Page 49 of Kiss of Wrath

“Why?”

“It gives a man sinful thoughts.”

“Are you having sinful thoughts?”

“You have no idea.” His blue eyes turned silvery and his lips parted, staring down at her in nothing but a nude-colored lace bra and bikini panties. She didn’t have a great body. Too slim. Breasts too small. But that didn’t seem to matter to him.

“Do you know how good you look to me?”

Maybe her body wasn’t so bad, after all. “You’re not too shabby yourself.”

He angled his head and settled his mouth on hers again. Long, lazy, but nonetheless hungry kisses ensued. She’d never been kissed so thoroughly or with such finesse. His taste was headier than champagne on an empty stomach.

Raising his head, but at the same time still holding her, he said, “For my sins, you are forbidden to me.”

“Forbidden fruit?” she teased.

“Of the worst kind. Or best kind. And I am a hungry man.” He looked so miserable when he spoke those words.

She raised a hand to his nape and pulled him down for a soft kiss to his lips, which were parted and moist.

“I want you,” he said in a voice raw with emotion.

“No kidding!” A hardened part of his body was pressing against her belly, giving proof to his statement that he wasn’t impotent. Not by a Vegas long shot.

He pinched her butt in reprimand.

She pinched his back.

He almost smiled.

“When was the last time you smiled?”

“I cannot recall.”

“Really?” She cocked her head to the side. “Why? A sense of humor makes the world go round.”

“Pfff! Not my world.”

“You are a puzzle to me. There has to be some reason that you are always so grim. Nothing is so bad it can’t be overcome.”

It was as if a shadow passed over Mordr’s face. He went suddenly rigid, then stepped back from her. “This was not a good idea. Sorry I am if I offended you.”

“Huh? What just happened? What did I do?”

A loud ringing jarred them both, and precluded his answering her questions. The doorbell.

“Are you expecting someone?” he asked.

She shook her head.

He helped adjust her dress and pointed toward the back of the house with a silent order that she check on the children. She quickly ran to the kitchen and looked out the window. The kids were safe. For once, they had listened and were in the process of setting up the croquet course, with Maggie giving her sage advice on how it should be done, the boys arguing, and Linda just holding on to the yellow ball tightly.

She rushed back to find Mordr looking through the peephole, then undoing the various locks on the doors and clicking in the security code. “Dumb lackwits!” he muttered.

Hmm. That didn’t sound dangerous.

Mordr tried to block the open doorway, but she scooted under his arm and was dumbfounded at what stood on her doorstep. Two big men wearing long cloaks with angel wing epaulets on the shoulders, over black jeans and T-shirts. Motorcycle-style boots completed the picture. One wore his long black hair with thin braids on either side of his very handsome face, similar to Mordr. The other’s hair was short brown in designer disarray. Different from Mordr, but still there was a resemblance. More Vikings?