Last-Minute Bridegroom. Linda Miles

it for what it is and forget about it. It will help me to forget about all this.’

      An odd, rueful expression crept onto the supremely self-confident face of the man beside her. ‘Oh, Lord,’ he said.

      ‘Daddy won’t be back for ages. I’m still on the pill. We can just go upstairs now,’ said Tasha. ‘Or would you rather have another drink first?’

      Chaz took her hand in his, running his thumb over her palm. The honeyed warmth pooled in the palm of her hand and spread up her arm; she drew in a sharp breath.

      ‘Tash, darling,’ said Chaz, ‘I know it was my idea, but it probably wasn’t a very good one.’

      ‘Why not?’ said Tasha. ‘Don’t you think you’d enjoy it?’

      ‘Yes, but—’

      ‘Don’t you think I’d enjoy it?’

      ‘Yes. butt—’

      ‘Then what’s the problem?’ Tasha said impatiently.

      He smiled at her wryly. ‘I think you’d hate yourself and me afterwards. You probably can’t hate me any more than you do already, but—’

      ‘I don’t hate you, Chaz,’ Tasha interrupted ruthlessly, conveniently ignoring her conviction for the past sixteen years that Chaz was a blot on the planet. ‘I just think you’re selfish and afraid of commitment. Are you afraid I’ll come chasing you afterwards?’

      ‘No, I’m not afraid of that.’ His thumb was still stroking her palm. ‘I just think you’re taking on more than you can deal with at a time when you’re pretty vulnerable.’ He raised an eyebrow in self-mockery. ‘I’ll probably hate myself for this, but I don’t think I should take advantage of what’s obviously a momentary aberration.’

      Tasha stared at him blankly. If he was going to talk about momentary aberrations, when had Chaz ever turned down anyone who was willing? It must be because she was so unattractive.

      ‘I know I look horrible,’ she said, ‘but it’s just because I got wet. I’ll look a lot better when I’ve dried off.’

      ‘You look bloody marvellous,’ said Chaz, ‘but the answer is no.’

      ‘Is it because you think I’m no good in bed?’ asked Tasha.

      Chaz gave her another rueful smile. ‘Tash, darling,’ he said, ‘I don’t think that, and I’d love to have the chance to find out, but in case you hadn’t noticed I’m being chivalrous for the first time in my life.’

      Tasha lay wearily back against the sofa. Just for a minute she’d thought she could escape the leaden weight in her chest. For an hour, maybe a couple of hours, that lovely golden warmth would have spread through her body and maybe for just a little while she could have put everything out of her mind as well. But she was just stuck with it. A tear trickled down her cheek.

      Chaz wiped it away with a finger. ‘I may be good, but I’m not that good,’ he said.

      ‘I’d love to have the chance to find out,’ Tasha said pointedly. ‘I don’t call it very chivalrous to lead me on and then back out at the last minute. I’ll bet you’d be furious if a woman did that to you and then told you it was for your own good.’

      ‘Touché,’ said Chaz, ‘but I still think you’d regret it.’ He smiled at her. ‘Tell you what. Pretend I’m really your cousin, pretend you don’t think to know me is to loathe me, and I’ll give you a shoulder to cry on.’

      He slid one arm behind her shoulders, the other under her knees, and scooped her up onto his lap. His strong arms closed tight around her; her legs lay across his powerful thighs, she could hear his heart beating in the powerful chest. ‘Is that better?’ he asked, his breath stirring her hair.

      It was and it wasn’t. The sheer physical strength and solidity of the body which held hers was a comfort, keeping at bay a little of the misery. But it made her whole body ache with a yearning which couldn’t be satisfied.

      ‘It’s a bit better,’ said Tasha.

      ‘Good,’ said Chaz.

      ‘But could you not hold me quite so tight?’

      ‘Sorry,’ said Chaz. He loosened his arms.

      ‘Thanks,’ said Tasha. She put her arms around his neck.

      Chaz looked at her warily.

      Tasha looked at the firm, sensuous mouth. ‘Do you think I’ll regret it if I kiss you?’ she asked.

      An eyebrow quirked up. ‘No,’ he said wryly. ‘But I may.’

      Tasha smiled. ‘You can look after yourself,’ she said, and she kissed him full on the mouth.

      There was a fraction of a second in which he hesitated, probably wondering whether it was chivalrous to take advantage of her vulnerable state of mind.

      Tasha had already worked out that she’d better make the most of her chances, now that it turned out Chaz had this previously unsuspected streak of chivalry in his character. She couldn’t waste time on little butterfly kisses when any minute chivalry might raise its ugly head; she devoured his mouth the way a man downs his last drink before closing time.

      Chivalry went to the wall.

      His arms tightened around her again; his mouth opened under hers, and he responded to the urgency of her kisses with a hungry passion which showed, she realised dimly, how much restraint he must have been showing earlier. She buried her hands in his hair, holding his head so he couldn’t move it, and raised her head so that she could look into the face of her mad, bad kissing cousin. Now her eyes devoured his face as hungrily as her mouth had devoured his mouth. When she’d kissed her boyfriends physical imperfections hadn’t seemed to matter, because she’d always thought she was kissing someone with a wonderful character. Chaz, on the other hand, was selfish and bad tempered and had countless bad qualities without a single one to redeem them—but he was so beautiful. She kissed one corner of his mouth, then the other, tucking her tongue into the crease. He smiled, so that the corner of his mouth quirked up under hers, and then he kissed the corner of her mouth, still smiling, and slid his tongue into her mouth.

      Instead of the honeyed warmth she felt something hotter and sweeter, as fiery as a slug of brandy. Her misery did not melt this time from her mind—it was blasted out of it. There was nothing but the taste of his mouth, the hard muscle of his body—that, and the feeling that lava ran in her veins. She lost all sense of time. All that mattered was the scorching heat that flared up at his touch, burning away all thought—and the intoxicating awareness that she had the same effect on him. Chaz was always so mocking, so cool, so superior—but now his heart pounded next to hers, and she could hear his breath coming in ragged gasps. His hand dropped to her thigh, forcing her up against his hips so that she could feel his desire for her.

      At last he raised his hands to her shoulders and held her away.

      ‘You’re right,’ he said. ‘This is insane. Let’s go upstairs.’

      Tasha looked into his face. His hair had fallen forward over one eyebrow; his eyes were brilliant, his mouth slightly smiling. She hadn’t known it was possible to want a man so badly. But there were other passions boiling up inside her too. She had somehow been polite and civilised to Jeremy, she’d had to walk away from what she’d thought was a whole lifetime with the perfect man, someone who’d turned out not to exist. There was rage just below the surface for men who pretended they wanted something for your good, men who changed the rules as soon as they saw something they wanted. Sitting across Chaz’s lap, she could feel the tension in his body, feel the desire just barely held in check.

      ‘I don’t think that’s a very good idea,’ said Tasha, jumping to her feet.

      ‘What?’ said Chaz.

      ‘I think you’d hate yourself afterwards,’ Tasha explained cheerfully. Her pulse was still