LITMIR.BIZ

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of his family claimed to have—he did think he was capable of real love.

      And he wanted it.

      His family had set a high standard. Deep inside, he knew he couldn’t settle for less. Unfortunately, so far Ryan had never felt that way about anyone. Never lost his mind, lost his heart or even lost control of his emotions over a single female he’d ever met.

      Which made his instant reaction to this one that much more surprising. And intriguing. He’d never felt as sparking with energy, as…alive with a woman as he did in the brief time he’d known Jade Maguire.

      Before he could take any longer to wonder about it, they were interrupted by Mamie Brandywine. “Well, here you are,” she said to Ryan, giving him a broad smile. Then she turned her attention to Jade. “I’m surprised to see you here. This isn’t your usual crowd, is it?” She shook her head and tsked. “And I must protest, you’re monopolizing our special guest.”

      No love lost between those two, he’d already figured out by Mamie’s earlier comments, so he wasn’t exactly surprised by the woman’s hard tone. Jade responded with a lazy smile and amused silence that practically dared Mamie Brandywine to push harder.

      Mamie didn’t push. And Ryan’s interest in Jade went up another notch. A woman with a lot of nerve, that one.

      Rather than losing the staring contest with Jade, Mrs. Brandywine backed down and turned her attention back to Ryan. She took his arm, saying, “I want you to meet someone. The owner of the inn we were discussing is right over there.”

      The Winter Garden. The inn where he’d be staying, starting tomorrow. He did not want Jade to know he’d be there. It might be enough to make her suspicious when he put Plan B into action.

      Plan A was to seduce her, get close enough to her and try to get her to reveal something that might lead him to the painting.

      Plan B was…well…a little riskier and involved the inn.

      And a pair of handcuffs.

      “You won’t mind if I steal him away, will you, Jade? Surely you can find some other way to amuse yourself,” Mamie said. “There are lots of men here who might find your little ghost stories interesting.”

      “Of course there are, and I’m sure you’ve…met…them all,” Jade said, her smile never fading. All three of them knew her hesitation had been intentional.

      Mamie stiffened as Jade continued pleasantly, “By the way, you do look lovely in your dress. How funny, I think Auntie Lula Mae has a stuffed dead bird in exactly that color.”

      Ryan bit the inside of his cheek to hide a laugh as his landlady’s heavily made-up face went a few shades paler. From behind Jade, he saw another woman—the one in the hoop skirts who’d been talking with Jade earlier—listening intently. At Jade’s cutting insult, the woman grabbed her middle and laughed so hard she almost dropped her drink.

      Okay, so at least one other woman here liked the sultry brunette.

      Before the offended inn owner could muster up a suitable retort, she was joined by a middle-aged man wearing a slightly faded black tuxedo. His horn-rimmed glasses covered a weary-looking pair of eyes.

      Those eyes lit up when the man spied Jade. “Jade, you look wonderful!”

      For the first time since he’d joined her, Ryan saw the young woman loosen up and smile with genuine fondness. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed the man on the cheek. “Hello, Uncle Henry.”

      Ah, more relations. Another thing about the South, everybody was related to everybody.

      “Your mama got off on her cruise all right? Gee, honey, I was so sorry to miss the wedding.”

      Mamie Brandywine’s stiff mouth said she, for one, was not sorry to have missed the wedding.

      “She’s fine. Having the time of her life, I imagine.”

      “Better on the high seas than here causing trouble,” Mamie interjected. “Though I hope the other wives on board keep their husbands close at hand.”

      Jade’s jaw stiffened and her face flushed red. For the first time, it appeared the obnoxious Mamie Brandywine had scored a hit.

      She opened her mouth to retort. But before she could do so, Ryan interceded. “If you’ll excuse us, we were just about to dance.”

      Then, not taking no for an answer, he plucked Jade’s drink out of her hands and put it on the tray of a passing waiter. Taking a strong hold of her arm, he led her away, heading toward the dance floor, feeling her fury and resistance with every step.

      He should have known better than to think she’d let it go. After only a half-dozen steps, she planted her feet and refused to proceed.

      So, instead of allowing the fireworks, he did the only thing he could think of.

      He kissed her.

      JADE HAD BEEN PREPARED for reasoning, an apology, a joke, anything a man might typically do to calm down an angry woman.

      But not this. Not this amazing kiss. Not his mouth teasing the corner of hers, then moving over until their lips met completely. He wasn’t holding her close, wasn’t restraining her in any way. Yet she still felt completely touched. Held. Embraced. By nothing but his lips.

      Somehow, she couldn’t even bring herself to care that she was standing in a crowd of people allowing a complete stranger to kiss her. Maybe because it felt so incredibly good, an unexpected gift of pleasure like suddenly feeling the sun on her face during what had been a cloudy day.

      He didn’t try to deepen the kiss, merely playing with her mouth, letting her lips savor the pleasure of his as they shared breaths and as her anger eased away. Finally, after what seemed like forever, he pulled away and looked at her.

      She couldn’t say a word, could only stare up at him in confusion, her mouth falling open but no sound coming out. He touched her chin with his index finger, pushed her mouth closed and whispered, “Dance with me.”

      Then he slipped his arm around her waist and led her onto the crowded floor. Like Moses parting the Red Sea, his mere presence made people step to the sides, moving away to create room for them. He nodded his thanks, gave polite smiles and left the women groveling in his wake while the men lifted their chins in annoyance.

      Good lord, no wonder Jenny had fallen for this man. He’d completely taken over this society party, as if he belonged. As if he’d been born here and could trace his ancestry back several generations—as Jade could—instead of coming from some cold northern city where people didn’t know their neighbors’ names, much less their great-grandparents’.

      “I’m afraid I don’t know the latest steps to elevator music,” he whispered as their bodies moved together and began to sway. “But I don’t think rigid as a board is the right position.”

      Jade couldn’t prevent a tiny laugh from escaping between her clenched teeth. She had, indeed, been rigid and inflexible, still trying to deal with his words, with that kiss. Not to mention his…presence. That was the only word to describe it.

      He was so unlike any of the men she’d known or dated. His looks were one thing—good looks were easy to find, and also easy to forget if they weren’t backed up with personality. But this man had more than the looks and the personality. It was his aura, his power, his self-confidence, that she found nearly irresistible. He commanded respect. And, she suspected, he knew how to give it in return.

      Almost against her will, she relaxed against him, the contact causing both instant pleasure and instant tension.

      Bad idea.

      His body was long, thick and hard.

      All over?

      She thrust the naughty thought away, lest it distract her once again from her mission. It didn’t help, particularly when she realized that if things went as planned, she’d be finding out

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