further.”
Frustration
at Abby thinking he would ever do such a thing repulsed him down to the marrow
in his bones. He yanked his hands away, stood straight, and squared his
shoulders. “I’ve never forced my attentions on a woman.” His words grated
through clenched teeth. “I don’t have a problem with the word ‘no.’”
Her
face brightened with surprise at his reaction. “I didn’t mean it like that. I
just --”
Devlin
held up a hand, stopping her words. “Forget it.” He raised a brow and looked at
her. “Would you like some help packing?”
· * * * *
Devlin
rubbed a weary hand over his face and glanced at the clock. A quarter ’til two.
He needed to get some sleep, but after finding the rabbit ... He’d known
as soon as he’d seen it, that bastard put it there. He’d walked right into the
castle within a few feet of Abby!
Devlin
raked a hand through his hair and closed his eyes. How could he sleep now? What
if Victor came back? Devlin’s room was next door to Abby’s, but still ...
Maybe he should leave the doors open so he could hear her plea for help in case
she called him. The walls inside the castle were thick, after all. The thought
of that monster so much as touching one hair on her head sent fear ripping
through his body.
The
bastard was getting into the castle somehow. After finding the gull, Devlin had
checked all the doors and windows, and all had been locked. There were secret
passages throughout the castle, but none led outside. He’d grown up playing in
those passages and knew them by heart.
Devlin
swung his legs over the side of the bed and reached for his jeans. If he was
going to have any hope at all of getting to sleep, he needed to check on Abby
and make sure she was all right. Guilt settled in the pit of his stomach over
what he was about to do.
He
zipped his jeans, put on a pair of sneakers, and grabbed a flashlight. Once
dressed, he reached behind the high, carved headboard on his bed and pressed a
button fixed to the wall. A door beside the bed swung open, revealing a dark
passage. He shone the flashlight into the passageway and grimaced when he saw a
large black spider skitter away from the light. Cobwebs hung in tatters from
the ceiling and walls. The air smelled musty, and dust motes danced in the
flashlight’s beam. He hadn’t been through the passage since he was a little boy
playing hide-and-seek.
He
stepped into the darkness with only the flashlight to guide him. In a few
moments he came to the end of the passageway, stopped, and listened. The quiet
murmur of the storm outside filled the air. Devlin directed the light near the
top left side of the door. As quietly as possible, he reached up and lifted a
latch. The door swung open.
He
waited a bit, then stepped into Abby’s room. He shouldn’t be doing this, but he
had to make sure she was all right. Lightning glimmered, filling the room
briefly with light. Abby lay in bed on her stomach, her arms hugging a pillow.
He couldn’t see her face clearly because she had it shoved into the pillow.
She’d kicked off the covers, and her gown bunched around her waist. The sight
of her sweet fanny and toned thighs made his groin tighten.
He
remembered how it had felt to touch her, hold her, kiss her. With vivid clarity
he recalled the feel of her ripe breast in his hand. What was the matter with
him? She lay there innocently asleep while he watched her like a voyeur, but
seeing her unharmed soothed his worry.
First
thing in the morning, he would put her on the ferry and send her back to
England, away from the danger stalking this island ... and away from him.
Devlin slipped back into the dark passage and closed the door.
Abby
awakened with a start. The storm still raged outside her window, but she felt
certain the wind and rain had not disturbed her sleep. She switched on the
bedside lamp.
Scrape. Creak.
Her
gaze darted about the room into every shadowed corner, trying desperately
Frustration
at Abby thinking he would ever do such a thing repulsed him down to the marrow
in his bones. He yanked his hands away, stood straight, and squared his
shoulders. “I’ve never forced my attentions on a woman.” His words grated
through clenched teeth. “I don’t have a problem with the word ‘no.’”
Her
face brightened with surprise at his reaction. “I didn’t mean it like that. I
just --”
Devlin
held up a hand, stopping her words. “Forget it.” He raised a brow and looked at
her. “Would you like some help packing?”
· * * * *
Devlin
rubbed a weary hand over his face and glanced at the clock. A quarter ’til two.
He needed to get some sleep, but after finding the rabbit ... He’d known
as soon as he’d seen it, that bastard put it there. He’d walked right into the
castle within a few feet of Abby!
Devlin
raked a hand through his hair and closed his eyes. How could he sleep now? What
if Victor came back? Devlin’s room was next door to Abby’s, but still ...
Maybe he should leave the doors open so he could hear her plea for help in case
she called him. The walls inside the castle were thick, after all. The thought
of that monster so much as touching one hair on her head sent fear ripping
through his body.
The
bastard was getting into the castle somehow. After finding the gull, Devlin had
checked all the doors and windows, and all had been locked. There were secret
passages throughout the castle, but none led outside. He’d grown up playing in
those passages and knew them by heart.
Devlin
swung his legs over the side of the bed and reached for his jeans. If he was
going to have any hope at all of getting to sleep, he needed to check on Abby
and make sure she was all right. Guilt settled in the pit of his stomach over
what he was about to do.
He
zipped his jeans, put on a pair of sneakers, and grabbed a flashlight. Once
dressed, he reached behind the high, carved headboard on his bed and pressed a
button fixed to the wall. A door beside the bed swung open, revealing a dark
passage. He shone the flashlight into the passageway and grimaced when he saw a
large black spider skitter away from the light. Cobwebs hung in tatters from
the ceiling and walls. The air smelled musty, and dust motes danced in the
flashlight’s beam. He hadn’t been through the passage since he was a little boy
playing hide-and-seek.
He
stepped into the darkness with only the flashlight to guide him. In a few
moments he came to the end of the passageway, stopped, and listened. The quiet
murmur of the storm outside filled the air. Devlin directed the light near the
top left side of the door. As quietly as possible, he reached up and lifted a
latch. The door swung open.
He
waited a bit, then stepped into Abby’s room. He shouldn’t be doing this, but he
had to make sure she was all right. Lightning glimmered, filling the room
briefly with light. Abby lay in bed on her stomach, her arms hugging a pillow.
He couldn’t see her face clearly because she had it shoved into the pillow.
She’d kicked off the covers, and her gown bunched around her waist. The sight
of her sweet fanny and toned thighs made his groin tighten.
He
remembered how it had felt to touch her, hold her, kiss her. With vivid clarity
he recalled the feel of her ripe breast in his hand. What was the matter with
him? She lay there innocently asleep while he watched her like a voyeur, but
seeing her unharmed soothed his worry.
First
thing in the morning, he would put her on the ferry and send her back to
England, away from the danger stalking this island ... and away from him.
Devlin slipped back into the dark passage and closed the door.
Abby
awakened with a start. The storm still raged outside her window, but she felt
certain the wind and rain had not disturbed her sleep. She switched on the
bedside lamp.
Scrape. Creak.
Her
gaze darted about the room into every shadowed corner, trying desperately
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