The Outlaw Bride by Kelly Boyce

Author:Kelly Boyce
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Carina Press
Published: 2011-09-18T04:00:00+00:00

Katherine squirmed. How she wished she had kept her mouth shut. When she looked up, her gaze collided with Connor’s and then quickly skidded away, unable to spar with the intensity found in their depths.

“You were angry and I just…I just…” Her words trailed off. She just what? She had no suitable answer and she was too tired to make up another lie.

He studied her, saying nothing. Seconds passed. The clock on the bureau ticked out a static beat. “Is it the truth? Did your parents own a restaurant?”

She evaded the question with one of her own. “Why would I lie?”

Connor shrugged and shook his head, his eyes boring into her, searching for answers. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”

“I expect there’s a lot I’m not telling you. We barely know each other.”

“Then enlighten me.”

Katherine picked at a loose thread jutting up from one of the colorful squares of the quilt. The room lapsed into silence. She thought of any number of scenarios she could concoct to keep him from discovering the truth, but she knew he’d see right through them for the lies they were.

The pressure on her ankle ceased and for a fleeting second, Katherine knew a sense of relief and loss. It didn’t last long. His calloused hand encompassed hers. Strong fingers wrapped around and pressed into her palm. Heat swept through her body.

“Look at me,” he commanded, his voice soft but firm, tripping over her nerves like a feather tickling her skin.

Katherine shook her head, her attention riveted to the hand holding hers. She knew better than to look up into those eyes. They had a way of confusing the issue, making her forget herself. They had captivated her the first time Walter Figg threw her into Connor’s arms, and every time since. It was dangerous territory. Whenever she looked into those eyes, she had the urge to blurt out the truth.

“You shouldn’t be here. I can’t—” She stopped. “Please, just go.”

A coyote wailed in the distance, a high, mournful sound that shattered the still night. A wave of helplessness stole over her.

“You can’t what?”

I can’t have you touch me. I can’t stand that I want to touch you back.

She should tell him to go, but every fiber of her being wanted him to stay. Madness had invaded her senses and taken over.

“Nothing,” she said, and shook her head. Several curls fell forward, partially blocking her view of him. It didn’t help. His presence coiled its way around her, encompassing her in a cozy cocoon she feared she wouldn’t be able to break out of. Or didn’t want to.

“Kate, look at me.”

She started as he tucked his fingertips beneath her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. His touch branded her skin, but it was the tenor of his voice that was her undoing.

Her heart pounded with such ferocity she feared it would explode. His gentleness startled her. How long had it been since someone had taken her hand in a gentle embrace and simply held it? How long since someone touched her face in a caress? Tears stung her eyes.

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