Megan Frampton Read Online Free Page A

fervent whisper.
    Passionate anger, perhaps. Angry passion?
    “It is wrong to marry someone when you fully expect just to have a pleasant life with them.” The way she said the word, it might as well have been “hellish,” or “miserable.” “I will not settle for a pleasant life.” She drew back and stared into his eyes. “That is
my
rule.”
    How dare she issue a rule—a challenge!—like this? And did that mean she wanted an unpleasant life?
    “Your rule? Look here, Violet,” he said, grasping her arms above her elbows, “my rule is that I will not let a woman dictate to me.” He gave her a shake, loosening her hold on the couch. “So it appears we are at an impasse.”
    She looked as though she were about to cry. Christian felt his heart soften towards her. Until she flung her head back and wiggled in closer to his body, a resolute expression on her face. Then he forgot all about everything but her softness. And his resulting hardness.
    This … angry passion was what he’d had before, what he’d resolved not to go through again. It interfered with his work, muddled his brain, made him think only about how far, and how deep, and how long he could—
    “An impasse is only an impasse when both parties will not move from their respective positions,” she said. Her mouth widened into a knowing smile. “I plan on making you move, Christian.”
    Oh, damn. Now
that
sounded not at all like a rule, and definitely like a challenge.
    * * *
    Violet couldn’t believe she’d done and said what she just had. She didn’t even like to sing loudly at church, even though she had a perfectly nice voice, because she didn’t want to draw attention to herself, for goodness’ sake. Yet here she was, perched on Christian’s lap, about to attempt to seduce him. About to
actually
seduce him, she quickly corrected herself. Or leave the room no longer engaged.
    Rather like Scylla and Charybdis, if Scylla was the most wonderful thing ever and Charybdis would result in falling into the pit of despair. So perhaps not like Scylla and Charybdis at all.
    “What would you like me to do first, Christian?” she asked, leaning in to whisper in his ear. He held himself rigidly pressed against the back of the divan, hard and unyielding.
    “That is all up to you, Violet,” he replied in a low voice. “You said an impasse would be broken only if someone made a move. It’s your move.”
    Drat. Like she knew what to do.
    She pondered for a minute. What did she wish
him
to do to
her
? That would work as a starting point, wouldn’t it?
    It had to. Because sitting this way, without moving, was making her legs cramp, and leg cramping was not conducive to seduction, at least as far as she knew.
    She licked his ear. He jumped, and Violet had to bite her lip not to apologize.
    No apologies, not unless you have to say “I’m sorry, but I cannot marry you” when this is played out. Please don’t let him be sorry he asked me to be his wife. Please don’t let me be sorry I said yes
.
    “In for a penny, in for a pound,” she whispered as she moved her mouth lower, to his neck. She squirmed in closer, relishing how hard his body felt against hers. It felt good,
really
good, low down in that place she knew was used for that activity.
    Good thing she wasn’t
completely
ignorant. Ha.
    She kissed his skin, the strong, solid column of his neck, traveling slowly until she was directly below his mouth. She raised her head and stared into his eyes. He had longer lashes than most women she knew, damn his beauty. “I am going to kiss you, Christian,” she announced in an emphatic voice. “And you are not going to stop me.”
    His mouth, that delicious, beautiful mouth, lifted in a smile. A smile that warmed not only the cockles of her heart, but several other places beside.
    “I would not want to stop you. Go ahead.”
    So she did. Slowly she lowered her mouth until it was just touching his. She clasped her right hand around his neck, holding