Surprise lit his eyes, swiftly superceded by suspicion; she pivoted and looked down, stepping onto the path to the village, hiding her smile. Just so he wouldn’t imagine he’d won, she coolly added, “As it happens, one of my shoes is pinching.”

She’d taken only one more step when she sensed him shift, then he was sweeping down on her, moving far too fast.

Her senses leapt. Uncertain, she slowed-

He didn’t halt; he bent, and scooped her up in his arms.

“What-?”

Without breaking his stride, he juggled her until he had her cradled, carrying her as if she weighed no more than a child.

Her lungs had seized, along with her senses; it took serious effort to draw breath. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Her total incomprehension invested every word. Never before had he shown the slightest sign of reacting to her gibes in any physical way.

She was… what? Shocked? Or…?

Thrusting her confusion side, she met his gaze as he briefly glanced her way.

“Your shoe’s pinching-we wouldn’t want your delicate little foot to suffer unnecessary damage.”

His tone was bland, his expression guileless; the look in his eyes would even pass for innocent.

She blinked. They both looked ahead. She considered protesting-and discarded the notion in the next thought. He was perfectly capable of arguing until they reached the curricle.

As for struggling, she was intensely aware-far more than she liked to be-that she was physically much weaker than he. The arms supporting her felt like steel; his stride never faltered, powerful and assured. The hand clasping her thigh just above her knee-decently protected by her full skirts-grasped like a vise; the width of his chest and its muscled hardness locked her in. She’d never regarded his strength as anything she needed to consider or weigh, yet if he was going to bring physical contact into their equation, she would need to think again.