Torn by Eleanor Green Page B

know a man in
love when I see one. How do you feel about him?”
    “ I love him, Gram. He’s
kind, gentle, funny. You should see him with his nephew—and have
you seen his dimples? He’s one of the best on the tennis team, and
he likes to run and hike and . . . oh, listen to me ramble on. I’m
so glad to be home! When can we put up the tree? Are you going to
make Wassail?”
    Gram laughed. “Yes, he’s very
handsome, we can put the tree up whenever you feel up to it, and
I’ll make Wassail tomorrow. Oh, Katie, it’s so good to have you
home!”
    Katie showed Branson where he would be
sleeping, and then gave him a tour of the house. “You’ve seen the
kitchen, here’s the library.” She took his hand, leading him down
the hall to the living room, and walked to the large picture window
facing the sea.
    “ Wow. What an amazing
view. The sea looks so . . . angry.” He watched as the water threw
itself against the rocks below, spewing white foam up the side of
the cliff.
    “ I’m sure it is angry, because it’s
so cold.” Katie folded her arms and rubbed them up and down with
her hands.
    Branson stood behind her, wrapping his
arms around her. “You and the sea— your eyes are the same color as
the water and neither of you like the cold air. If I believed in
that kind of nonsense I’d be really weirded-out right
now.”
    “ Weirded-out? You go to
Yale, and that’s what you come up with?” Katie giggled. “I’m
trading you in for someone who speaks proper English.” Katie peeked
around to make sure Gram wasn’t behind them before playfully
planting a kiss on the corner of his mouth. “See that railing on
the cliff over there? That’s my favorite spot. Sometimes I spend
hours leaning against the railing, staring at the sea. It’s
glorious, terrifying, and peaceful all at once.”
    Continuing through the house, she
showed him her room and the recreation room, lingering at the pool
table. “If you want a re-match just let me know.” She smiled
provocatively, slowly running her hand along the smooth wood edging
the table.
    “ You better watch it,
babe. You don’t want your grandmother to shoot me, do
you?”
    “ Why would she shoot you?”
Katie grinned and feigned naïvety .
    “ For violating you right
here on this pool table, if you keep looking at me like that.” His
eyes darkened as he gave her a predatory look.
    The familiar stir crept through her,
settling in her belly, as she roamed over his face and body. The
way his jeans hung on his hips—damn, he was sexy. Katie shouted
down the hallway toward the kitchen, “Gram, I’m going to show
Branson the wine cellar and pick out a bottle for dinner. Do you
have a preference?”
    “ No, dear, just pick what
you like.”
    Katie led Branson downstairs to the
stone-walled cellar. It was always kept at a cooler temperature.
She usually dreaded going down there, but she was burning up
inside, and only one thing could extinguish it. She pulled Branson
with her to the farthest wall and gazed into his eyes. “Kiss me,”
she commanded.
    Branson pinned her arms over her head,
not daring to let her touch him. He hadn’t been in her
grandmother’s house an hour and he was already considering breaking
her rules. “God, Katie, what are you trying to do, get me
killed?”
    She pressed her hips into him, causing
him to moan into her mouth and release her arms to gently fall down
by her sides. “I can’t help myself. You’re so damn irresistible
when you look at me like that.”
    Branson’s desire for her grew stronger
than his common sense as he succumbed to her persuasion. He kissed
her deeply, making love to her mouth as he caressed her breasts
through her sweater. He stopped abruptly and pulled away when he
heard Gram call down from the top of the steps.
    “ Go ahead and grab a
bottle of sherry for me, would you, dear? I need it for a
recipe.”
    Katie exhaled the breath she had been
holding. “Yes, ma’am.” Leaning against the wall, she took a