Born in Shame Read online

Page 16


  "Likely." He liked the way she smelled when she worked-paint and perfume. "Have you been at it long?"

  "Not long enough." Frowning, she swirled her brush in paint she'd smeared on her palette. "I should have set up at dawn to get the right shadows."

  "There'll be another dawn tomorrow." He sat on the wall, tapping a finger against her sketchbook. "That shirt you're wearing, what does CM stand for?"

  She set down her brush, took a step back to examine the canvas, and smeared more paint from her fingers to the sweatshirt. "Carnegie Mellon. It's the college I went to."

  "You studied painting there."

  "Umm." The stones weren't coming to life yet, she thought. She wanted them alive. "I concentrated on commercial art."

  "Is that doing pictures for advertisements?"

  "More or less."

  He considered, picking up her sketchbook and leafing through. "Why would you want to draw up pictures of shoes or bottles of beer when you can do this?"

  She picked up a rag, dampened it from her jar of turpentine. "I like making a living, and I make a good one." For some reason she found it imperative to remove a smudge of gray paint from the side of her hand. "I just copped a major account before I took my leave of absence. I'm likely to get a promotion."

  "That's fine, isn't it?" He flipped another page, smiled over a sketch of Brianna working in her garden. "What sort of account is it?"

  "Bottled water." She muttered it, because it seemed so foolish a thing out here in the wide fields and fragrant air.

  "Water?" He did exactly what she'd expected. He grinned at her. "The fizzy kind? Why do you suppose people want to drink water that bubbles or comes in bottles?"

  "Because it's pure. Not everyone has a well in their backyard, or a spring, or whatever the hell it is. Designer water's an enormous industry, and with pollution and urban development it's only going to get bigger."

  He continued to smile. "I didn't ask to rile you. I was just wondering." He turned the sketchbook toward her. "I like this one."

  She set her rag aside and shrugged. It was a drawing of him, in the pub holding his concertina, a half-finished beer on the table. "You should. I certainly flattered you."

  "It was kind of you." He set the book aside. "I've someone coming by shortly to look at the yearling, so I can't ask you in for tea. Will you come tonight, for dinner instead?"

  "To dinner?" When he rose, she took an automatic step in retreat.

  "You could come early. Half six, so I could show you about first." A new light came into his eyes, one of dangerous amusement as he caught her hand. "Why are you walking backward?"

  "I'm not." Or she wasn't now that he had hold of her. "I'm thinking. Brianna might have plans."

  "Brie's a flexible woman." A light tug on the hand brought Shannon a step closer. "Come, spend the evening with me. You're not afraid of the two of us being alone?"

  "Of course not." That would be ridiculous. "I don't know if you can cook."

  "Come find out."

  Dinner, she reminded herself. It was just dinner. In any case she was curious about him, how he lived. "All right. I'll come by."

  "Good." With one hand still holding hers, he cupped the back of her head, inched her closer. Her nerves were already sizzling when she remembered to lift a protesting hand to his chest.

  "Murphy-"

  "I'm only going to kiss you," he murmured.

  There was no only about it. His eyes stayed open, aware, alive on hers as his mouth lowered. They were the last thing she saw, that vivid, stunning blue, before she went deaf, dumb, and blind.

  It was barely a whisper of a touch at first, a light brush of mouth to mouth. He was holding her as if they might slide into a dance at any instant. She thought she might sway, so soft and sweet was that first meeting of lips.

  Then they left hers, surprising a sigh out of her as he took his mouth on a slow, luxurious journey of her face. The quiet exploration-her cheeks, her temples, her eyelids-weakened her knees. The trembling started there, and moved up so that she was breathless when his mouth covered hers a second time.

  Deeper now, slowly. Her lips parted, and the welcome sounded in her throat. Her hand slid up to his shoulder, gripped, then went limp. She could smell horses and grass, and something like lightning in the air.

  He'd come back, was all she could think before her head went swimming into dreams.

  She was everything he'd wanted. To hold her like this, to feel her tremble with the same need that shook inside him was beyond glorious. Her mouth seemed to have been fashioned to meld with his, and the tastes he found there were dark, mysterious, and ripe.

