His appreciation for her effort was there in his blissful expression when he took his first bite. “Lady, you can bake.”

“I love to cook. It’s why I chose to run a B&B.”

His gaze studied her. “The bridge being washed away must have hurt business.”

She shrugged. “Not so many folks come this deep into the bayou. The occasional hunter or swamp tourist. I do okay.”

“When the bridge is finished, you’ll get busier.”

His pointed look had her nodding. “So you know how hard we fought the project.”

“Makes me curious. I know you and your friends have businesses you run. Doesn’t it complicate things when you can’t easily get resupplied or send out your shipments? Or when customers can’t get to you?”

She smiled. “We treasure our privacy more than we do the size of our bank accounts.”

He grunted and took another bite. “I’m truly sorry about last night, but…” His gaze locked on her. “I can’t regret it. You’re very beautiful.” His words were gruff, as though he was unaccustomed to giving women compliments.

“Thank you,” she said simply. “But it hardly seems fair.”

He lifted the mug and took a sip, his gaze narrowing over the top. “What can I do to make it…fair?”

“I’ll try to think of something. Just so I won’t be the only one blushing.”

He smiled and its slow progress caused her breath to hitch.

“Let me know when you figure it out.” He pushed up from the table and stood over her, his smile leaving and a little frown pulling his thick dark brows together. “I plan to be here a while, Bryn. I don’t want you uncomfortable around me. If I overstep, all you have to do is say it. I’ll back off.”

His interest was there. And strong. Something she could almost taste in the air. Bryn rose in front of him, her heart hammering against her chest. “I’m not shy about telling a man what I want.”

There was a hint of satisfaction in the firm set of his mouth. A glint of something dark that made her heart pound and her sex begin to heat. When his head bent toward hers, she couldn’t have mustered a protest if she’d wanted to. She wanted his kiss too much.

His fingers lightly framed her face, but his lips were firm, commanding, brushing hers and then pressing deeply. The soft suction he applied made her toes curl.

But the kiss was over far too soon. He raised his head, his mouth curving at the corners, and then he left her.

Bryn touched her mouth and sighed. Ethan Thorne was a surprise. For such a large, intense man, he could wield a kiss with true finesse, like a skilled warrior holding a two-edged blade—slicing away her inhibitions while never exposing his true power.

Dinner was a frustrating affair. Her sisters flirted shamelessly with both men. Double entendres piled on top of easy smiles. Bryn felt as plain as her plank table. Sure, she’d put a little extra effort into her appearance, forgoing her long, easy skirts for a mid-thigh sheath, but her sisters had pulled out all the stops. Radha’s spaghetti-strapped top was cut so low the sides of her full breasts were exposed. Aoife’s summer dress dipped daringly in the back toward her derriere. Miren and Darcy opted for sheer, gauzy fabrics that hinted at dusky nipples.

Bryn’s garnet dress hugged her curves and exposed her legs, but not in the sexy excess of the dresses the others had donned. Still, while he smiled at the women’s flirting, Ethan’s glance returned time and again to her, where it would rest for long moments on her mouth and on her breasts and then swing away.

After she served strawberry tarts, she hid herself in the kitchen, away from the noise and irritation, elbows-deep in sudsy water.

The kitchen door whooshed inward and she glanced back. “I can handle the dishes on my o—”

Ethan stood behind her. “Let me dry.”

She didn’t want him to dry. She wanted him to make her very, very wet. She swallowed hard and faced forward. “Towels are in the drawer beside the stove.”

He walked closer and bent to reach beyond her into the drawer. His proximity wasn’t necessary, but her body wasn’t complaining. Her breasts felt suddenly fuller, her hips looser. Fingers touched the small of her back, and then he moved beside her and began to empty the rack.

“Dinner was terrific.”

She’d made shepherd’s pie with a fluffy crust, fresh bread rolls and grilled string beans topped with sprinkles of crisp bacon.

“You don’t have to go to so much effort.”

“Cooking’s not a chore.”

“You love it,” he said, smiling.

“I do.”

“Well, I appreciate the results.”

“You’re welcome.”

She rolled her eyes at her stilted responses. Still, he loved her cooking. Warmth filled her chest. “You don’t have to help me with the dishes. You put in a full day’s work.”

“I prefer the company in here.”

She glanced to her side, gave him a small smile and then finished the last of the cutlery. “These can air-dry.”

He set aside his towel and moved behind her, bringing his hands down on the edge of the counter, trapping her between his thick, muscled arms. His warm breath stirred the hair beside her ear. “Town’s small. Where does a guy take a girl if he wants a little privacy?”

To her bedroom, but she guessed that would seem a little too forward. “He might ask her to walk in the garden,” she said softly. “There’s a gazebo in the back…”

He nuzzled his nose through her hair, skimmed his lips over her neck, and she couldn’t resist tilting her head to allow him a little more access to her bare skin.

“Come with me.”

Not a request. Not that she minded at all. She was eager to be alone with him. She let him take her hand and pull her toward the kitchen door. They slipped out onto the porch, and he let her lead him with their fingers intertwined past the raised-bed herb garden, past tall beanstalks and sweet corn. She led him to the trellised gate, overhung with hyacinth. “It’s not much farther,” she said, glancing back.

His expression was closed, his dark eyes shadowed. But she wasn’t afraid. He tightened his hand around her fingers. He was growing tense. Just like she was—from anticipation.

Excitement quivered through her. Every sense was alert. Just the air brushing her bare arms and legs felt erotic. The scent of honeysuckle and roses teased her nose. The sound of his heavy tread thudded like her heartbeat. Just ahead, the latticed sides of the gazebo were like silver interwoven bones in the moonlight.

Beautiful. Frightening as well, because there in the darkness they cloaked awaited the possibility of intimacies shared—with this man who had managed to consume her thoughts from the first moment his glance had landed on her. Just yesterday. How could that be?

Already, when they weren’t together, she was obsessed with thoughts of him. When he was near, her body awoke. Her breasts ached for his touch. Her sex throbbed with building heat. She was constantly wet. Constantly ready. If he wanted her this night, she wasn’t going to refuse. Her body was too painfully aroused to ignore.

They entered the structure and he tugged her to a halt. She stood facing away, trying to catch her breath. But her breathing was so shallow she was nearly panting.

He let go of her hand and settled both of his at her waist. His grip was light but insistent, and he pressed against her back. His chest was a brick wall. And below, she felt the nudge of a long, hard column against her buttocks.

Silently, he was warning her. This was what he wanted. She could refuse, ease away from the pressure, and he would accede, perhaps giving her kisses and caresses through her clothing. Nothing more than she was willing to accept at this moment.

But she was greedy. She wanted everything he had to give, and she wanted it now. Lifting her hand, she shifted her hair from her neck. “The zipper’s right there,” she whispered.

She heard a loud swallow and was glad he showed a little surprise. Was he as nervous as she was? It had been so long since she’d been intimate with a man. Nearly five years. And then she’d been in Merrick’s thrall. His to switch on and off like a light bulb when he needed release or a spell.