she repeated angrily.
“You wanted me to slug them both unconscious?” he asked her in a soft taunt. “I might have managed it—even though those two are pretty good at brawn. But they don’t do so very well when it comes to brain! But it wouldn’t have done us a damned bit of good. Eastwood can send out a score of men. And even if I did feel like belting them all for your dubious honor, it wouldn’t do us a damned bit of good. What we need to do is buy time.”
“Dubious honor!” Tara began angrily.
“All right! I’m sorry. But I did win you in a poker game at Eastwood’s!”
Was he serious, or laughing at her? Sometimes he was amused, his smile coming so quickly. And sometimesthere seemed to be something almost dark about him, jaded, very hard and cynical.
He strode across the room again, nonchalant in his bath sheet, muscled bronze shoulders gleaming. He retrieved her clothing from around the room, depositing it on the bed at her feet. He let the bath sheet fall, plucking his own clothing from the floor. With no hesitancy or embarrassment he crawled back into his breeches. “Get dressed!” he commanded her. “Now!”
Oh, he could snap out orders like a general! “You just told me to get undressed!” she reminded him.
He paused. Even at their distance she could sense both his amusement and his innate heat. “You want to stay there? We don’t have much time, but then again, maybe there’s enough—”
“Oh, stop it!” she whispered. “I can’t get dressed! You’re staring at me—”
She broke off. They were both startled by a light knocking at the door.
“McKenzie, you in there?” came a soft query.
It was dark, but Tara could see the way that the tension eased from his shoulders. He strode toward the door.
“What are you doing?” she called out desperately, instinctively dragging the sheets to her throat.
He didn’t reply. Holding on to his bath sheet, he jerked open the door. The handsome young man from the pool table stumbled in. “McKenzie! They’re looking for the girl—”
“Well, you’re late,” McKenzie told him with a touch of amusement. “They were already here.”
“You let them take her?”
McKenzie indicated the bed. Tara wanted to shrink beneath it.
“Oh. Oh! Excuse me, I didn’t know I was interrupting—”
“You weren’t interrupting anything,” McKenzie said flatly. “I had to make it look as if we were occupied for hours to come.”
“Why are they after her?”
“I don’t know. Why don’t you try asking her?”
Tara was instantly certain that he didn’t have the see-in-the-dark abilities of his friend. He squinted, staring her way. “Why are they after you?”
She didn’t answer.
“We don’t have time for this. Not now. We’ve got to get out.”
“Right!” Robert said quickly. He stood still.
“Well?” McKenzie said, amused again. “Do you mind? I think that the lady would like to dress.”
“Oh. Right! I’ll be outside.”
McKenzie closed the door behind him. He stared at Tara. “Get dressed!”
She gritted her teeth. “If you’re going to stare at me, you might as well invite your friend back in!” she snapped.
“Shall I?”
She threw a pillow at him and he caught it. He laughed. It was a rich, husky sound. Sensual. She felt more naked than ever.
“It’s pitch dark in here—and I’ve already seen you.” He was very quick himself. He was already in his shirt and boots and frock coat and coming across the room again. She was forced to swallow down a cry when he lifted her from the sheets, setting her on the floor.
“If it was pitch dark, you haven’t seen anything!” she tried to tell him.
But maybe that was wrong. She could see the fiery gleam in his dark eyes and the mocking curl to his lip as he slipped her petticoat over her head and then swirledher around to tie her corset back in place. He was swift and deft with women’s clothing, she noted.
“We’ve got to get going!” he told
“You wanted me to slug them both unconscious?” he asked her in a soft taunt. “I might have managed it—even though those two are pretty good at brawn. But they don’t do so very well when it comes to brain! But it wouldn’t have done us a damned bit of good. Eastwood can send out a score of men. And even if I did feel like belting them all for your dubious honor, it wouldn’t do us a damned bit of good. What we need to do is buy time.”
“Dubious honor!” Tara began angrily.
“All right! I’m sorry. But I did win you in a poker game at Eastwood’s!”
Was he serious, or laughing at her? Sometimes he was amused, his smile coming so quickly. And sometimesthere seemed to be something almost dark about him, jaded, very hard and cynical.
He strode across the room again, nonchalant in his bath sheet, muscled bronze shoulders gleaming. He retrieved her clothing from around the room, depositing it on the bed at her feet. He let the bath sheet fall, plucking his own clothing from the floor. With no hesitancy or embarrassment he crawled back into his breeches. “Get dressed!” he commanded her. “Now!”
Oh, he could snap out orders like a general! “You just told me to get undressed!” she reminded him.
He paused. Even at their distance she could sense both his amusement and his innate heat. “You want to stay there? We don’t have much time, but then again, maybe there’s enough—”
“Oh, stop it!” she whispered. “I can’t get dressed! You’re staring at me—”
She broke off. They were both startled by a light knocking at the door.
“McKenzie, you in there?” came a soft query.
It was dark, but Tara could see the way that the tension eased from his shoulders. He strode toward the door.
“What are you doing?” she called out desperately, instinctively dragging the sheets to her throat.
He didn’t reply. Holding on to his bath sheet, he jerked open the door. The handsome young man from the pool table stumbled in. “McKenzie! They’re looking for the girl—”
“Well, you’re late,” McKenzie told him with a touch of amusement. “They were already here.”
“You let them take her?”
McKenzie indicated the bed. Tara wanted to shrink beneath it.
“Oh. Oh! Excuse me, I didn’t know I was interrupting—”
“You weren’t interrupting anything,” McKenzie said flatly. “I had to make it look as if we were occupied for hours to come.”
“Why are they after her?”
“I don’t know. Why don’t you try asking her?”
Tara was instantly certain that he didn’t have the see-in-the-dark abilities of his friend. He squinted, staring her way. “Why are they after you?”
She didn’t answer.
“We don’t have time for this. Not now. We’ve got to get out.”
“Right!” Robert said quickly. He stood still.
“Well?” McKenzie said, amused again. “Do you mind? I think that the lady would like to dress.”
“Oh. Right! I’ll be outside.”
McKenzie closed the door behind him. He stared at Tara. “Get dressed!”
She gritted her teeth. “If you’re going to stare at me, you might as well invite your friend back in!” she snapped.
“Shall I?”
She threw a pillow at him and he caught it. He laughed. It was a rich, husky sound. Sensual. She felt more naked than ever.
“It’s pitch dark in here—and I’ve already seen you.” He was very quick himself. He was already in his shirt and boots and frock coat and coming across the room again. She was forced to swallow down a cry when he lifted her from the sheets, setting her on the floor.
“If it was pitch dark, you haven’t seen anything!” she tried to tell him.
But maybe that was wrong. She could see the fiery gleam in his dark eyes and the mocking curl to his lip as he slipped her petticoat over her head and then swirledher around to tie her corset back in place. He was swift and deft with women’s clothing, she noted.
“We’ve got to get going!” he told
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