23
" When their chatter died to a contented lull, a small red squirrel ventured out of the oak grove and turned to the side, watching them with one bright black eye.
"An intruder," Annabelle observed, with a delicate yawn.
Evie rolled to her stomach and tossed a bread crust in the squirrel's direction. He froze and stared at the tantalizing offering, but was too timid to advance. Evie tilted her head, her hair glittering in the sun as if it had been overlaid with a net of rubies. "Poor little thing," she said softly, casting another crust at the timid squirrel. This one landed a few inches closer, and his tail twitched eagerly. "Be brave," Evie coaxed. "Go on and take it." Smiling tolerantly, she tossed another crust, which landed a scant few inches from him. "Oh, Mr. Squirrel," Evie reproved. "You're a dreadful coward. Can't you see that no one's going to harm you?"
In a sudden burst of initiative, the squirrel seized the tidbit and scampered off with his tail quivering. Looking up with a triumphant smile, Evie saw the other wallflowers staring at her in drop-jawed silence. "Wh-what is it?" she asked, puzzled.
Annabelle was the first to speak. "Just now, when you were talking to that squirrel, you didn't stammer."
"Oh." Suddenly abashed, Evie lowered her gaze and grimaced. "I never stammer when I'm talking to children or animals. I don't know why. "
― Lisa Kleypas , Secrets of a Summer Night (Wallflowers, #1)
24
" Evie was writhing on the blanket, while Daisy stood over her with arms akimbo.
Hurrying to the pair, Annabelle asked Daisy in consternation, "What is it?"
"The embarrassment was too much for her to endure," Daisy said. "It sent her into fits."
Evie rolled on the blanket, a napkin concealing her face, while one exposed ear had turned the color of pickled beets. The more she tried to control her giggles, the worse they became, until she gasped frantically for air in between yelps. Somehow she managed to squeak out a few words. "What a s-s-smashing introduction to lawn sports!" And then she was snorting with more spasms of helpless laughter, while the other three stood over her.
Daisy threw Annabelle a significant glance. "Those," she informed her, "are conniptions. "
― Lisa Kleypas , Secrets of a Summer Night (Wallflowers, #1)
26
" My lord," she said, inspecting the cuts and burns on his face, "you look like the loser in a tavern brawl."
Coming forward, Westcliff took her hand and executed an impeccable bow over it. He surprised her by pressing a chivalrous kiss to the back of her wrist. "Had I ever participated in a tavern brawl, madam, I assure you that I would not have lost."
That drew a grin from Annabelle, who could not help reflecting that twenty-four hours ago, she had despised his arrogant aplomb, whereas now it seemed almost endearing. "
― Lisa Kleypas , Secrets of a Summer Night (Wallflowers, #1)
28
" Just don't ask me to stand up with you at the wedding, as I have no desire to be a hypocrite."
"No, just an ass," came Lillian's murmur.
Low-spoken as the words were, it appeared that Westcliff had heard. His dark head whipped around, and he met Lillian's deliberately innocent expression with a threatening scowl. "As for you-"
"We're all agreed, then," Simon interrupted, preventing what surely would have evolved into a prolonged argument. "
― Lisa Kleypas , Secrets of a Summer Night (Wallflowers, #1)
34
" They reached the summit of a shallow incline and were greeted with a surprising vista of bluebells that blanketed the forest floor. It was like stumbling into a dream, the cerulean haze seeping between the trunks of oak and beech and ash. The smell of bluebells was everywhere, the perfumed air feeling heavy and rich in her lungs.
Pausing by a slender tree trunk, Annabelle curled her arm around it loosely and stared at the stands of bluebells with surprised pleasure. "Lovely," she murmured, her face gleaming in the shadow cast by the canopy of ancient, interlaced branches.
"Yes." But Hunt was looking at her, not the bluebells, and one glance at his expression caused the blood to tingle in her veins. "
― Lisa Kleypas , Secrets of a Summer Night (Wallflowers, #1)
35
" She closed her eyes and listened to the drone of bees as they moved lazily among the flowering bursts of deep pink hydrangea and delicate tendrils of sweet pea that wound through the basket-bed borders. Although she was still very weak, it was pleasant to sit in warm lethargy, half-drowsing like a cat.
