“No. That is most definitelynotthe word I would use to describe you.”
They crossed ashallowburn, where the horse’s hooves splashed through the cool trickling water. Amelia hugged the tartan to her chest.
“What word would you use?” the Butcher asked, touching his lips to the back of her ear as he spoke and sending a torrent of gooseflesh across her neck and shoulders. He had an annoying habit of doing that, and she wished he would stop.
“I can think of a number of very vivid expressions,” she said, “but Iwillnot speak them aloud, because youstillmight change your mind and decide to slit my throat.” She turned her cheek to the side again, and her nose almost touched his. “You see,I’mnot daft, either.”
She’d mocked him with her last words and was surprised to hear him chuckle softly in her ear.
“You seem too bright to be sharing Bennett’s bed,” he said.
“I told you before, we are engaged to be married, and the fact that I was in his bed…” She paused, not sure how to phrase it exactly. “It’s not what you think. I was escorted to the fort by my uncle, the Duke of Winslowe, who is my father’s heir and now my guardian. Richard wascalledaway from the fort last night, and only wanted to ensure that I would be safe and comfortable.”
«Well, at least you were comfortable.”
She clenched her jaw against a sudden pulse of anger.
“Untilyoubroke into my room and interrupted my happy dreams of wedded bliss.”
“There was no breakin’ in, lass,” he said. “I had a key.”
“Ah, yes, the one you stole from the soldier in the corridor—the one you murdered in cold blood.”
“That wasn’t murder,” he said, after a quiet pause. “This is war. The lad signed up for it, and it was a fair fight.”
“No one signs up to die.”
“Highlanders do, if the need arises.”
She shifted in the saddle. “How delightful y courageous of youall. It’s too bad you are committing treason when you perform these impressive acts of bravery.”
He shifted, too. “You have quite a mouth on you, Lady Amelia. I can’t deny I’m aroused by it.”
Aroused.No man had ever said anything so bold in her presence, or taken such liberties with her before, and the shock of it made her cheeks turn scarlet. “Then Iwillclose my lips,” she said, “and keep them shut, Mr. Butcher. Because the last thing I want to do is arouse your passions.”
“Are you sure?” She could feel the heat of his lips as he whispered in her ear, and the gooseflesh returned. It tingled across her skin, and she cursed her body’s frustrating response.
“You seem like a passionate woman, Lady Amelia,” he continued. “You might enjoy the lusty style of a Highlander’s lovemaking. We’re not like your polite English gentlemen.
We’re not afraid to grunt and thrust and use our mouths to pleasure our women.”
A surge of heat shot through her veins. She felt a renewed urge to leap off the horse again and runallthe way back to London, but she’d already learned her lesson in that regard.
If she did that, he’d have her on her back in the grass again, and she didn’t think she could survive another incident like that without losing control of her senses.
“I am not saying another word to you.” She sat up straighter in the saddle, so that her back was no longer touching the solidwallof his chest, but it did nothing to cool the fires of anxiety that were coursing through her blood.
He leaned forward and whispered a warning in her ear.
“You’re wise to keep your mouth shut, lass, because I can only resist so much. Your lively little tongue might push me over the edge.Ah,look. Here we are—at my luxurious abode.”
He reined in his horse.
Feeling shaken, Amelia fought hard to focus on their surroundings. His “luxurious abode” was nothing more than a cave—a cold, dark cavern cut into a steep-sided mountain, surrounded by moss and lichen-covered granite.
They trulywerebarbarians, living like animals in caves. A smoky mist curled ominously around the horse’s legs.
“It’s the Butcher’s lair,” her captor said,pullinghis tartan away so that the cold morning air once again assaulted her damp skin. Tossing the plaid over his shoulder, he swung himself to the ground.
