Did she like it?
That was one question she refused to answer.
CHAPTER FOUR
LUCAS CALLED HIMSELF TEN kinds of fool as he took the stairs two at a time. Bloody hell, what had he been thinking? Kissing a hag? True, she was beautiful, and strong in a way that few women of the ton would dare to express, but to kiss her?
He shivered.
But it wasn’t with aversion; rather, it was a response of desire — by simply thinking her name.
Damn and blast! This could not be!
Yet, as he remembered how she’d crept into the kitchen, he had thought she was a fae, with the teasing temptation that was her unbound hair, the way her robe was tucked at her waist, showing off the curve of her figure. As he drank in the beautiful view, he’d been shocked to realize it was Meredith! Steeling himself against her beauty, he had resorted to insults and banter, yet, as always, she didn’t back down, rather met him like a duel.
And as it had in the past, he’d expected for that to irritate him… yet it did the opposite. Fire danced in her eyes, the defiant tilt of her chin only gave him a tempting view of her neck, and the graceful slope to her shoulders. It was arousing and frustrating all at once.
And while he foundered, trying to find solid ground upon which to stand, he had made the most asinine challenge.
Seduce Meredith.
All of his senses must have taken flight! If it were any other woman, he could seduce her in his sleep, yet… with Meredith he knew that would not be the case.
Rather, it was a dangerous endeavor… for them both.
Because when he’d kissed her, what had started out as something to prove, had turned into a burning passion that still smoldered within him. Seducing her would be simple. The difficulty would come from trying to not be seduced in return.
Because another kiss like that could seal his bachelor fate. Especially if discovered.
His mother would be all too happy to marry him off to a hag… yet, as bitter and horrific as the idea had sounded even a mere day before, it wasn’t nearly as offensive now. Waking up with Meredith in his bed? He was painfully aware of how delightful that could be… yet, what insurance did he have that the war they waged would end with a marriage contract?
With his luck he’d not wake up from their wedding night.
Or worse, wake up missing specific parts of his anatomy.
It was a quandary.
Because he had accepted the challenge… and as much as his head said it was idiotic, an invitation to disaster — he rather liked the idea of seducing the hag that had transformed into the fairy.
Now all he had to do was find his own magic.
He paused mid-step.
Had he actually thought such words?
Bloody hell, the woman was already corrupting his mind!
Yet, as he considered the kiss… what a tempting corruption it was!
Resolve forming in his mind, he entered his room, lay on his bed, and fell into a sleep haunted by the one woman he swore he’d never, ever consider.
Perhaps hell really could freeze over.
AT BREAKFAST, LUCAS KEPT an eye on the door; waiting. His torture of the hags for all those years had provided some astoundingly helpful information.
For example, the Bright sisters did not sleep in.
Of course, that might be because the one time they had, they’d awoken to worms crawling on their floor, with a nice smattering of dirt for effect. When they came downstairs, huffing and indignant, Hugh had simply smirked and reminded them that “the early bird gets the worm”.
They weren’t amused.
Yet, to this day, he and his brothers still found the tale hilarious.
So, knowing that Meredith wasn’t one to take a late breakfast, he rose early and presently awaited her arrival. Just as it was when the war raged… a new war had begun, and there would be no quarter given.
Yet if that kiss were any indication, there would be no loser in this fight… only a very enticing prize.
He lifted a square of toast and bit into the crisp bread, following that bite with one of salty bacon. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement. Meredith strode confidently into the breakfast room, but when her gaze caught his, she froze.
Her eyes narrowed.
Her shoulders straightened.
“Good morning, love. How was your night?” He lifted his teacup in a toasting gesture and took a sip, glorying in the fire that danced in her eyes, a flash of anger.
“Disruptive and assaulting,” she shot back, and with more caution, approached the sideboard. She began filling her plate with bacon, eggs, beans and sausage. The Bright sisters were never ones to miss a meal, yet it was clear their figures never suffered.
And as he watched her butter a square of toast, he decided he rather liked that she ate with appreciation.
As she finished preparing her plate, she glanced about the room as if searching for a different place to sit rather than at the table with him.