She was slow to respond when she heard a sound from the doorway... a single light rap, as if the visitor was reluctant to disrupt her reverie with a loud knock. Blinking her sun-dazzled eyes, Annabelle remained sitting with her legs tucked beneath her. The mass of light speckles gradually faded from her vision, and she found herself staring at Simon Hunt's dark, lean form. He had leaned part of his weight on the doorjamb, bracing a shoulder against it in an unselfconsciously rakish pose. His head was slightly tilted as he considered her with an unfathomable expression.
Annabelle's pulse escalated to a mad clatter. As usual, Hunt was dressed impeccably, but the gentlemanly attire did nothing to disguise the virile energy that seemed to emanate from him. She recalled the hardness of his arms and chest as he had carried her, the touch of his hands on her body... oh, she would never be able to look at him again without remembering!
"You look like a butterfly that's just flown in from the garden," Hunt said softly. "
― Lisa Kleypas , Secrets of a Summer Night (Wallflowers, #1)
37
" The truth is, you can never really know a man until you've loaned him money. And you can never know a woman until you've slept in her bed."
He said it deliberately, of course, to shock her. And he succeeded, although Annabelle did her best to conceal it. "Mr. Hunt," she said, frowning into his smiling eyes, "if you continue to make vulgar remarks, I will be forced to ask you to leave the parlor."
"Forgive me." His instant contrition didn't fool her in the least. "It's just that I can't resist the opportunity to make you blush. I've never known a woman to do it as often as you do."
The bloom that had begun at her throat flamed up to her hairline. "I never blush. It's only around you that I-" Breaking off, she stared at him with an indignant frown that made him laugh.
"I'll behave for now," he said. "Don't tell me to leave."
She stared at him indecisively, passing an unsteady hand over her forehead, and the sign of her physical frailty caused him to speak even more gently. "It's all right," he murmured. "Let me stay, Annabelle. "
― Lisa Kleypas , Secrets of a Summer Night (Wallflowers, #1)
38
" You don't want him," Hunt said softly.
"Oh, yes I do." Annabelle paused dreamily, half propping her head on her curled arm. "And... although you have been very kind to me, Mr. Hunt... I'm afraid that I can't let that change my plans."
He stared at her in the same relaxed but engrossed way he had regarded the chessboard. "I'm not going to change my plans, either, sweetheart."
If Annabelle hadn't been so tired, she would have objected to the endearment. Instead she pondered his words sleepily. His plans... "Which are to try and stop me from catching Lord Kendall," she said.
"They go somewhere beyond that," he replied, amusement lurking in one corner of his mouth.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm hardly going to reveal my strategy. Clearly I need every advantage I can get. The next move is yours, Miss Peyton. Just remember that I'll be watching you. "
― Lisa Kleypas , Secrets of a Summer Night (Wallflowers, #1)
39
" Wishing for someone to talk to, some warm human hand to cling to, she walked across the giant chessboard, searching blindly through the crowd of immobile figures... until she saw a dark form leaning indolently against a white marble column. Her heart began to hammer, and her steps slowed as she was filled with a rush of excitement that heated her skin and made her pulse beat in urgent rhythm.
It was Simon Hunt, walking toward her with a slight smile on his face. He caught her before she could retreat, and bent to whisper in her ear.
"Will you dance with me now?"
"I can't," she said breathlessly, struggling in his tightening embrace.
"Yes, you can," he urged gently, his mouth hot and tender as it moved across her face. "Put your arms around me..."
As she writhed in his embrace, he laughed softly and kissed her until she was limp and helpless against him. "Queen is now subject to capture," he murmured, drawing back to stare at her with deviltry in his eyes. "You're in danger, Annabelle... "
― Lisa Kleypas , Secrets of a Summer Night (Wallflowers, #1)