Virgin Princess, Tycoon’s Temptation / The Secret Child & The Cowboy CEO: Virgin Princess, Tycoon’s Temptation

To him, self-control was a virtue, but Louisa seemed to know exactly which buttons to push. Not at all what he would have expected from a woman rumored to be so sweet and innocent. Which had him believing that she really wasn’t so sweet and innocent after all.

Her hands slipped down his shoulders and inside his jacket. She stroked his chest through his shirt and that was all he could take. He broke the kiss, breathless and bewildered, his heart hammering like mad.

Louisa expelled a soft shudder of breath and rested her head against his chest. “Now that was a kiss.”

He couldn’t exactly argue. Although the whole point of this visit had been to prove to her family that his intentions were pure, yet here he was, practically mauling her out in the open, where anyone could see. If someone was watching, he hoped they hadn’t failed to notice that she’d made the first move and he’d been the one to put on the brakes.

She nuzzled her face to his chest, her breath warm through his shirt. He curled his hands into fists, to keep from tangling them through her hair, from drawing her head back and kissing her again. He wanted to taste her lips and her throat, nibble at her ears. He wanted to put his hands all over her.

“It probably isn’t proper to say this,” Louisa said, “but I can’t wait to see you naked.”

Bloody hell. He backed away and held her at arm’s length, before he did something really stupid like drag her into the bushes and have his way with her. “Do you ever not say what’s on your mind?”

“I just gave you the censored version,” she answered with an impish grin. “Would you like to know what I’m really thinking?”

Of course he would, but this was not the time or place. “I’ll use my imagination.” He glanced up at the darkening sky and said, “It’s getting late. I should get you back inside.”

“Lest I turn into a pumpkin,” she said with a sigh and took his hand, as naturally as if they had known each other for years, and they walked down the path toward the castle.

“I had a good time tonight,” he said.

“Me, too. Although I get the feeling that I’m not quite what you expected.”

“No, you’re not. You’re more intriguing and compelling than I could have imagined.”

As she smiled up at him, he realized that was probably the most honest thing he’d said all night.

Louisa stood in the study, watching as Garrett’s car zipped down the drive, until the glow of his taillights disappeared past the front gate.

She sighed and rested her forehead against the cool glass. This had been, by far, one of the best nights of her life. Kissing Garrett had been … magical. Even if she had been the one to make the first move. Later, when he had kissed her goodbye, it was so sweet and tender she nearly melted into a puddle on the oriental rug.

He was definitely the one.

“He’s using you.”

Louisa whipped around to find Anne leaning in the study doorway, arms folded across her chest, her typical grumpy self. Typical for the last week or so, anyway.

“Why would you think that?” she asked.

“Because that’s what men like him do. They use women like us. They feed us lies, then toss us aside like trash.”

Louisa knew that, like herself, Anne hadn’t had the best luck with men, but that reasoning was harsh, even for her. “Are you okay, Anne?”

“He’s going to hurt you.”

Louisa shook her head. “Garrett is different.”

“How do you know that?”

“How do you know that he isn’t?”

Anne sighed and shook her head, as though she pitied her poor, naive sister. Louisa would have been upset, but she knew that attacking her was Anne’s way of working through her own anger. Not that she didn’t get a little tired of being her sister’s punching bag.

“I can take care of myself,” Louisa told her.

Anne shrugged, as though she didn’t care one way or another. Which she must, or she wouldn’t have said anything in the first place. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Did something happen to you?” Louisa asked, and she could swear she saw a flicker of pain before Anne carefully smothered it with a look of annoyance.

“You think that just because I don’t like Garrett, something is wrong with me?”

“You can talk to me, Anne. I want to help.”

“You’re the one who needs help if you think that man really has feelings for you.” With one last pathetic shake of her head, Anne turned and left. Her sister was obviously hurting, and Louisa felt bad about it, but she wished Anne would stop trying to drag Louisa down with her. Why couldn’t Anne just be happy for her for once?

Maybe she was jealous. Maybe Anne wanted Garrett for herself. Or maybe, like Louisa, she wanted someone to love her, to see her for who she really was. Even though Anne could be a real pain in the neck sometimes, deep down there was a sweetness about her, a tender side, and she was loyal to the death to the ones that she loved.

“You’ll meet someone, too,” Louisa whispered to the empty doorway, knowing with all her heart that it was true. Even though Anne was a little pessimistic and occasionally cranky, there was a man out there who would appreciate all her gifts and overlook her faults. He would love her for who she was, just the way Garrett would love Louisa.

Worried for her sister, she started out the door, intending to collect her Shih Tzu, Muffin—who had spent the afternoon with his groomer and behaviorist—and tell him all about her day, but she ran into Chris in the foyer.

“Poker game over already?” she asked. Typically they played well past eleven. Louisa didn’t play cards, unless you counted War and Solitaire, but occasionally she liked to sit and watch them.

“Melissa was tired and Liv wanted to get back to the lab. Some new research project she’s working on. I assume your evening was a success.”

She smiled and nodded.

“Have you got a minute?”

“Actually, I was just on my way to get Muffin.”

His expression darkened. “I suppose you heard what your little mutt did to the pillows on the library sofa. There was stuffing everywhere.”

She cringed. “Yes. Sorry.”

“The day before that it was Aaron’s shoes.”

“I know. I offered to replace them.”

“He’s a menace.”

“He just wants attention.”

“What he’s going to get is a nice doghouse in the gardens.”

Even if she thought Chris was serious, that wouldn’t work either because every time Muffin was let outside unsupervised he made a run for it.

“I’ll keep a closer eye on him,” she promised. “What did you want to talk about?”