  It was enough, somehow it was enough, to hold back, to suffer the gnawing teeth of a less patient need. He could see how it would be, feel how it would be, to lie down in the warm grass with her, to pin her beneath him, body to body and flesh to flesh. How she would move under and against him, willing and eager and fluid. And at last, at long last, to bury himself inside her.

  But this time her mouth was enough. He let himself linger, and savor and possess, drawing away gently, and with the promise of more.

  His hands wanted to shake. To soothe them, he skimmed them over her face and into her hair. Her cheeks were flushed, making her, to his eye, even lovelier. How could he have forgotten how slim she was, like a willow, or how much truth and beauty could shine from her eyes.

  His hand paused in her hair, and his brows drew together as image shifted over image.

  "Your hair was longer then, and your cheeks were wet from rain."

  Her head was spinning, actually spinning. She had always believed that was a ridiculous romantic cliche. But she had to put a hand to her temple to steady herself. "What?"

  "Another time we met here." He smiled again. It was easy for him to accept such things as visions and magic, just as he could accept that his heart had been lost long before that first lovely taste of her. "I've wanted to kiss you for a long time."

  "We haven't known each other a long time."

  "We have. Shall I do it again, and remind you?"

  "I don't think so." No matter how foolish it made her feel, she held up a hand to stop him. "That was a little more potent that I'd expected, and I think we'd both be better off ... pacing ourselves."

  "As long as we're after getting to the same place."

  She let her hand drop. If she could be sure of anything it was that he wouldn't press, or make awkward or unwanted moves. Still, she took only an instant to study him, and less to look inside herself.

  "I don't know that we are."

  "It's enough that one of us knows. I've an appointment to keep." He brushed his fingers down her cheek so that he could take that last touch with him. "I'll look for you tonight." He caught the expression on her face before he swung over the wall. "You're not so faint of heart you'll make excuses not to come just because you liked kissing me."

  It wasn't worth the effort to be annoyed that he'd seen she was about to do so. Instead she turned away to pack up her equipment. "I'm not faint of heart. And I've liked kissing men before."

  "Sure and you have, Shannon Bodine, but you've never kissed the likes of me."

  He went off whistling. She made sure he was out of earshot before she let the laughter loose.

  It shouldn't have felt odd to go on a date-not when a woman had recently turned twenty-eight and had experienced her share Of firsts and lasts in the game of singles.

  Maybe it had been the way Brianna had fussed-bustling around like a nervous mother on prom night. Shannon could only smile to think on it. Brianna had offered to press a dress, or lend her one, and had twice come up to the loft room with suggestions on accessories and shoes.

  Shannon supposed she'd been a great disappointment to Brianna when she'd appeared downstairs in casual slacks and a plain silk shirt.

  That hadn't stopped Brianna from telling her she looked lovely, to have a wonderful time, and not to worry about when she got in. If Gray hadn't come along and dragg
ed his wife out of the hall, she might never have gotten away.

  It was, Shannon supposed, sisterlike behavior, and didn't make her as uncomfortable as she'd expected.

  She was grateful both Brianna and Gray had insisted she take the car. It wasn't a long trip to Murphy's, but the road would be dark after sunset, and it looked like rain.

  Only minutes after pulling out of the driveway, she was pulling in to a longer one that squeezed between hedges of fuchsia that had already begun to bloom in bloodred hearts.

  She'd seen the farmhouse from her window, but it was larger, and undoubtedly more impressive up close. Three stories of stone and wood that looked as old as the land itself, and equally well tended, rose up behind the hedge and before a tidy plot of mixed flowers.

  There were flat arches of dressed stone above the tidy square windows of the first floor. She caught a glimpse of a side porch and imagined there were doors leading to it from the inside.

  Two of the chimneys were smoking, puffing their clouds lazily into the still blue sky. A pickup truck was in the drive ahead of her, splashed with mud. Beside that was an aged compact raised onto blocks.

  She couldn't claim to know much about cars, but it certainly had seen better days.

  But the shutters and the front porch of the house were freshly painted in a mellow blue that blended softly with the gray stone. There was no clutter on the porch, only a pair of rockers that seemed to invite company. The invitation was completed by the door that was already open.

  Still, she knocked on the jamb and called out. "Murphy."

