to let her mind dwell on the obvious answer.
"Lead on, Mr. Barr." She smiled up at him in the darkness
"You have a very thirsty woman on your hands
Several minutes later they were sitting on the sofa,sipping brandy before a softly flickering fire
The brandy, the fire, and Christian's hard thigh pressed against hers combined to loosen Toni's tongue.
She was answering each question he asked her without hesitation
“ So you really aren't certain when or if you'll be returning to Richmond, are you?" Christian asked.
"Not really. I've been thinking about looking for a secretarial position here in Natchez, but with my aunt not feeling well, I haven't done anything about it"
"Susie mentioned that you're very close to Miss Cartlaigne. I'd like to meet her."
Toni smiled. "My mother, and now my cousin, al-ways accused me of being exactly like Aunt Sara
And," she added with a shrug, "I suppose I am."
"Then I really must meet this charming individual" Christian grinned. "Does she have the same remark able ability to make things happen as you do?"
"Oh, Aunt Sara far surpasses me," Toni told him with a merry twinkle in her dark eyes. She related the story of the tiny woman taking the horsewhip to her intended, and also the one about her aunt's fondness for her trusty shotgun.
"It's a pity she's not well," Christian said thoughfully.
"She could get in quite a bit of target practice with the different men parading in front of her door of late."
"You're rude and overbearing," Toni accused him without any real malice in her voice. "If I didn't know better, I'd swear you and my aunt were in cahoots regarding my escorts."
"A man will do any number of seemingly stranes things when he's interested in a woman," Christian said, an amused look on his face. "It's a rare form of temporary insanity."
"Insanity my foot!" Toni exclaimed with a frown "I'd call it premeditated mischief. By now, I'm sure word has gotten around that taking me home from a date is considered dangerous."
"Ahhh . . . what a shame," Christian said as inno-cently as a small boy, his laughing gaze meeting and holding hers. "Does it upset you that I might have created a temporary lull in your social life?" No, you fink, I'm not upset. Annoyed? Yes. I don't like being manipulated. And from what I've seen of
you, Mr. Barr, you're accustomed to doing just that if
people don't react as you want them to."
Christian reached for her hand and raised it to his
lips "If I very humbly apologize, will it help?" Toni felt a strange new excitement rushing through her veins. The fire crackling in the grate was nothing compared to the one raging inside her, brought on by his touch, his nearness.
How can I be certain you mean it?" she whispered in an unsteady voice against the sudden tension sur-rounding them.
"Perhaps this will help," he murmured huskily, then pulled her across his muscled thighs and covered her mouth with his.
The moment his tongue plunged into the sensitive softless eager to receive it, Toni found that she'd been unconsciously waiting for this since the last time he'd kissed her. Rapid spasms of pleasure raced through her body like jagged fingers of lightning on a stormy
She felt his hands caressing her back, her hips, then changing course to sweep over her flat stomach and upward to the tingling softness of her breasts. It was as though she'd become two different people. One, sane and disapproving, hovering above as she watched her other self responding without hesitation
to Christian's sensual touch.
Even when his hands brushed aside the tiny buttons of her dress and the fragile lace of her bra, to cup first one breast and then the other, Toni didn't pull back.
She remembered, fleetingly, that first encounter in Ste-ven's office with Christian, when she'd compared the two men. She'd resented him then. Now that resent ment had turned into a burning desire that held her securely in its grip. She clung to him, savoring the rough hunger of his large body as he moved against her.
When his lips burned a scorching trail down her neck to ultimately close over one excited nipple, a tiny gasp of pleasure escaped her mouth. Each time touched her with his hands, with his lips, brought even more excitement than the last. Her body became as soft as a tender green leaf, bending and molding itself to the incredibly persuasive commands that issued from Christian's fingers.
When Christian raised his head and studied her glowing eyes and her softly parted lips, a gentle tender smile stole over his strong features.
"I want to make love to you," he whispered. 'I want to keep you with me for days and weeks."
