse stood by in the quiet forest, discreetly tasting the grass and flicking his ears at insects. Rebecca's body grew warm and pleasantly weak from the gentleman's touch.
    "Do you suppose this is proper?" he asked, lifting his eyes again with that same seductive expression. "We haven't been introduced, you know, and we are very much alone."
    She wet her lips and pondered the fact that they were indeed alone in the forest and he was touching her intimately, and she had no idea where her father was. Anything could happen. He could seduce her. He could sweep her off her feet and into his arms, carry her to the coach and toss her down upon the soft, leather upholstery, kiss her neck and hands, overwhelm her with terrifying passions she'd never known, and ravish her without mercy....
    She swallowed hard.
    "You are correct, sir. We have not been introduced, so I suppose it is not proper at all. I confess--you have me quite unsettled."
    "I don't mean to unsettle you." He was quiet while he tested her upper arm. "Please allow me to give you this reassurance--there is nothing to fear. I only wish to be certain you are not hurt."
    But despite his assurances, there was still something so incredibly erotic about the way he spoke to her and touched her, and the way it made her feel hot and lazy inside.
    "I do appreciate your concern."
    He continued to massage down the length of her arm all the way to her wrist. "You're very lovely. Has anyone ever told you that?"
    "No."
    "No?" He sounded surprised, then his gaze narrowed. "How old are you?"
    "I am seventeen, sir."
    His hand went still upon her arm, then he gently lowered it, setting it away from him with a sigh. "Much too young for an elbow examination, I'm afraid."
    "How old are you?" she asked, quite unable to restrain her curiosity.
    "That's a bold question for a well-bred young lady like yourself."
    "It's the same question you asked me," she argued.
    "Yes, but I'm not a well-bred young lady."
    She let her eyes sweep over the broad width of his chest and the visible power in his shoulders. "No, you certainly are not."
    They stood gazing at each other for a moment until he looked across the green bog, those powerful shoulders heaving with another sigh. "I suppose I must turn your coach around and return you safely to your father. He is no doubt concerned."
    "Yes, I am sure he is." She realized with some chagrin that while this extraordinary man had been touching her, she had forgotten about her father completely. "I am fine now."
    But her teeth had begun to chatter.
    Without the slightest bidding from her, he removed his heavy, fur-trimmed greatcoat and slung it around her shoulders. "This will keep you warm."
    She felt the heat from his body inside it and smelled the enthralling fragrance of his cologne. "Thank you," she said. "And thank you also for coming to my rescue."
    He touched the brim of his elegant top hat before he swung himself up onto his horse again. "I assure you, it was nothing at all."
    Oh, no, nothing at all, to come galloping after a runaway coach and pull a distraught young lady out of a bog, then make her forget all about the pain in her head and elbow and the fact that her skirts were dripping wet with that cold, sticky slime.
    He clicked his tongue, walked his horse back into the water, and took hold of the harness. "Onward, now," he said.
    While he led the team in a wide circle and back up onto the grass, Rebecca admired his form without the coat. Wearing a fine black dinner jacket and crisp white shirt with a dark, crimson necktie, he was even more perfect than she could have imagined, for there was an incredible strength and vigor in his shoulders and in the defined lines of his torso and hips.
    As soon as the wheels were on dry land, he rode closer and dismounted again. "Allow me to assist you."
    She glanced uneasily at the coach. "The horses