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up with that one?” By now he expected her to burst.
    She stood, stepped over to him, and bent down to retrieve his glass from the table. “If you’re finished I believe it’s time you took your leave, Lord Blackburn,” she said and by now not caring if she blew her chances seemed tolerable compared to enduring his insulting words.
    He stood also, standing with just a foot between them. “Don’t I deserve a reply to my inquiry first?”
    He wasn’t smiling but she could tell he wanted to. His close presence became intense. Her head had to tip back a bit to look into his face. “You’ve had your jollies, Lord Blackburn. I prefer not to respond.” Why all of a sudden her heart began racing and her palms began sweating she wasn’t sure. She should be furious with him but instead she became warm and giddy and nervous, very nervous.
    His arms crossed over his chest. “Really, I’m curious to know what made you think of a rapid stallion?”
    She crossed her arms over her chest. “Really, I prefer not to share that with you.”
    His head tipped to one side. “What if I’m never to see you again? Then I’ll never know?” John baited and her eyes widened, just like he knew they would.
    “You cannot be serious. You were going to make a decision regarding our arrangement,” she said as her voice held urgency.
    “True. But after tonight’s episode and the fact that you won’t indulge me . . .”
    Melissa sighed. “All right,” she said, her gaze diverting to the glass of brandy she held. She began swirling the liquid like her father did.
    “And make sure it’s the truth,” he warned as his lips curved up in triumph.
    Her eyes shot to his, her tone hissing again. “I never lie. I’ve told you that, except for this one exception,” she reminded him, and then her eyes fell away from his handsome face when she began her explanation. “I had to think of something drastic that a man would want to do to a woman out in the open. Since I’ve never seen two people . . . mating,” she paused to catch her breath and swallow to moisten her dry throat, “I, I went by horses, which I have seen mating. It appeared to take place at a very fast pace, hence the word “rapid.” She swallowed again, searching for anything to focus on except him. “And since my presence involved being at a race track, I used stallion . . . to describe . . .”
    John knew she had been overwhelmed in explaining so he stopped her. His arms unfolded and he said, “I’ve got the picture. I don’t require a further description.” He hadn’t expected to become aroused, but the more descriptive she got, the more his body formulated a mental image of what she referred to. He needed a distraction. “You’re a quick thinker Melissa,” he told her, sounding rough while trying to relay a compliment. He took the glass from her hand and downed one more gulp of the amber liquid before handing it back to her. His day had been long and unusually entertaining, and one minute more in the same room with Melissa and his own rapid stallion would make an evident appearance. “The hour is late. I should be leaving,” he said and started to stride toward the doorway.
    “Will I hear from you?” she asked in a panic.
    He stopped in the doorway of the sitting room and rotated halfway. “Yes. Either way I will contact you about my decision,” he assured her, but she continued to look concerned. “Give me one week’s time, all right?”
    “All right,” she agreed.
    Guilt and doubt plagued her as she followed his movements out the front door: the guilt she felt for not confessing the total truth to her father, and the doubt that John didn’t believe her to be truthful, which could affect his decision. Had she made a mistake tonight?
    Perhaps it had helped that he did indeed get the last laugh, even if it was at her humiliating expense. She hoped it was worth exposing herself like she did, although after she had, his mood appeared to change. His