Toni raised a tentative hand that finally came to rest against his cheek. Her thumb teased the curve of his lips. "Does that go along with your apology?" she asked huskily.
"Are you complaining?"
"Oh, no." She smiled. "As apologies go, I'm certain yours is the most . . . stirring one I've ever received You have a remarkable flair for expressing yourself."
"But," he said knowingly, "you aren't ready yet,are you?"
Toni stared at this man and found, to her surprise, that discussing whether or not to go to bed with him wasn't at all embarrassing. That startling bit of i mation was something she'd have to think about later
as well as her surprise defection to her enemy's
" I accepted your apology. Will you let me work this out in my own way?"
" Only if you will promise to have dinner with me tomorrrow evening."
" Oh,but—"
Christian's brows flew together across the bridge of his nose in a dark warning frown. "Don't you dare tell me you' re going out with another of Susie's clones. I can be very nasty when riled."
" So can I ... when I'm being threatened," she swiftly countered.
"Touche, Miss Grant." Christian chuckled, a quick gleam of admiration springing to his eyes. "Let me put it another way. It would please me enormously if you would stop seeing other men. How's that?" "Much better." Toni laughed softly. "And I'd love to have dinner with you. As for not seeing other men " She shrugged.
"I can't promise. Let's just take it day by day. Besides, Susie might not like you interfer-ing with her plans."
Susie wasn't at all upset when Toni phoned to the change of plans. This left Toni with the relizationn that she'd done exactly as her cousin had urging her to do.
For one tiny second after replacing the receiver, Toni tempted to march over and tell Christian she wouldn't be available for dinner. Further thoughts regarding the matter, however, reminded her that she’d be a fool to willingly deprive herself of his companysimply because of Susie's crazy maneuvering
The remainder of the day moved along at a snail's pace, or so it seemed to Toni. As she wandered through the house looking for something to keep her busy, she found herself, more often than not, keeping a watchful eye on the big house.
Two times Christian left in his car. On the first trip he was away for more than two hours; the second time, only forty-five minutes.
Stop it! she silently lectured herself as she watched the car stop after the last outing. You're beginning to act like a lovesick schoolgirl!
I wonder what my feelings really are? she asked herself, but was too cowardly to wait for the answer. Instead, she turned away from the window and went in search of Mrs. D and some chore to keep her thoughts occupied.
Early in the afternoon Sara, in one of her more lucid moments, announced that she would be eating dinner in the dining room that evening. Both Toni and Mrs D were pleased with the news, and the housekeeper suggested that Toni might like to help her aunt dress.
After the old woman had donned her blue velvet dress, and her snowy white hair had been combed into its coronet atop her small head, Toni asked Sara if she'd like to meet their new neighbor.
"Oh? Do we have new neighbors?" Sara asked, ha face showing puzzlement.
"A Mr. Christian Barr moved in about a week ago. Aunt Sara. He's asked about you several times. After dinner, if you feel up to it, I thought I'd ask him over to meet you."
"That'll be nice, dear."
Toni didn't pursue it further. She could tell by the
faraway look in her aunt's eyes and the lack of interest
that Sara was already drifting back in time. At six thirty sharp Toni heard Mrs. D open the door and let Christian in. She gave one last look at her reflection in the mirror and was pleased. Her red dress had a criss-crossed ruffled bodice. Its long sleeves gathered at the cuff, and the full skirt whispered about her knees when she moved. She picked up a delicately crocheted stole and a small clutch purse that matched the sttrappy black heels she was wearing, then left the room. As she neared the sitting room Toni could hear her aunt's voice and Christian's deeper one as they talked. She paused in the doorway and smothered a grin of amusement. Their guest was seated directly in front of Sara. on an antique straight chair with legs that looked incapable of holding a child, much less a man of Christian's size.
Adding to his misery was the cup of hot coffee, seved: in a cup and saucer from Sara's favorite Haviland china. He had a death grip on the saucer with one land the thumb and forefinger of his other hand locked to be permanently glued to the delicate handle of the cup. His uneasy posture reminded Toni of a man prepared to spring to his feet the moment the chair beneath him collapsed.
