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closely.
    He smelled her first, the clean scent of dew, combined with an exotic rose. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. Overhead, leaves rustled.
    Ella cleared her throat.
    He didn’t move.
    She tried again.
    He sighed.
    “Leo?”
    He peeked through his lashes to find her looming overhead, her hands on her hips. “You were supposed to meet me for lessons in the study this afternoon.”
    He didn’t respond. There was something incredibly enthralling about getting her riled up, as if he were a child who wanted to poke at a snake.
    She stepped closer to him, parting the leaves and sending dew drops scattering like diamond chips. “Leo.”
    A low growl erupted from behind her. Ella’s eyes widened, and slowly, she turned. He heard her suck in her breath and almost smiled, eager to see this woman disconcerted. Just beyond his feet, the large black cat peeked through the vegetation, his ears flattened to his head and his white teeth gleaming.
    Leo pushed himself to his elbows. “You’re interrupting his nap.”
    “L…Leo,” she whispered. “W…what is that?”
    “A cat.”
    “That is no cat.”
    “Careful, you may offend him.”
    “Leo, that’s not amusing.”
    The cat mewed like a kitten and plopped down on the ground, rolling to his side and gazing up at Ella with adoring eyes.
    Leo frowned. Charlie had never adjusted so quickly to a stranger. Ella stepped back and stumbled over Leo’s feet. Losing her balance, she fell onto him with a gasp. Every soft curve of her body pressed against his, her luscious bottom cuddled against his groin. Heat roared through his veins. He gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to touch her, to bring her closer. The animal inside him wanted to take her right there. Rip her clothes off and watch the bliss cross her face as he tasted her. The small part of humanity that rested deep within prevented him from acting out his sexual fantasy.
    “So sorry,” she muttered, rolling off him. “I’ve never seen anything like him. Will—will he attack?”
    “Only if provoked,” Leo replied dryly, regretting his decision. What had he been thinking to keep her here? But he hadn’t expected to be attracted to the woman. “If you must know, he’s a big babe.”
    Ella laughed and just as quickly as her fear had appeared, it seemed to disappear. “Why do I not believe you?”
    Most women would be screaming by now. Leo narrowed his eyes. “Charlie’s missing a leg.”
    Ella gasped and turned her attention to the animal. “What? Where?”
    “I found him when he was only a year old, his leg caught in a trap.”
    “Poor thing,” she whispered.
    Was that pity in her eyes? Leo frowned. She looked as if she wanted to scoop the huge cat into her arms and cuddle him to her bosom.
    “Which leg?” she asked, standing.
    “The back,” he mumbled. The daft woman actually started toward Charlie. He reached out and wrapped his fingers around her wrist. “He doesn’t like strangers.”
    “Oh.” She sank onto the ground next to him.
    She didn’t seem to notice that her body pressed against his, but he did. Yes, he was very aware. He felt her touch like a burn. He resisted the urge to shift, to jump away from her. Slowly, his fingers dug into the damp earth as his heart raced in his chest. She was close…too close.
    There amongst the plants, she looked like a fairy ready to bless the wildlife. And her lips, by the gods, her lips could make a man give up his fortune for just a taste, a nibble, a lick. So why didn’t he? If he wanted her, he could have her. He knew without a doubt she was attracted to him. He could smell it on her, feel it even now radiating from the warmth of her being. Her inexperience would make it easy to seduce her, so why did he hesitate?
    Because he needed no further complications.
    “However do you control him?” she asked, completely unaware of the less than gentlemanly feelings ebbing within him.
    “I don’t. One cannot control something circumstances