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her throat.  Braden, would you behave?
 I am behaving, he purred against her ear.
See? her mind argued.He said he was behaving .
But she didn t believe either one of them. Not for a minute.
 Nay, she said, noting the odd sound of her voice.  You re groping.
 Only a little groping.
Oh, the man was shameless! A little groping, indeed!
If she didn t stop him now, there was no telling what it might lead to&
Actually, she knew exactly where it would lead, and even though her heart might want this with him, her
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head knew the dire consequences of such an act. She would not be another of his conquests. No matter
how she felt about him, she wasn t going to let herself be used.
Her only thought to save herself, she grabbed his hand tightly in hers and moved it to her stomach, just
below her breasts, to keep it still.
 So, Braden whispered in her ear, his voice husky and deep.  You want me here, do you?
He reached his hand up ever so slightly and cupped her bound breast in his hand.
Maggie struggled to breathe as a fierce wave of desire tore through her. A strange ache started at the
core of her body and it was all she could do not to moan.
 Braden! she choked.  You re not supposed to do that.
 Nay? he asked, nuzzling his face against her hair.
She closed her eyes as his breath tickled the back of her neck. He felt so good, and right then she
wanted a kiss from him so badly that it took all her will not to roll over and claim his lips.
 Braden, she tried again.  If you don t let me go, I swear I m going to sleep with Sin.
He froze at her words. Then he laughed.
 What s so funny about that? she asked with a frown.
 My brother would sooner geld himself than lie down with a Scotswoman.
 Oh, you, she scolded as she rolled onto her back to glare up at him and that handsome, dimpled smile
of his.  That s not what I meant and well you know it. You re terrible. Wicked. Incorrigible!
His smile deepened and she didn t miss the dark hunger in his eyes.  Actually, I ve been told I m rather
good. Especially when it comes to 
Maggie placed her hand over his lips to stifle the rest of mat sentence.  I ve heard enough from you.
And I m not about to let you have your way with me out here in the woods like some harlot. I m a good,
respectable lass, and I intend to stay that way.
And then a terrible thing happened. She realized how soft his lips were beneath her fingertips. Then she
remembered what those soft lips had felt like as they kissed her own.
Heaven. His kiss had been total heaven.
Startled by the thought and the fact that her will had begun to falter, she removed her hand and clenched
her fingers into a fist.
A tic started in his jaw as he regarded her. He dipped his gaze down her lips and she watched the
debate play across his face.
Finally he sighed and pulled back.
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Maggie took a deep breath in relief as he settled himself a few inches away from her.
 Tell me, he said quietly.  How did you make this trip the first time, all by yourself?
What an odd question. Why would he&
She paused at the thought as she noticed a part of him that was quite a bit larger than it had been before.
Her face flamed. He was trying to distract himself, and unless she wanted to make it worse, she d best
help him do just that.
 I was riding a horse, she said under her breath to keep Sin from overhearing her words.
Braden laughed softly.
 I rode during the day and stayed at my cousin s the first night. Then once I reached MacDouglas lands,
I kept to the roads and paid for lodging.
 And it took four days? he asked.
Maggie blushed again as she recalled her earlier words to him regarding how long the trip had taken.
 Nay, I was gone only two days. I m guessing it ll take us four on foot.
Maggie cast a fearful glance to Sin.  I didn t want to tell Sin how I had traveled lest it make him even
angrier that we are on foot.
 You re wise beyond your years.
Braden leaned forward ever so slightly and trailed his fingers through her hair again.  Do you know, your
hair is as soft as silk?
Not again. If he kept this up, she was going to be hopelessly lost.
Maggie bit her lip as she enjoyed hearing him compliment her.  Nay, she whispered.  I ve never felt
silk.
His eyes darkened again as he moved his head a little closer to hers.  I would love to wrap you in it, he
confided in her ear, sending a thousand chills over her entire body.  Aye, a deep green sheet, one that
would set off the creaminess of your skin and the highlights in your hair. Believe me, there s nothing more
sensuous than silk skimming over your naked body.
 Braden!
His smile was completely unrepentant.
Maggie shook her head at him.  You can t help it, can you?
 Help what?
 Flirting with every woman you meet.
 Who says I m flirting?
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 I do, because I know if Nera or Adena were here this moment, you d be off with one of them and
giving no thought whatsoever to me.
He recoiled his head as if she d slapped him.  Och, now, Maggie, I don t know which of us you just
insulted most with that statement. Do you honestly think I would& 
Braden paused as he truly thought about her words. And in that moment, he learned something about
himself he didn t like.
She was right. He couldn t even guess how often he d been with one woman when another, more
attractive woman had come along and  distracted him.
 You were saying? she asked.
 Nothing, he said, glancing off into the dark forest. For the first time in his life, he felt guilty over some
of what he d done in the past.
Maggie settled back down on the hard ground and he watched her struggle for comfort.
In spite of himself, Braden pondered what he would do if a more attractive woman were here. Would he
flit after her the first chance he had and pay no more heed to Maggie?
Could he truly be that shallow a person?
The most painful part of all was that he didn t know for sure whether he would or not.
Hewas an ass and a scoundrel. And for the first time in his life, he wished he were different.
Why couldn t he be more like Lochlan? Steadfast and loyal, or like Ewan.
Nay, he thought quickly. Not like Ewan. Ewan was too monkish for his tastes. But he could be like Sin.
Sin was respectful and discreet, and women threw themselves at him as much as they did Braden.
Unbidden, his gaze went back to Maggie lying stiffly on the ground. She deserved so much better than a
scoundrel like him. She deserved a man who could love her, and her alone. In truth, she needed such a
man.
And in his heart, Braden knew he could never be that man. He wasn t capable of giving himself over to
just one single woman. Ever. He loved his freedom too much. He loved his women too much.
For that reason, he would have to keep himself from her. Because in the end, he could offer her nothing
more than a broken heart, and he didn t want to add any more unhappiness to her life.
Still, thoughts of Maggie drifted through his mind. Thoughts of her earlier kiss. The softness of her pale
skin beneath his hand. The sound of her breath whispering in his ear.
But even worse was the imagined sight he had of her lying naked beneath him, her amber eyes dark with
hunger as she cradled him with her entire body and urged his hips with her hands as he lost himself deep
inside her.
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His hunger for her was enough to drive him mad. Never had he felt such a strong, alluring need to find [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]