Taming Natasha Read Free Page B

eyes. It both amused and baffled him that at five, his little girl had already mastered that peculiar and effective feminine trick.
    He’d thought of the toy store himself, and its owner. No feminine tricks there, just pure womanly disdain. It made him wince again to remember how clumsy he’d been. Out of practice, he reminded himself with a self-deprecating smile and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. What was more, he couldn’t remember ever experiencing that strong a sexual punch. It was like being hit by lightning, he decided. A man was entitled to fumble a bit after being electrified.
    But her reaction… Frowning, Spence replayed the scene in his mind. She’d been furious. She’d damn near been quivering with fury before he’d opened his mouth—and put his foot in it.
    She hadn’t even attempted to be polite in her refusal. Just no—asingle hard syllable crusted with frost at the edges. It wasn’t as if he’d asked her to go to bed with him.
    But he’d wanted to. From the first instant he had been able to imagine carrying her off to some dark, remote spot in the woods, where the ground was springy with moss and the trees blocked out the sky. There he could take the heat of those full, sulky lips. There he could indulge in the wild passion her face promised. Wild, mindless sex, heedless of time or place, of right or wrong.
    Good God. Amazed, he pulled himself back. He was thinking like a teenager. No, Spence admitted, thrusting his hands into his pockets again. He was thinking like a man—one who had gone four years without a woman. He wasn’t certain if he wanted to thank Natasha Stanislaski for unlocking all those needs again, or throttle her.
    But he was certain he was going to see her again.
    â€œI’m all packed.” Nina paused in the doorway. She gave a little sigh; Spence was clearly absorbed in his own thoughts again. “Spencer,” she said, raising her voice as she crossed the room. “I said I’m all packed.”
    â€œWhat? Oh.” He managed a distracted smile and forced his shoulders to relax. “We’ll miss you, Nina.”
    â€œYou’ll be glad to see the back of me,” she corrected, then gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
    â€œNo.” His smile came easier now, she saw, dutifully wiping the faint trace of lipstick from his skin. “I appreciate all you’ve done to help us settle in. I know how tight your schedule is.”
    â€œI could hardly let my brother tackle the wilds of West Virginia alone.” She took his hand in a rare show of genuine agitation. “Oh, Spence, are you sure? Forget everything I’ve said before and think, really think it through. It’s such a big change, for both of you. What will you possibly do here in your free time?”
    â€œCut the grass.” Now he grinned at her expression. “Sit on the porch. Maybe I’ll even write music again.”
    â€œYou could write in New York.”
    â€œI haven’t written two bars in almost four years,” he reminded her.
    â€œAll right.” She walked to the piano and waved a hand. “But if you wanted a change, you could have found a place on Long Island or even in Connecticut.”
    â€œI like it here, Nina. Believe me, this is the best thing I could do for Freddie, and myself.”
    â€œI hope you’re right.” Because she loved him, she smiled again. “I still say you’ll be back in New York within six months. In the meantime, as that child’s only aunt, I expect to be kept apprised of her progress.” She glanced down, annoyed to see a chip in her nail polish. “The idea of her attending public school—”
    â€œNina.”
    â€œNever mind.” She held up a hand. “There’s no use starting this argument when I have a plane to catch. And I’m quite aware she’s your child.”
    â€œYes, she is.”
    Nina tapped a