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 What is it? she asked.
Braden gestured toward her.  Your legs.
Her eyes narrowed in warning an instant before she matched his curse with one of her own.  I am not a
chicken! she snapped with such rancor that it took him aback.
 I beg your pardon?
She dropped her pack to the ground, bent over to where she could look at her knees, then she started
pulling the hem of her plaid lower.
 You know, I had six brothers, which means I don t need the likes of you telling me everything that is
wrong with my body. And in spite of what Ian, Jamie and Duncan always said while we were growing
up, I do not have the legs of a scrawny, half-dead chicken.
Braden tried not to laugh, but for his life he couldn t help himself. The image of her plucking at the plaid
and gesturing in sharp, stiff movements reminded him quite a bit of poultry. Even the manner of her
speech in short, angry bursts reminded him of a chicken clucking.
However, the heated glare she shot him when she straightened up succeeded in checking his humor.
At least until he made the fatal mistake of looking at her boots. Enos s words rang in his ears as he tried
not to notice that the frayed brown boots really were ugly.
Burn the witch and her ugly shoes too.
Braden held his breath, but still the laughter bubbled up until he had no choice but to laugh or choke.
Throwing his head back, he gave rein to his humor.
Maggie balled her fists at her side as she glared at him.  You better be glad I m a woman, Braden
MacAllister, or I d be taking a sword to you right now.
And she probably could best him too, especially in those ugly shoes.
The thought made him laugh even harder.
 You beast! she said, an instant before something wet slapped him upside his head.
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 What the& ? Braden pulled it away from his head to see a damp cloth in his hand.
 You d best be glad I didn t have anything harder in my pack or else I d have used it on you instead.
 Just so long as it s not your shoes, he said, choking back another wave of laughter.  I could survive
anything but that.
 My shoes? she asked, her anger wilting beneath her confusion.
Braden cleared his throat as he fought with himself.  I wasn t laughing at your legs, little blossom. But
rather at something Enos said earlier.
Suspicion hovered in her eyes.  You swear it?
 On my completely unrepentant soul, and if it wasn t for the fact that I m sure you d find something
harder to slap me with than that cloth, I d be willing to show you just how unlike a chicken I think those
legs of yours really are.
Her cheeks pinkened at his compliment as she looked about bashfully.  Then what were you going to
say about my legs?
 That they re by far too feminine to be exposed. We need to lower your plaid and pad your&  In spite
of himself, he laughed again,  Boots.
 Oh, Maggie said quietly.  I m sorry about the wet cloth, then. I hope it didn t hurt. She came forward
to take the cloth from his hand.
 It didn t hurt, he said, releasing the cloth to her.
Her hand gently scraped his, and for a moment he couldn t focus on anything except the gentle softness
of her skin fairy-light on his own. Unbidden, his gaze dipped back to the exposed flesh of her legs, and
his mind played through several interesting scenarios he d love to experience with her.
Aye, as passionate as she was, he could already hear her deep throaty moans as he taught her the true
meaning of pleasure.
He lifted his gaze to her flat chest and the laces that drew her saffron shirt closed. In his mind, he could
see himself reaching out and unlacing them, exposing the binding on her chest and then freeing her breasts
to his touch.
His body drew hot and hard as his mouth watered for a taste of her skin.
 You know, Maggie&  Braden stopped himself before he propositioned her again. Any other woman
would be his in an instant, but to get this woman, he would have to play the game more slowly. Skillfully.
She wasn t the type of woman just to fall into his arms and demand his kiss.
 What? she asked, folding the cloth and returning it to an animal skin bag in her pack.
Change the subject, his mind warned.Now !
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 Why are you carrying that? he asked in a deliberate effort to refocus his thoughts.
 In case it s needed. I always pack a damp cloth for washing and such.
Braden didn t understand that, but then there were many things about women in general he didn t
understand. And a lot of things about Maggie in particular that defied even his best cognitive abilities.
Letting the matter go, he dared a glance at those ugly boots.  We ll have to find something to pad your
boots with. Do you have  He broke off as he finally looked up at her head and noticed her hair.
The moonlight caught in the strands he had assumed she d braided or twisted about her head. And it
was only standing this close to her that he could finally see what the dark auburn locks really looked like.
 Good Lord, woman, what have you done? he asked in disbelief as he fingered her sheered locks. Her
soft hair curled about his fingers as Braden carefully brushed his hand over her head.
 I didn t want my hair to betray us.
Braden felt as though he d been slapped in the face with something a lot harder than her rag. Her hair
barely reached her thin shoulders. And it was then he noted the tears in her lashes. He cupped her cheek
in his hand and ached to pull her close to comfort her.  Maggie.
 It s just hair, she whispered.  It ll grow back.
 But it was beautiful hair. Hair a man dreams of holding in his hands and burying his face in.
Her eyes sparkled in the moonlight as she looked up at him.  Did you ever dream of that?
Placing his hands on her cheeks, Braden answered her question with a kiss.
Maggie moaned at the fierce tenderness of his embrace. Never in her life had anyone kissed her, and the
thought that it really was Braden who had finally done so thrilled her more than anything else had in her
entire life.
Mo chreach, but it was wondrous. This feeling of those strong, beautiful lips on hers as his arms
wrapped about her, pulling her closer to his rock-hard chest. It was better than even her sweetest
dreams. And her entire body thrummed with the rush of excitement.
He smelled of sweet, decadent elderberries and tasted of ale and honey. Of raw, earthly desires, and in
that instant she understood why the women had complained so mightily at being deprived of their
husbands.
Who would want to give this up for even an instant? She wished she could die right now. Right in this
moment of pure heavenly bliss. If she lived to be a thousand years old, she d never forget the taste of his
mouth, the feeling of his arms holding her tight as her senses whirled from the earthy scent of his body.
For this one tiny moment, he was hers. And she reveled in it.
Braden s head swam at the sensation of her lips beneath his. Her breath mingled with his as her tongue
gently explored his mouth. He could tell by her hesitation that he was the first ever to lay claim to her lips,
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and that knowledge only added to his pleasure.
Aye, she was a spirited and bold lass, one who beguiled him in ways he d never known.
 Maggie, Braden whispered against her lips, savoring the feel of those two syllables against his tongue
while he longed to savor even more intimate parts of her body. Slowly. Leisurely.
Aye, he wanted to lay her down and make love to her for the rest of the night. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]