  "Come in and welcome." His voice seemed to come from up the stairs that shot off from the main hallway. "I'll be a minute. I'm washing up."

  She stepped inside and closed the door behind her. To satisfy her curiosity, she walked a little farther down the hall and peeked into the first room, where again, a batten door was open in welcome.

  A parlor, of course, she noted. Every bit as tidy as Brianna's, if lacking some of her feminine touches.

  Old, sturdy furniture was set on a wide planked floor that gleamed. A turf fire simmered in a stone hearth, bringing its ancient and appealing scent into the room. There were candlesticks flanking the thick wood mantel, bold, sinuous twists of emerald. Certain they were Maggie's work, she went in for a closer look.

  They looked too fluid, too molten to be solid. Yet the

  glass was cool against her fingers. There was a subtle, fascinating hint of ruby beneath, as though there were heat trapped inside waiting to flame out.

  "You'd think you could poke your fingers straight into the heart of it," Murphy commented from the doorway.

  Shannon nodded, tracing the coils again before she turned. "She's brilliant. Though I'd prefer you not tell her I said so." Her brow lifted when she studied him. He didn't look so very different from the man who walked his fields or played his music in pubs. He was without his cap, and his hair was thick, curled, and a bit damp from his washing. His sweater was a soft gray, his slacks shades darker.

  She found it odd that she could picture him as easily on the cover of GQ as on Agricultural Monthly.

  "You wash up well."

  He grinned self-consciously. "You look at things, people, more as an artist does once you're used to them. I didn't mean to keep you."

  "It's no problem. I like seeing where you live." Her gaze glanced off him and focused on a wall of books. "That's quite a library."

  "Oh, that's just some of them."

  He stayed where he was when she crossed over. Joyce, Yeats, Shaw. Those were to be expected. O'Neill, Swift, and Grayson Thane, of course. But there was a treasure trove of others. Poe, Steinbeck, Dickens, Byron. The poetry of Keats and Dickinson and Browning. Battered volumes of Shakespeare and equally well-thumbed tales by King and MacAffrey and McMurtrey.

  "An eclectic collection," she mused. "And there's more?"

  "I keep them here and there around the house, so if you're in the mood, you don't have to go far. A book's a pleasant thing to have nearby."

  "My father wasn't much on reading, unless it had to do with business. But my mother and I love-loved to. In the end, she was so ill, I read to her."

  "You were a comfort to her. And a joy."

  "I don't know." She shook herself and tried a bright smile. "So, am I getting a tour?"

  "A child knows when she's loved," Murphy said quietly, then took her hand. "And yes, you'll have a tour. We'll go outside first, before it rains."

  But she made him stop a half a dozen times before they'd traveled from the front of the house to the back. He explained the raftered ceiling, and the little