When Toni walked into the room, Sara turned her regal head and smiled and Christian rose to his feet like a jack-in-the-box. "I've been getting to know your young man, Antonia. He's very nice," Sara said in a clear voice. Toni placed her stole and purse on the sofa, then sat on the arm of her aunt's chair. "Do you really think so, Aant Sara?" she asked thoughtfully, her lips twitching as she watched her "young man" ease his large self back down onto the object of torture. "He has a shocking reputation with the ladies, I've been told."
"That will make him a better husband, my dear." Sara Cartlaigne said, unperturbed. "It's the paragons of virtue that you have to be careful of. Besides,"she added, patting her niece on the hand, "you're a Cart-laigne through and through. A husband with a roving eye won't be a problem for one so spirited."
"Believe me, Miss Cartlaigne," Christian said to his tiny hostess, "I would never deliberately do anythinh to hurt Antonia. I also think I'd make an excellent husband for her," he said calmly, ignoring the angry flash in Toni's eyes. "Your niece is very impulsive by nature. She needs a watchful eye on her at all times" he added as smugly and piously as a black-frocked preacher.
Aunt Sara nodded approvingly, then instructed him to have Antonia home at a decent hour. "Young folks nowadays stay out till all hours. It's no wonder the world is going to hell in a hand basket." At that mo-ment Mrs. D bustled in to see her charge safely to her room.
"You'll have to excuse me, Mr. Barr," Sara said to Christian. "I haven't been feeling well lately, and I find myself going to bed earlier and earlier. I've en-joyed your visit very much."
Again Christian rose to his feet. He set the cup : small table, then stepped forward and helped San her feet. "It's been my pleasure, Miss Cartlaigne, said warmly. "Perhaps you'll be kind enough to let come again. And please, call me Christian."
The tiny lined face broke into a bright smile. .
Toni could have sworn her aunt was flirting. "You're welcome here anytime, Christian." She turned and kissed Toni, then allowed Mrs. D to help her from the room.
Christian slowly shook his dark head and grinned at Toni. "Aunt Sara believes in speaking her mind, doesn't she?"
And how," Toni agreed. "You were very patient with her, thank you. And please, since I'm not in the market for a husband, don't let her bluntness bother
He reached out and placed a long forefinger against her lips. "Shame on you, Antonia," he scolded her in mock reproof. "I wasn't at all put off by her bluntness.
How could I be when she and I share such a common charaeteristic?"
"Oh? What's that?"
"Determination," he said quietly. "For example, I'm determined to have you, Antonia, and I don't in- tend to let anything or anyone get in my way."
Toni met the open directness of his gaze, a vague warning sounding in her mind. Christian had never kept it a secret that he found her an attractive woman,
but in the past Toni had just thought it was part of his line. This time, however, there was no mistaking the challenge in his voice.
'Are you trying to bully me again?" she asked with a smile, unable to explain the sudden huskiness creep-ing into her voice.
"Perhaps." He let his hand slip behind her head and clasped the nape of her neck. "You're different from the women I've known in the past. You're a pint-siz
mischief maker who's managed to create complete havoc in my life. You're stubborn as a mule, and there are times I'm positive that if you were a man, you'd
give me the thrashing of my life."
"You make me sound mean-tempered and some what odd," Toni murmured, trying to ignore the encitement his touch was creating.
"You are." Christian smiled. "But don't you dare change. You're unique."
Before she could think of a reply to this rather unusual compliment, she heard the phone ringing, a softly spoken "Excuse me" slipped past her lips as she
hurried toward the kitchen,
When she answered the phone her voice was a little breathless and shaky from Christian's touch and her own confused response to him.
"Toni? This is Steven," came the familiar voice of her former fiance. "How are you?"
"I'm fine, Steven," she answered, surprised, then found herself tongue-tied. What on earth do I say to him? she thought frantically.
"I suppose you're wondering why I'm calling, aren't you?" he asked in that persuasive voice she'd heard so often.