Outrageous (33 page)

Authors: Christina Dodd

Gently he caught her hands and held them to his face. “You love me—for that?”

“What else?” She smiled, and her wide green eyes made him think of spring. “Do you think I love you when you’re hard and cold as stone?”

“Don’t you?”

“Well…aye. I really love you when you’re pompous.” She winked flirtatiously. “It makes me laugh.”

Stiffly, he answered, “I’m glad I can be an object of mirth for you, my lady.”

She laughed. Putting her lips against his mouth, she murmured, “Do you know when I realized you loved me?”

“When I told you?”

“I’ve had no reason to have faith in men’s words. Nay, I knew you loved me when you drew steel on the king.”

“That was stupid.” He condemned himself. “Unforgivably stupid. If I had had the control on which I prided myself, I’d have thought of another way to divert Henry’s wrath.”

“It was, wasn’t it?” She smiled, and all her dimples winked at him. “But I took care of it.”

“Pardon, my lady?”

“I pledged my fealty to Henry to protect you.”

His control snapped, as it always did with her. “What?” he roared.

“Someone had to do something! Henry has a part of your heart, and I couldn’t have him leave in such a manner. He might have come after Lionel and me, and you’d have fought for us.” She shook her head ruefully. “If there is one thing this last day has taught me, it is that I could not bear to have you die for us. For me.”

“It is my right.”

“Not if I don’t allow it.”

He was furious. She wanted to protect him. Him! The greatest warrior in Wales and England. He could see the reflection of sunshine off her copper hair as she took more steps toward the grove of trees. He could see the green eyes slanting with amusement. Starting after her, he vowed, “I’m going to chain you to my bed.”

Her amusement changed to laughter. “You’ll have to catch me first.”

He speeded up. “Do you think I can’t?”

With a shriek, she turned and ran into the trees, and her voice floated back on the wind. “Who can catch a gyrfalcon?”

“Who can catch a gyrfalcon?” He stopped running, regained control, and considered the question. “Who can catch a gyrfalcon? They are the swiftest of birds.” With a grin, he walked on, slowly, to the place of solitude. Discarding his clothes in an intimate, teasing courtship dance, he whispered to the wind, “Who can catch a gyrfalcon? Only the wise hunter, using the right bait.”

About the Author

Christina Dodd’s novels have been translated into ten languages, won Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Golden Heart and RITA® Awards, and been called the year’s best by
Library Journal
. Dodd is a regular on the
USA Today
,
Publishers Weekly
, and
New York Times
bestseller lists.
The Barefoot Princess
is the second book in her classic new series, The Lost Princesses, following her enormously popular novel,
Some Enchanted Evening
.

Christina loves to hear from fans. Visit her website at www.christinadodd.com.

Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM
FOR
CHRISTINA DODD’S
CANDLE IN THE WINDOW

“A very special romance—heartbreaking and heartwarming, original, beautiful, compassionate, and well written. It is a story you’ll never forget.
Candle in the Window
ensures Christina Dodd a place in readers’ hearts.”

—
Romantic Times

PRICELESS

“Memorable characters, witty dialogue, steaming sensuality—the perfect combination for sheer enjoyment.”

—Jill Marie Landis, author of
Come Spring

AND
CASTLES IN THE AIR

“Christina Dodd is a joy to read.”

—Laura Kinsale

Copyright

This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

OUTRAGEOUS
. Copyright © 1994 by Christina Dodd. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books™.

ePub edition January 2006 ISBN 9780061748837

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