Thinking she had well-shaped calves—had he ever noticed a girl’s calves before?—Trick settled himself on the bed a safe distance from her. “You’re going to sit there till it comes out?”
She turned to look at him. “It won’t take long this way.”
He watched the water soaking her skirt. A dark circle grew to encompass much more than the stain, but she didn’t seem to notice. She was too busy watching him.
She swallowed and licked her lips.
The distance suddenly didn’t seem so safe anymore. He meant to move away—really, he did—but somehow found himself scooting closer instead, then closer still when he caught a whiff of her sun-fresh skin and lavender-scented hair. Then he couldn’t recall why he was supposed to be moving the other way. Couldn’t recall much of anything beyond a pair of wide green eyes and a rosebud mouth.
From the main room of the cottage, he heard the door fly open and slam against the wall. He thought it must be the wind. Though he meant get up and close it—really, truly meant to—instead he found his arms curving around Lady Kendra’s waist, his head sinking toward hers, toward that perfect, soft-looking mouth.
“Hey, are you here? We need your help to find our…”
Jason Chase arrived in the doorway, his brothers Colin and Ford close on his heels.
“…sister,” he finished weakly.
Kendra and Trick sprang apart, taking the porcelain bowl with them. It fell to the polished floor with a loud crash.
“Not again,” Lady Kendra groaned. “I never drop things, honestly.”
“This isn’t what it looks like,” Trick hurried to say.
“No?” A muscle in Cainewood’s jaw twitched. “You mean to say I didn’t see you on a bed with your arms around my sister and her gown pulled up around her waist?”
“My knees,” she corrected.
Jason just glared at her.
“What were you doing, then?” Colin asked.
Trick wondered why he felt so uneasy. “Rinsing a stain from her skirt.”
Ford rolled his eyes. “You expect us to believe that?” He turned on his sister. “What the deuce are you doing here?”
“I was…riding. And it started raining, and Trick came along—”
“Trick, is it?” Colin’s eyes bore into hers, and Trick saw her flinch. “Exactly how well do you know this fellow?”
“For heaven’s sake, Colin—we just met.”
“And you let him put his hands beneath your skirt.”
Trick leapt to her defense. “I did no such thing, Greystone—I told you, we were rinsing out a stain.”
“A bloodstain, would that be?”
Lady Kendra’s eyes narrowed with puzzlement. “No,” she said. “Why would you ask—”
“How can you think such a thing?” Trick interrupted.
“How could we not?”
“I’m disappointed,” Jason said, stepping closer to Trick. “Very disappointed. Kendra has never acted particularly wisely, but she’s been very sheltered and you ought to know better.” He gazed at Trick with doleful eyes. “At least tell me you didn’t know who she was.”
“Of course I knew who she was!” Trick exploded. “I saw her with you yesterday.”
Beside him, Lady Kendra gave a surprised gasp.
“Ah, yes,” Jason responded, looking resigned. “That will have to stop, you know.”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“The highway robbery. You don’t need the money, and Kendra doesn’t need to see her husband strung up at Tyburn.”
“Her husband?” Trick’s heart pounded. Her brothers didn’t know the truth. Or rather, they knew he wasn’t posing as a highwayman for the money, but they weren’t likely to learn the real reason anytime soon. King Charles had sworn him to secrecy.
And now they thought… “You think I bedded your sister? You must be mad!”
“They are mad!” Lady Kendra railed. She turned to Jason. “You have to listen.” And to Colin. “It was only a stain. A wine stain.” And to Ford. “You’re always telling me I jump to conclusions—”
Ford’s hand shot out to grasp his sister’s arm. “Come along, Kendra.” With a murderous look at Trick, he pulled her from the room.
“We’ll call on you when the banns have been posted,” Jason ground out.
“No,” Colin said. “It will have to be by special license.”
“Confound it, you’re right.” Jason rubbed the back of his neck. “She could be with child.”
With child? Trick couldn’t believe what he was hearing. One minute he was washing out a wine stain, the next he was accused of fathering a child. With a girl he’d never even kissed.
Never mind that he’d wanted to.
SIX
KENDRA WAS soaked to the skin. Water streamed from her hair into her tear-blurred eyes. She was shivering. But she’d rip her own tongue out before asking her abominable brothers for one of their cloaks.
Riding behind them, she heard the murmurs of a deeply involved conversation. She took slow, fortifying breaths, wishing she could make out their words. She couldn’t let them make her go through with this. But they wouldn’t, would they? Surely they didn’t intend for her to actually wed a highwayman. A highwayman she hadn’t so much as kissed!
Which was a shame. Because she’d wanted to kiss Trick more than she’d wanted to do most anything else, ever.
She knew full well he’d been about to kiss her, and she’d been ready—no, not just ready, thrilled—to cooperate. But it hadn’t happened. Not even a little.
Besides which, a mere kiss hardly warranted a forced marriage!
Still, heavens above, the real amber highwayman had turned out to be even better than her fantasy version. She’d nearly melted just looking at him, and when his arms came around her, her whole body had seemed on fire. What would it have felt like if he’d actually kissed her—something hotter than fire? The center of a volcano?
It would have been the first time she’d kissed anyone.
Oh, she’d been kissed, of course—she was eighteen, after all, and not shy—but she’d never kissed anyone back. She blamed those exasperating brothers of hers. Every time a gentleman managed to smuggle her
