“Och, ye must be looking for my brother, aye?”
She chewed the inside of her lower lip, trying to decide how to respond. If she said yes, then what would Jamie think? If she said no, would he think she was lying? Thankfully, she didn’t have to respond.
“His room is the third door.” He thumbed over his shoulder, then gave her a wink and continued strolling on his merry way.
Chloe waited until he was out of sight. “This is stupid,” she muttered under her breath.
Her hands shook as a mixture of anxiety and hope balled in the pit of her stomach. Anxiety for what she was about to do. Hope that the keystone would still be there on the bedside table. Without letting herself think, she took a step. And another. And another.
“This is so stupid,” she whispered.
Yet, she continued on to that third door. When she arrived, she paused outside it, staring at the solid wood and the iron hinges. She wasn’t going to knock to announce her arrival. She was going to enter and hope he wasn’t there. If he wasn’t, she’d snatch the keystone and scurry out. If he was…well, she wasn’t sure what she was going to do.
After taking another cleansing breath—with all these deep breaths, she should be calm by now—she placed her hand on the solid wood in the middle of the door and gave a little push. When it opened a crack, she halted. Before she lost her nerve, she pushed it enough to slip inside. The hinges belched a creak.
She swore under her breath as she gently pushed the door closed.
The lump in the bed was unmistakable. He shifted slightly. She dared not move or breathe. With every part of her shaking, she waited for several rapid heartbeats until she heard the deep, heavy breathing of his sleep.
Her mouth had gone dry. She couldn’t lose her nerve now.
She took a step toward the bed, keeping an eye on him as she advanced to the bedside table. The keystone was where she had left it, inches from his head. Now was her chance to swipe the stone and get out before he awoke.
Her gaze landed on it as she reached out a hand for it.
Strong arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her away. She yelped surprise as she landed on her back on the feather mattress. His big body pressed against hers, pinning her there. Heat radiated outward from him and she realized, with some trepidation and a hint of excitement, he was bare chested. She looked up into a face that was familiar and not.
That mischievous glint sparkled in his sea-green eyes as he gazed down at her, his lips curving into a lazy, sensuous grin. But it wasn’t the smile that threw her—it was the smoothness of his face. Clean-shaven. Her fingers itched with the urge to reach out and touch his skin, to feel the unfamiliar softness under her fingertips.
“Well, lass, care to tell me what yer doing here?”
“I—”
Words froze in her throat. She had no idea what excuse to give him. Instead, she stared at him, utterly dumbstruck.
God, he was gorgeous. All sharp lines and rugged angles in his weathered face. High cheekbones swept upward, his square chin strong and unyielding. But it was his eyes…those eyes. The moment they locked with hers, it felt like being pulled into a vastocean with no life preserver. She was drowning, and he didn’t even know it.
“You shaved.”
They were the only words that managed to come out. His features softened. The roguish mirth melting into a deep desire that pierced her resistance.
“Aye.”
“Why?”
He lifted a dark brow. “Do ye not know?”
A hot tingling took up residence in the pit of her stomach. An intense fiery sensation flared through her in such an overwhelming way, she wasn’t sure how to handle it. Her heart jolted. Her pulse pounded. Her senses vibrated. She was certain, since he was against her, he was aware of every pulse, every beat, every breath shuddering out of her.
She was also certain she felt his heart beating a quick cadence against hers.
“You did that for me?” Her voice was weak as she asked.
That sexy grin returned. A smoldering flame sparked deep in the ocean of his eyes. She should be alarmed. She should push him away. She should demand he release her.
But she didn’t. She couldn’t. She didn’t have the strength.
He radiated a vitality and a dizzying desire she was unable to resist.
