“Now wait one minute,” Felix grumbled. “I saw ’er first.”
Blayne spun toward him and grabbed him by the throat. Felix yelped and clasped hold of his hands, trying to pry away Blayne’s fingers. It was no use. Blayne was determined and with three long strides he’d marched Felix to the door, flung it wide, and given the man a rough shove that sent him stumbling out into the night.
“Who else laid a hand on her?” Blayne asked.
Fingers quickly pointed at Georgie who earned a punch to the eye before he too was tossed out on his ass.
“If either of ye comes back here again, I’ll break yer bloody bones,” Blayne called after them. He slammed the door shut and turned. “Erwin?”
Erwin gulped. “Yes, Mr. MacNeil?”
“Did ye touch her as well?”
“N…no, sir. Never even crossed my mind.”
“Miss Russell?” Blayne gave her a questioning look.
She swallowed and tried not to appear as shaky as she felt. “He didn’t touch me, but he was trying to win me. That’s why he and Felix were fighting.”
“Why, you little conniving who—”
Blayne’s knuckles connected with bone, silencing Erwin with a loud crack. “Grab yer friend and go,” he told the fat man who’d been holding Charlotte. “Ye’d best pray I never set eyes on either of ye again. Is that clear?”
The fat man gave a quick nod before pulling Erwin to his feet and escorting him out of the tavern. Blayne waited until they were both out of sight before glancing around. “As for the rest of ye, ye’re welcome to stay until closing as long as ye dinnae cause trouble.”
The crowd instantly scattered with men returning to their drinks and card games as if no altercation had taken place. Blayne grabbed Charlotte’s hand hard and dragged her toward the stairs, not breaking his stride even as she stumbled along behind him, doing her best to keep up. He was like a thundercloud racing across the sky, seeking the right place in which to explode. They reached the landing and Charlotte tripped. A gasp tore through her as she lost her footing, yanking her arm against its socket.
If Blayne cared about her discomfort, he didn’t show it. Instead, he threw open a door and shoved her into a sparsely furnished room in which rows of potted plants lined the window sills. The door slammed shut right next to Charlotte’s ear, jarring her senses, and then she was thrust up against the wall by the same large hands that had thrown four men from the tavern a few short minutes ago.
“What the hell do ye think ye’re doing?” he seethed, his eyes like granite and his mouth a hard line of disapproval. “Have ye nae common sense at all?”
The unease she’d felt since leaving home transformed into sudden anger. She set her jaw and glared back at him. “I came to seeyou.”
“In the middle of the night and all by yerself? Christ, woman. Are ye mad? My God, I ought to have ye committed for being a danger to yer own safety.” His eyes darkened even further while her anger grew. “What the devil do ye think would have happened if I’d nae been there to stop those randy bastards from taking what they wanted?”
It wasn’t a question she dared consider, so although she knew she’d been lucky, she ignored it. After all, everything had turned out well in the end. “I won’t do it again. I promise.”
“Ye’re bloody well right ye won’t do it again.” His fingers curled into her shoulders while rough breaths escaped his mouth. She had an inkling he wanted to shake her. Instead he just held her in place. “I need to know ye’re smart enough not to place yerself in danger.”
“I did bring my pistol,” she countered so he’d not think her a completely naïve moron.
“Of course ye did. So how come ye didnae use it?”
“I, um…I tried. Felix managed to disarm me though.”
Blayne dropped his gaze and muttered a curse so fowl Charlotte’s cheeks grew hot. “I’m starting to see why yer father insisted ye marry Mr. Cooper. And I’m also beginning to comprehend his wish to keep ye locked up until the wedding. Jesus Christ. I didnae notice before because I was tangled up so tight with ye I just couldnae see, but the truth is ye’re too bloody reckless.”
The anger inside her shifted once more, turning to pain. “Don’t you dare suggest Mr. Cooper might have been good for me, Blayne, or that my father was right to do what he did.” A sob tore up her throat. It was one thing to deal with the criticism of others, but she could not handle his. Having Blayne’s disapproval was like a stab to her heart and with everything else she’d endured in the last few days, it was too much for her to bear. She punched his chest while her vision blurred and tears began falling against her cheeks. “You…You were all I could think of. I needed to see you. Don’t tell me I came here for nothing, don’t try and pretend you don’t care or that—”
“Ye misunderstand me, lass.” His voice was rough as he swiped one tear from her cheek with his callused thumb.
She gulped down a breath in an effort to regain a bit of composure. “You could have sent me straight home the last time I came here. But you didn’t. Did you? So don’t place all the blame on me now when you were just as happy to break the rules.”
“Christ, Charlotte. Do ye not understand?” His forehead pressed against hers and he quietly murmured, “It would kill me if ye got hurt.”
She blinked. It was the closest he’d ever come to revealing his feelings. Her heart leapt. Could he possibly care for her just as much as she cared for him? She drew a tremulous breath. “I know you helped end things between me and Mr. Cooper.”
There was a brief moment of silence. And then…
