Read Online Captive in His Castle by Chantelle Shaw - Free Book Online Page A

on the wall, she acknowledged that she could not remain in the bathroom for ever.
    The first thing she noticed when she opened the door was that Drago had changed out of his damp clothesinto a navy blue silk robe that revealed an expanse of broad, tanned chest overlaid with whorls of dark hair.
    ‘Feeling better?’ he queried when Jess edged into the bedroom.
    She nodded, her heart jolting against her ribs as he walked over to her and handed her a glass.
    ‘Drink this—a shot of brandy will warm your insides.’
    ‘No, thanks. I never touch spirits.’ She jerked back from him, blanching as she smelled the alcohol.
    ‘I’m not trying to poison you,’ he said drily.
    ‘I’m sorry.’ She flushed as she realised how rude she must seem. ‘I loathe alcohol. Even the smell of it reminds me…’
    ‘Reminds you of what?’ Drago prompted, puzzled by her strange reaction.
    ‘Nothing.’ Jess bit her lip when she realised Drago was waiting for her to answer. ‘My dad used to drink…a lot,’ she muttered. ‘He was an alcoholic. He drank rum, mainly, although he wasn’t fussy. He’d drink anything. Our house used to stink of alcohol.’
    Drago hesitated, struggling for the first time in his life to know what to say. Jess’s voice had been expressionless, but he sensed that she kept a tight hold on her emotions. ‘You said your father
used
to drink?’ he said after a moment. ‘Does that mean he is no longer an alcoholic?’
    ‘He’s dead. He died when I was eleven.’
    ‘That must have been hard for you—to lose your father when you were so young.’
    She shrugged. ‘To be honest he wasn’t a great dad. I don’t remember him ever being sober, and he used to spend all his money on drink so there was never much to eat at home.’ Once again her tone was matter-of-fact,but her eyes had darkened to a deep jade colour and held a faintly haunted expression.
    ‘What about your mother? She didn’t drink too, did she?’
    ‘I don’t think so. She died when I was a baby and I have no memory of her.’
    Drago frowned. Why was he interested? he asked himself. He shouldn’t give a damn about Jess’s background. But he could not dismiss the image of her as an undernourished, uncared-for child. ‘Who brought you up after your father died?’
    ‘I went into a children’s home, which wasn’t so bad. At least I had dinner every day.’ Her wry smile turned into a yawn. ‘Sorry, but I’m shattered. It’s been an eventful day,’ she said pointedly.
    ‘Then get into bed.’ He pulled back the covers and gave her a querying look when she did not move.
    Jess stared at the gold silk sheets and her heart began to pound. Surely Drago was not expecting her to sleep with him? The idea was outrageous, and yet…An image flashed into her mind of lying in that bed and feeling the sensual silk against her naked flesh. Like a film playing inside her head, she pictured Drago lying next to her, his tanned torso so dark in contrast to her paleness, his wiry chest hairs feeling faintly abrasive against her breasts as he lowered himself onto her.
    Dear heaven. She drew an audible breath. Where had her shocking thoughts come from? She darted a glance at him and her heart missed a beat when she saw the predatory hunger in his eyes. The realisation that she had not imagined the sexual chemistry between them was frankly terrifying.
    ‘No way am I going to sleep with you,’ she said jerkily.‘Was that why you wanted me to drink brandy—to make me more amenable?’
    ‘Amenable!’ Drago gave a harsh laugh. ‘I swear you don’t know the meaning of the word.’
    He did not know what angered him most—her accusation that he had planned to seduce her or the fear he glimpsed in her eyes.
Dio
, she made him feel like a monster, when in fact he’d had the patience of a saint tonight.
    ‘For your information, I have never had to get a woman drunk to persuade her to sleep with me.’
    His gaze narrowed on her flushed face. She looked a