Page 24 of Brigand

The only place she would truly be safe was with him.

He glanced over his shoulder. Violet perched on the bed,ready to flee, with her threadbare blanket clutched at her neck, eyes wide,knuckles white. Her hair cascading in thick ropes over her shoulders. Her lipsapart and trembling.

And he knew.

He knew.

She wasn’t safe with him either.

Chapter Seven

Violet wasn’t sure if she should be relieved or worried thatEwan had decided to release her from the dungeon and take her up to his nicewarm solar. But once she saw the fire, she didn’t care. She rushed toward itwith her hands outstretched and shuddered with pleasure as delicious heatseeped into her bones.

He poured some amber liquid in a crystal glass and thrust itat her. “Drink this.” His voice was gruff.

“What is it?”

“Whisky. It will warm you.”

She took a sip and grimaced.

He poured himself a dram and tossed it back, then pouredanother, sat in one of the chairs by the fire and nursed it as he studied her.

She disliked his intensity. It made her self-conscious. Butshe sloughed the feeling off and adopted a mantle of insouciance. At least shehoped it was insouciance. The whisky helped tremendously. She sashayed to theother chair and sat as well, then dragged it closer to the fire and poked herfeet toward the licking flames.

He stared at her feet and frowned. She couldn’t help lookingdown as well, and she grimaced. No wonder they’d captured his attention.

Her delicate slippers had finally fallen apart and she’dspent the better part of the day with bare feet. They were filthy.

He stood and crossed to the dresser, picked up his waterpitcher and poured it into a bucket, which he set on the hearth.

“What are you doing?”

He glanced at her. “Warming water. Those feet need to bewashed before you crawl into my bed.”

An incongruous laugh bubbled from her lips. “I’m not gettingin your bed.”

A storm cloud lowered his brow. “You most certainly are.”

She took another sip of her whisky. Then another. “I shallnot. I already escaped that fate twice today, thank you very much.”

Ooh. He didn’t like that. The storm cloud darkened more. Forsome reason it amused her.

“I am not Craig. I do not force women.”

“Oh pish.” She waggled her fingers at him. “You’ve bulliedme plenty since you kidnapped me.”

“I didn’t kidnap you! That was Callum MacAllister.”

“You brought me here. You held me prisoner. You made meslave in your kitchens.” She leaned forward and hissed, “You locked me in yourdungeon.”

“It wasn’t like that and you know it.” But it was. It wasexactly like that. He knew it too. She could tell by the red tide creeping uphis cheeks.

A curl of warm elation settled in the region of her chest.She swung her feet—in this chair they didn’t touch the floor. “I can’t imaginewhat Edward will have to say about all this.”

It was comical, the way he blanched. Spewed his drink.Sputtered. “Edward? Who the hell is Edward? Is he your beau?”

Really. There was no need for him to snarl the word.