Scandal's Bride by Stephanie Laurens Read Free Book Online

an artist, not
a warrior. At least, not a simple warrior. Standing beside him, she was all too
aware that her bedevilled senses had reported accurately on the man who had
stolen a kiss—several kisses—from her. He was large and strong—not the strength
of sheer brawn, but a more supple, skillful strength, infinitely more
dangerous. There was intelligence in his eyes, and something else besides—the
embers of that hot, prowling hunger glowed behind the blue.
    He straightened. And nodded to the rest of the company. "Is this
all Seamus's family?"
    "Yes." She scanned the room's occupants. "They all live
here."
    "All the time, I understand."
    "They have little choice. Seamus was a miser in many ways."
She glanced about the room. "You must have noticed the ambience—hopefully,
once Jamie and Mary and the others finally realize it's theirs now, and they no
longer need Seamus's approval for every penny spent, they'll make it more
livable."
    "More like a home? Amen to that."
    Surprised by his acuity, Catriona glanced up; his polite mask told her
nothing.
    He trapped her gaze. "You clearly didn't like Seamus. If you won't
consider moving here to live, why have you come?"
    "I'm here to pay my final respects." She considered, then
added, more truthfully: "He was a hard man, but he did as he deemed right.
He might have been an adversary, but I did respect him."
    "Magnanimous in victory?"
    "There was no battle."
    "That's not how the locals tell it."
    She humphed. "He was misguided—I set him right."
    "Misguided because he wanted you to wed?"
    "Precisely."
    "What have you got against the male of the species?"
    How had they got onto this topic? She slanted her tormentor a sharp
glance. "Just that—they're male."
    "A sorry fact, but most women find there are compensations."
    She humphed again, the sound eloquently disbelieving. "Such
as?"
    "Such as…"
    His tone registered; she turned and met his eyes—and the glow that
danced therein. Her breathing seized; her heartbeat suddenly sounded loud. With
an effort, she found breath enough to warn: "
No teasing
."
    His lips, untrustworthy things—she tried hard not to focus on
them—lifted; his eyes glowed all the more. "A little teasing would do you
good." His voice had dropped to a deep purr, sliding over her senses;
Catriona detected the power in the words, although she hadn't met its like
before. It was… beguiling; instinctively, she resisted. She felt like she was
swaying, but knew she hadn't moved.
    "You might even find you…"—his brows quirked—"enjoy
it."
    Behind her back, screened from the company, his hand rose; Catriona
sensed it with every pore of her skin, every nerve in her body. An inch from
her silk-encased form, it rose, slowly skimming without touching, until it
reached her neckline and rose…
    "
Don't
!" The word was a breathless command; his hand
halted, hovering, close, very close, to her quivering curls. If he touched them
again…
    "Very well."
    A seductive purr, with no hint of contrition;
he
was being
triumphantly magnanimous now. But his hand didn't disappear—it reversed
direction. Slowly, so slowly her skin had ample time to prickle and heat, his
hand traced her back, down over her shoulder blades, over the slight
indentation at her waist, then, even more slowly, over the curve of her hips.
    Not once did he touch her, yet when his hand dropped away, she was
shaking inside—so badly, as she stepped away and, half-turning, inclined her
head in his direction, she could barely form the words: "If you'll excuse
me, I should retire."
    She left him without meeting his eyes, quite sure of the male triumph
she would see there, unsure of her hold on her temper if she did.
    Meg had returned; she was sitting, wan-faced, in an armchair. Catriona
stopped before her. "Come to my room when you go up—I'll have that potion
ready."
    "Are you going up now?"
    "Yes." Catriona bit off the word, then forced a smile. "I
fear the journey here was more fatiguing than I'd