    A Little Magic Read onlineA Little MagicVision in White Read onlineVision in WhiteTrue Betrayals Read onlineTrue BetrayalsThe Next Always Read onlineThe Next AlwaysA Man for Amanda Read onlineA Man for AmandaBorn in Fire Read onlineBorn in FireTribute Read onlineTributeNight Moves Read onlineNight MovesDance Upon the Air Read onlineDance Upon the AirThe Name of the Game Read onlineThe Name of the GameJewels of the Sun Read onlineJewels of the SunRiver's End Read onlineRiver's EndPublic Secrets Read onlinePublic SecretsHomeport Read onlineHomeportPrivate Scandals Read onlinePrivate ScandalsThe Witness Read onlineThe WitnessBlithe Images Read onlineBlithe ImagesHidden Riches Read onlineHidden RichesKey of Light Read onlineKey of LightDivine Evil Read onlineDivine EvilHigh Noon Read onlineHigh NoonBlue Dahlia Read onlineBlue DahliaSea Swept Read onlineSea SweptThis Magic Moment Read onlineThis Magic MomentYear One Read onlineYear OneA Little Fate Read onlineA Little FateHonest Illusions Read onlineHonest IllusionsThe Reef Read onlineThe ReefShelter in Place Read onlineShelter in PlaceThe Hollow Read onlineThe HollowHolding the Dream Read onlineHolding the DreamThe Pagan Stone Read onlineThe Pagan StoneSavour the Moment Read onlineSavour the MomentThe Perfect Hope Read onlineThe Perfect HopeIsland of Glass Read onlineIsland of GlassHappy Ever After Read onlineHappy Ever AfterBed of Roses Read onlineBed of RosesStars of Fortune Read onlineStars of FortuneDark Witch Read onlineDark WitchThe Return of Rafe MacKade Read onlineThe Return of Rafe MacKadeChesapeake Blue Read onlineChesapeake BlueThe Perfect Neighbor Read onlineThe Perfect NeighborThe Collector Read onlineThe CollectorCome Sundown Read onlineCome SundownRebellion Read onlineRebellionAffaire Royale Read onlineAffaire RoyaleDaring to Dream Read onlineDaring to DreamBay of Sighs Read onlineBay of SighsBlood Magick Read onlineBlood MagickAngels Fall Read onlineAngels FallCaptivated Read onlineCaptivatedThe Last Boyfriend Read onlineThe Last BoyfriendIrish Thoroughbred Read onlineIrish ThoroughbredInner Harbor Read onlineInner HarborThe Right Path Read onlineThe Right PathNight Shadow Read onlineNight ShadowThe Heart of Devin MacKade Read onlineThe Heart of Devin MacKadeShadow Spell Read onlineShadow SpellThe Playboy Prince Read onlineThe Playboy PrinceThe Fall of Shane MacKade Read onlineThe Fall of Shane MacKadeRising Tides Read onlineRising TidesCommand Performance Read onlineCommand PerformanceHidden Star Read onlineHidden StarCordina's Crown Jewel Read onlineCordina's Crown JewelThe MacGregor Brides Read onlineThe MacGregor BridesThe Pride of Jared MacKade Read onlineThe Pride of Jared MacKadeBorn in Ice Read onlineBorn in IceWhiskey Beach Read onlineWhiskey BeachThe Last Honest Woman Read onlineThe Last Honest WomanNight Shield Read onlineNight ShieldBorn in Shame Read onlineBorn in ShameSecret Star Read onlineSecret StarTempting Fate Read onlineTempting FateNightshade Read onlineNightshadeThe Obsession Read onlineThe ObsessionNight Shift Read onlineNight ShiftPlaying The Odds Read onlinePlaying The OddsTears of the Moon Read onlineTears of the MoonOne Man's Art Read onlineOne Man's ArtThe MacGregor Groom Read onlineThe MacGregor GroomIrish Rebel Read onlineIrish RebelMorrigan's Cross Read onlineMorrigan's CrossIn From The Cold Read onlineIn From The ColdNight Smoke Read onlineNight SmokeFinding the Dream Read onlineFinding the DreamRed Lily Read onlineRed LilyThe Liar Read onlineThe LiarMontana Sky Read onlineMontana SkyHeart of the Sea Read onlineHeart of the SeaAll The Possibilities Read onlineAll The PossibilitiesCarolina Moon Read onlineCarolina MoonOpposites Attract Read onlineOpposites AttractCaptive Star Read onlineCaptive StarThe Winning Hand Read onlineThe Winning HandKey of Valor Read onlineKey of ValorCourting Catherine Read onlineCourting