Read Gerrity'S Bride for Free Online Page B

lollygaggin’ around in town after we tie the knot, Emmaline.”
    “But you don’t really want to, do you?” she asked.
    “I told you, lady, the offer’s still open. I’ll cart you to Forbes Junction to visit the preacher whenever you say. But, to tell the truth, I’d be just as well off putting you on the train. I can make it without you. I make a good living at my job, and I keep a close eye on my sister. I’m satisfied with what I’ve got right now. Theresa’s all that matters to me.”
    Her heart thumped against the wall of her chest, and she knew a moment of dreadful sorrow. What she had dreamed of in her childhood years was never to be. Matt Gerrity had no warmth to spend on her, only derision and a calm acceptance of his fate. Could she be satisfied with that? Did she have a choice?
    “Can you marry me, without feeling anything for me?” she asked boldly.
    His grin was quick. “Oh, don’t worry, honey. I’ll feel something, all right.”
    With a graceless movement, she stood, color riding her cheeks as she smoothed the wrinkles from her skirt. “This is a big game for you, isn’t it?”
    His eyes were guarded as he rose to tower over her. “I don’t play games, Emmaline. I play for keeps. But let me tell you one thing. If you marry me, you’ll have nothing to complain about. I’ll give you all the attention you want.”
    So quickly she was barely able to catch her breath, Matt loomed over her, his big hands grasping her shoulders. He lifted her against his hard body. With a smothered growl, he drew her to him. And then their lips met, hers opening to protest, his open to consume the lush softness of her mouth. With measured restraint, he covered her, taking no notice of the murmurs she uttered within the depths of his mouth.
    Emmaline’s hands were helpless against his broad chest, and her toes barely touched the wide boards of the porch. She hung in his grasp and closed her eyes, her face and throat flushed and warm, her mouth tamed to his liking.
    A tingle of warmth simmered low in her stomach, but she fought the urge to soften against him. He’d taken hold of her as if she were a hussy in a saloon, and he’d brutally invaded the virgin territory of her mouth as if it were his due. A flush of anger at his treatment covered her cheeks, and Emmaline was overwhelmed suddenly by a sense of despair at the treacherous response of her own body. A sob rose to vibrate within her chest, bringing tears to her eyes. And even her tightly closed lids could not stop them from sliding down her cheeks.
    Perhaps it was the dampness against his face that cooled the force of Matt’s ardor. Perhaps he’d begun to regret his irate, impetuous behavior. Whatever the cause, he loosened his grip on her, lowering her feet to the floor, lifting his head to rub his cheek against hers. Her face was rosy, her eyes were tightly closed, yet still the tears flowed, and he felt a pang of regret.
    It had been an impulse, and he was too old to be impulsive. Silently he cursed the urges she managed to arouse in him. Emmaline wasn’t used to such rough handling, he reminded himself. He’d have done better to keep his hands off. Here she was, a lady from tip to toe, and he’d just treated her like a woman upstairs at Katy Klein’s Golden Garter.
    Putting put her away from his aroused body, he held her in place, waiting until she caught another shuddering breath. Her tongue came out slowly, moving across her lips, testing the tender surfaces and tasting the residue of his mouth. She shivered once more, then shrugged out of his hold, her eyes opening slowly, focusing on the front of his shirt.
    “Is this what I have to look forward to?” she asked stiffly.
    “Are you gonna cry every time I kiss you?” Matt countered in a harsh growl.
    She gritted her teeth and watched as his chest rose and fell with each breath he took. “Was that the way you kiss all your women?”
    “Only the ones I plan on taking to bed,” he answered