Her face flamed.
Och now, she couldn’t be having any of this. She was a decent maid. Not some hoyden to be staring at a man’s piece.
Although...
It was an interesting piece. Rather large as it lay nestled in the short, dark curls. It seemed oddly harmless lying there and she had a sudden urge to reach out and touch it.
Eleanor ingen Alexander, where is your mind?
In the sty obviously. Mired with earthly, lust-filled curiosity.
Though she’d never seen a man naked before, she most certainly knew what naked men did to naked women.
Her face burning even more, she quickly grabbed the fur covers on the bed and tossed them over him.
There now, all better.
Well, not all better. There was still the sight of his broad, gleaming shoulders and those long, masculine legs...
Nora!
Oh very well, she’d look no more.
At least not there.
But she couldn’t quite seem to keep her gaze from drifting over him again. There wasn’t really anything wrong with looking at a man’s legs. Was there?
As she contemplated the sinfulness of it, he shifted and the covers took a dangerous tilt.
“We can’t be having any of that,” she said aloud, pulling the cover back over him.
As her fingers accidentally brushed his hard, rippled stomach, one large, powerful hand seized her wrist and held it immobile.
Gasping, she looked up into a pair of the bluest eyes she’d ever beheld. Eyes that were rimmed in red and filled with rage.
“Who the bloody hell are you and what are you doing here?” His voice was deep and threatening and when awake he was as fearsome as the rumors she’d heard.
“I’m...” Her mind went blank as she became aware of the fact that her hand rested on warm skin and over a muscle so hard and taut that it made her ache with a sudden throb.
“Woman, you’d best be answering me.”
The angry accusation of his tone grated against her tolerance. Indignant at it, she jerked her hand away from him and straightened. “And just who are you to be taking that tone with me? Have you no manners at all?”
Ewan blinked in disbelief. She was taking him to task? This woman who had invaded his home and disturbed his nice ale-induced slumber?
Amazed by her audacity, he again blinked his scratchy eyes to clear his blurry vision while his head throbbed a painful staccato beat. With her mouth closed, she was pleasing enough to look at.
Even though she wore a long blue and white brat pulled up over her head, he could see she had thick, golden blond hair that reminded him of sunshine and medium-sized amber eyes that were shaped like a cat’s. They turned up just a hint at the corners.
Impish. That was the only word to describe her fey beauty and yet there was a proud dignity to her that told him she was well-bred and not some country lass come to wreak havoc with him.
But why would such a woman be here in his cave?
Alone.
“Who am I?” he answered her question slowly. “I happen to be the man who owns this place and one who doesn’t take well to unannounced, unknown visitors. Now, given the fact you’ve intruded into my domain, the least you can do is enlighten me as to who you are and why you’re intruding.”
That took some of the bluster out of her. “Well, aye, I did do that. But I’m here for a good reason.”
