He glanced over at Hugh who held up his palms and left the room with Benjamin on his heels.Cowards.
Leah came toward him with the needle and his stomach started to swirl with unease. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t taken her captive just a couple days before. No doubt this would be the perfect time for her to enact some well-placed revenge.
“Wait.”
She paused and he took another deep swig of the brandy. It no longer burned as it slid down his throat, but rather swirled with a delightful heat throughout his body. He could tell the drink was already starting to take effect, the blurry film that was being pulled over his eyes turning her into two people instead of one.
She lifted a brow impatiently. “Ready?”
He cleared his throat. Now that he was no longer concerned about looking like a fool, he decided to inquire about her qualifications. “Have you ever stitched anyone up before?”
She smiled broadly. “Not yet.”
“And you think you are talented enough to do so now?”
“A moment ago, you agreed, because it seemed a more preferable alternative to Hugh,” she pointed out. “What’s changed? The fact that I’m a woman?”
He frowned. He could tell that there was something annoying her but considering the amount of brandy he’d drunk in a short time, he couldn’t quite understand what it was.Hewas the one sitting there with a bullet wound. “I might suggest that if you weren’t so distracting.”
She blinked. “What are you—?”
He waved a hand. “Let’s get this over with.”
She expelled a heavy breath. “That’s what I have been trying to do.”
Harlan realized that he should have stopped there, but he couldn’t seem to keep himself from appreciating the view of her enticing breasts as she leaned over him and offered the first stab of the sharp instrument in her grasp. “Blast it all! Can’t you be more careful?” he snapped.
That must have been the wrong thing to do, because she set her face in front of his and said, “If you are so upset by how I’m trying tohelpyou, then perhaps you can finish on your own.”
He shut his mouth and after a brief silence, she continued to work. He felt like a petulant child, but his unruly cock soon started to send the pain to the wayside as his desire attempted to take over thanks to his inebriated state. “You’re rather beautiful, Miss Lindquist. Did you know that?”
The words were out before he could halt them. But then he was glad he’d spoken so boldly because the slight flush that lit her cheeks was worth it all.
“Are you not going to shay anything?” Was he starting to slur?
She pursed her mouth, but she reluctantly said, “Thank you.”
There was a slight tug at his scalp, but he didn’t seem to mind anymore. “Don’t you know how lovely you are?”
Her amber eyes flickered to him briefly, but then returned to her task. He admired the dedication and focus that she kept while she worked.
“Have you been in love before, Leah?” he asked softly.
“No.”
He snorted. “In all your travels about the world, you are saying that no gentleman bothered to pay court to you? No swain caught your particular attention?”
“No.”
“Why do you think that ish?” he prodded.
He might have imagined it, but it seemed as though she pulled the last stitch a bit more snugly than it needed to be. “I couldn’t say.” She grasped the scissors and snipped off the end of the thread. “All finished.” She reached for the brandy, but he held it just out of her reach. She offered him an admonishing look. “I need that to sterilize the wound so infection doesn’t set in.”
“Anshwer my question first.”
“About what?”
He rolled his eyes and realized it was the wrong thing to do. The room abruptly spun around him but he was quite sure he remained still. “Why do you think you never had any shuitorsh?”