CatherineHeaven and Earth Read onlineHeaven and EarthFace the Fire Read onlineFace the FireUntamed Read onlineUntamedSkin Deep Read onlineSkin DeepEnchanted Read onlineEnchantedSong of the West Read onlineSong of the WestSuzanna's Surrender Read onlineSuzanna's SurrenderEntranced Read onlineEntrancedDance of the Gods Read onlineDance of the GodsKey of Knowledge Read onlineKey of KnowledgeCharmed Read onlineCharmedFor Now, Forever Read onlineFor Now, ForeverBlood Brothers Read onlineBlood BrothersSweet Revenge Read onlineSweet RevengeThree Fates Read onlineThree FatesMind Over Matter Read onlineMind Over MatterMegan's Mate Read onlineMegan's MateValley of Silence Read onlineValley of SilenceWithout A Trace Read onlineWithout A TraceThe Law is a Lady Read onlineThe Law is a LadyTemptation Read onlineTemptationDance to the Piper Read onlineDance to the PiperBlue Smoke Read onlineBlue SmokeBlack Hills Read onlineBlack HillsThe Heart's Victory Read onlineThe Heart's VictorySullivan's Woman Read onlineSullivan's WomanGenuine Lies Read onlineGenuine LiesFor the Love of Lilah Read onlineFor the Love of LilahGabriel's Angel Read onlineGabriel's AngelIrish Rose Read onlineIrish RoseHot Ice Read onlineHot IceDual Image Read onlineDual ImageLawless Read onlineLawlessCatch My Heart Read onlineCatch My HeartBirthright Read onlineBirthrightFirst Impressions Read onlineFirst ImpressionsChasing Fire Read onlineChasing FireCarnal Innocence Read onlineCarnal InnocenceBest Laid Plans Read onlineBest Laid PlansThe Villa Read onlineThe VillaNorthern Lights Read onlineNorthern LightsLocal Hero Read onlineLocal HeroThe Search Read onlineThe SearchIsland of Flowers Read onlineIsland of FlowersThe Welcoming Read onlineThe WelcomingAll I Want for Christmas Read onlineAll I Want for ChristmasBlack Rose Read onlineBlack RoseHot Rocks Read onlineHot RocksMidnight Bayou Read onlineMidnight BayouThe Art of Deception Read onlineThe Art of DeceptionFrom This Day Read onlineFrom This DayLess of a Stranger Read onlineLess of a StrangerPartners Read onlinePartnersStorm Warning Read onlineStorm WarningOnce More With Feeling Read onlineOnce More With FeelingHer Mother's Keeper Read onlineHer Mother's KeeperSacred Sins Read onlineSacred SinsRules of the Game Read onlineRules of the GameSanctuary Read onlineSanctuaryUnfinished Business Read onlineUnfinished BusinessCordina's Royal Family Collection Read onlineCordina's Royal Family CollectionDangerous Embrace Read onlineDangerous EmbraceOne Summer Read onlineOne SummerThe Best Mistake Read onlineThe Best MistakeBoundary Lines Read onlineBoundary LinesUnder Currents Read onlineUnder CurrentsThe Stanislaski Series Collection, Volume 1 Read onlineThe Stanislaski Series Collection, Volume 1The Rise of Magicks Read onlineThe Rise of MagicksThe Rise of Magicks (Chronicles of The One) Read onlineThe Rise of Magicks (Chronicles of The One)The Awakening: The Dragon Heart Legacy Book 1 Read onlineThe Awakening: The Dragon Heart Legacy Book 1Dance of Dreams Read onlineDance of DreamsSkin Deep: The O'Hurleys Read onlineSkin Deep: The O'HurleysThe Quinn Legacy: Inner Harbor ; Chesapeake Blue Read onlineThe Quinn Legacy: Inner Harbor ; Chesapeake Blue[Chronicles of the One 03.0] The Rise of Magicks Read online[Chronicles of the One 03.0] The Rise of MagicksTimes Change Read onlineTimes ChangeDance to the Piper: The O'Hurleys Read onlineDance to the Piper: The O'HurleysChristmas In the Snow: Taming Natasha / Considering Kate Read onlineChristmas In the Snow: Taming Natasha / Considering KateWaiting for Nick Read onlineWaiting for NickSummer Desserts Read onlineSummer DessertsDream 2 - Holding the Dream Read onlineDream 2 - Holding the DreamThe Novels of Nora Roberts, Volume 2 Read onlineThe Novels of Nora Roberts, Volume 2In the Garden Trilogy Read onlineIn the Garden TrilogyEight Classic Nora Roberts Romantic