Claimed by a Laird Read Online Free PDF Page A

especially with the long, jagged scar running from his right cheek
to his jaw, but his high cheekbones, squared-off chin and piercing gray eyes
fairly took her breath away. She always did prefer her men on the rugged side.
    Her men. She stifled a laugh at the thought, barely
able to recall the last time she was asked out on a date, let alone flirted
with a guy.
    His eyes caught hers as he hoisted himself up on top of the
stones and over the side. She swallowed hard as an intense surge of wanting
washed over her while her gaze swept over his massive, perfectly wrought form.
Blood flushed through her veins and an ache formed between her thighs. It had
been a long time since she had reacted so physically to the mere sight of a
man.
    Especially one who had more than a five o’clock shadow and
needed a bath.
    Anna shook her head. She was displaying the classic symptom
of not having gotten laid in far too long. Sure, this guy standing in front of
her was hot, but she did have certain hygienic standards after all.
    His medieval-like clothing drew her attention. Perhaps he
was one of the fair characters starting work a bit early. His long, off-white
shirt had billowy sleeves, an open vee at the neckline and was belted around
his trim waist. The tight brown pants under the long hemline of his shirt
seemed to caress every muscled contour in his lusciously roped thighs.
    As she dragged her eyes back to his face, he gave her the
same perusal, though his eyes seemed to be raking her form rather than
observing. A shudder of self-consciousness coursed through her, especially when
his stare lingered upon her hips a little too long.
    “How did you get down there?” she asked, her throat abruptly
dry. She didn’t much care for the way her voice was shaking either.
    “I was thrown,” he replied with a nonchalant shrug.
    Horrified anyone would do such a thing, she turned toward
the door. Just as soon as she could alert the authorities about this poor guy,
she was going to find that damn tour guide and give him a piece of her mind.
“Come on, let’s get out of here and call the police.” She reached for the cell
phone in her purse. “People can be such assholes.”
    His fingers grabbed her arm and he yanked her backward. She
landed with a jolting thud against him. He wrapped his arm around her chest,
locking her other arm down. A glint of steel blazed before her and a thin,
sharp object was pressed into the tender flesh at the base of her throat.
    Her heart seemed to stop mid-beat. This couldn’t be
happening. Was this damn castle cursed?
    The man leaned the side of his face against her head and she
bit back a whimper.
    “You will not be calling anyone, Anna,” he whispered.
    His lips brushed her ear as he spoke, unleashing a strange
mixture of fear and electricity through her veins. Her breath caught in her
throat and her heart threatened to pound out of her rib cage.
    “You are coming with me, lass. I cannot take the risk you
will alert someone to my escape.”
    She gulped, desperately attempting to pull together some
coherent thoughts to get her out of this mess. “Just let me go. I swear I won’t
tell anyone,” she pleaded in a hoarse whisper.
    A disturbing heat emanated from his body and her muscles
automatically relaxed, threatening to send her deeper into his arms. Shame and
anger welled within her at her inexplicable reaction to this man holding her
hostage. “Just let me leave and I’ll forget I ever saw you.”
    “No.” He shoved her none-too-gently toward the door with his
body. “You are not leaving my side until I have reached the safety of my
holding.”
    Anna’s mind whirled in angry confusion. This guy obviously
deserved to be thrown in that damn pit. If only she could get his blade away
from her neck, then maybe she could get away from him long enough to attract
someone’s attention.
    His fingertips dug painfully into her throat as he
forcefully twisted her neck around until his face loomed over hers.