Wild legacy Read Online Free Page A

much to drink last night, but you knew precisely what you were doing. You were all over me. How can you pretend what happened between us doesn't matter?"
    He had tied his hair at his nape that morning, but when he had kissed her last night it had been loose, and spilled over her face with the sensuous warmth of black velvet. Recalling an even more provocative caress with an embarrassment laced with the moist heat of desire, Belle fought her traitorous body's shameless cravings and squared her shoulders.
    "I do care," she assured him proudly, "far too much to accept a proposal given out of a noble sense of duty or guilt if you believe you've tarnished my honor."

    Falcon responded with a rude laugh. "I did a hell of a lot more than tarnish it, Belle."
    His rebuke was an arrogant boast rather than an expression of regret, but she couldn't deny its truth. As memories of his intimate touch became increasingly vivid, her face grew hot with a bright blush. "Yes, I suppose so, but there will be no consequences, so neither of us has to suffer."
    Still enchanted by his elusive cousin, Falcon raised his hand to caress her feather-soft cheek. His mind might have been clouded by liquor last night, but he had a clear memory of how it had felt to nudge against the fragile barrier that had prevented them from becoming one. In another instant the tender flesh would have torn and he would have buried himself deep within her heated core. There would have been consequences aplenty then.
    If only she hadn't stopped him.
    "You weren't suffering last night, and neither was I. Far from it." He stopped there rather than insult her by telling her she'd been a better lover than all the other women he had ever had put together.
    What Belle saw in his dark gaze was a promise of many more such luscious nights, but he was wrong. She had suffered an unbearable anguish when she had discovered brandy was fueling his desire rather than love. "There's no rush."
    She had been so agreeable in the darkened study, and Falcon wished she would show him the same sweetness today. He ached with wanting her and tried not to sound as annoyed as he felt with her maddening distance. "What do you mean?"
    Belle toyed with the fringe on his sleeve, letting it dance through her fingers as she replied, "The next time you come home, ask again, and because you've given up drinking, there will be no mistaking your motives."
    That softly voiced taunt was more than Falcon could bear

    calmly. "Didn't you just give me your hand to promise last night would be forgotten?"
    Even frowning, Falcon was the handsomest man Belle had ever seen, but it still hurt to look at him and she dropped her glance. "Yes, but that doesn't mean I didn't learn a valuable lesson I intend to remember."
    Searching for a way to reach her, Falcon gazed off toward the river. When they were children, she had chased him along the muddy shore and the patter of her bare feet had echoed the rhythm of her laughter. All his childhood memories included her, and they were all happy. The war had dimmed those carefree years, but they came back to him now in such acute detail he could actually taste the wild blackberries they had picked and tossed into each other's mouths. His expression relaxed into a sad smile.
    With a light tap of his index finger, he tilted Belle's chin to force her to look up at him. "If this is the last time I'm able to come home, will you please remember that I swore I loved you, and asked you to marry me?"
    Belle's heart skipped a beat. She had been up late last night, as she had on so many others, because she was worried sick about him. The Scott house beckoned invitingly and part of her longed to take him inside and find the softest feather bed. An equally compelling voice argued that she ought to make absolutely certain that he truly loved her before she lost herself in him again. She sighed sadly as she made the only choice her pride allowed.
    "Please help me find my combs." She plucked her cap