Suspense Novels Read onlineEight Classic Nora Roberts Romantic Suspense NovelsBest Laid Plans jh-2 Read onlineBest Laid Plans jh-2From the Heart Read onlineFrom the HeartHoliday Wishes Read onlineHoliday WishesDream 1 - Daring to Dream Read onlineDream 1 - Daring to DreamSecond Nature Read onlineSecond NatureSummer Pleasures Read onlineSummer PleasuresOnce Upon a Castle Read onlineOnce Upon a CastleStars of Mithra Box Set: Captive StarHidden StarSecret Star Read onlineStars of Mithra Box Set: Captive StarHidden StarSecret StarImpulse Read onlineImpulseThe Irish Trilogy by Nora Roberts Read onlineThe Irish Trilogy by Nora RobertsThe Pride Of Jared Mackade tmb-2 Read onlineThe Pride Of Jared Mackade tmb-2Lawless jh-3 Read onlineLawless jh-3Taming Natasha Read onlineTaming NatashaEndless Summer Read onlineEndless SummerBride Quartet Collection Read onlineBride Quartet CollectionHappy Ever After tbq-4 Read onlineHappy Ever After tbq-4Heart Of The Sea goa-3 Read onlineHeart Of The Sea goa-3Search for Love Read onlineSearch for LoveOnce upon a Dream Read onlineOnce upon a DreamOnce Upon a Star Read onlineOnce Upon a StarDream Trilogy Read onlineDream TrilogyRisky Business Read onlineRisky BusinessThe Novels of Nora Roberts, Volume 3 Read onlineThe Novels of Nora Roberts, Volume 3Dream 3 - Finding the Dream Read onlineDream 3 - Finding the DreamPromises in Death id-34 Read onlinePromises in Death id-34The Novels of Nora Roberts, Volume 4 Read onlineThe Novels of Nora Roberts, Volume 4The Perfect Hope ib-3 Read onlineThe Perfect Hope ib-3Less than a Stranger Read onlineLess than a StrangerSavour the Moment: Now the Big Day Has Finally Arrived, It's Time To... Read onlineSavour the Moment: Now the Big Day Has Finally Arrived, It's Time To...Convincing Alex Read onlineConvincing AlexBed of Roses tbq-2 Read onlineBed of Roses tbq-2Savour the Moment tbq-3 Read onlineSavour the Moment tbq-3Lessons Learned Read onlineLessons LearnedKey Of Valor k-3 Read onlineKey Of Valor k-3Red lily gt-3 Read onlineRed lily gt-3Savor the Moment Read onlineSavor the MomentThe Return Of Rafe Mackade tmb-1 Read onlineThe Return Of Rafe Mackade tmb-1For The Love Of Lilah tcw-3 Read onlineFor The Love Of Lilah tcw-3Black Rose gt-2 Read onlineBlack Rose gt-2Novels: The Law is a Lady Read onlineNovels: The Law is a LadyChesapeake Bay Saga 1-4 Read onlineChesapeake Bay Saga 1-4Considering Kate Read onlineConsidering KateMoon Shadows Read onlineMoon ShadowsKey of Knowledge k-2 Read onlineKey of Knowledge k-2The Sign of Seven Trilogy Read onlineThe Sign of Seven TrilogyOnce Upon a Kiss Read onlineOnce Upon a KissThe Novels of Nora Roberts, Volume 5 Read onlineThe Novels of Nora Roberts, Volume 5Suzanna's Surrender tcw-4 Read onlineSuzanna's Surrender tcw-4The Quinn Brothers Read onlineThe Quinn BrothersFalling for Rachel Read onlineFalling for RachelBrazen Virtue Read onlineBrazen VirtueTime Was Read onlineTime WasThe Gallaghers of Ardmore Trilogy Read onlineThe Gallaghers of Ardmore TrilogyMegan's Mate tcw-5 Read onlineMegan's Mate tcw-5Loving Jack jh-1 Read onlineLoving Jack jh-1Rebellion & In From The Cold Read onlineRebellion & In From The ColdBlue Dahlia gt-1 Read onlineBlue Dahlia gt-1The MacGregor Grooms Read onlineThe MacGregor GroomsThe Next Always tibt-1 Read onlineThe Next Always tibt-1The Heart Of Devin Mackade tmb-3 Read onlineThe Heart Of Devin Mackade tmb-3The Novels of Nora Roberts Volume 1 Read onlineThe Novels of Nora Roberts Volume 1Treasures Lost, Treasures Found Read onlineTreasures Lost, Treasures FoundNora Roberts's Circle Trilogy Read onlineNora Roberts's Circle TrilogyThe Key Trilogy Read onlineThe Key TrilogyThe Fall Of Shane Mackade tmb-4 Read onlineThe Fall Of Shane Mackade tmb-4A Will And A Way Read onlineA Will And A WayJewels of the Sun goa-1 Read onlineJewels of the Sun goa-1Luring a Lady Read onlineLuring a Lady