Forbidden Love Read Online Free PDF

hell? . .. Oh . . . Roanna .. ."
    "Yes, Roanna! Your so-called hostage! Whom you're supposed to treat honorably! And instead you . . . you . . ." Words failed her. Hushing, painfully, she hid her face.
    Beating down a treacherous desire to laugh with sheer relief at her recovered spirit Colin thoughtfully finished the sentence for her. "And instead I kept you warm."
    "W-warm?. . ." Very reluctantly, Roanna looked up at him through thick, golden lashes. Surely she misunderstood? Her flush deepened as Colin climbed matter-of-factly out of bed. She refused to give him the satisfaction of looking away, although the sight of his unclothed maleness sent shock waves rippling through her.
    Roanna had spent her fife surrounded by supremely fit men who were often seen in various stages of undress. But nothing had prepared her for Colin. From the top of his burnished head down broad shoulders, sculpted arms and torso, slim hips, and long, corded legs, he was magnificently male
    Only a livid scar running the width of his massive chest marred the perfection of his virile beauty. As he turned to pull on his tunic, her gaze lingered appreciatively on the taut line of his buttocks. A wanton desire to reach out and touch him proved almost impossible to overcome.
    "You took a fever," he explained calmly when he was dressed "I found you in the cell after the weather turned cold. An ice bath got your temperature down, but afterward you were racked by chills no amount of blankets could ease. You didn't quiet down and sleep peacefully until I held you."
    A rueful gleam appeared deep within his silvery eyes. "At least you had no difficulty sleeping. I, on the other hand, spent a rather restless night"
    Roanna was perversely glad to hear it Any suggestion that she had lain naked in his arms without the least effect would have offended her deeply. She was about to suggest that he had deserved his discomfort when Colin forestalled her.
    His expression had changed as he surveyed the still-pale, fragile-looking girl. He was remembering how she had come to be so ill, and berated himself yet again for being so careless with her well-being.
    Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he said quietly, "I am very sorry about what happened. I never meant for you to be more than slightly discomfited by being in the cell. Had I known you were so delicate . . ."
    "I am not delicate!" Roanna flared, outraged by the mere suggestion. Relenting a bit she realized his apology stemmed from genuine remorse. Much as she would have liked to see him suffer for his rough treatment of her, she could not allow him to take the blame for something that was in no way his fault
    "It's just that I had been ill for a while and should not have gone out yesterday. I thought I was completely recovered, but now it seems that wasn't the case." Reluctantly, she admitted, "I probably would have gotten sick again no matter where I was."
    Colin looked at her for what seemed like a long time before he murmured, "You are very generous. I could have gone on thinking it was my fault"
    "Well, it wasn't so stop worrying about it"
    "I intend to," he agreed, recovering what she had already come to think of as his usual self-assurance. "However, I shall not forget your foolishness in going out too soon. Perhaps your kin have no control over you, but here things will be different" Ominously, he added, "You will do exactly as you are told, including staying in this bed until I say you may leave it"
    A dozen angry responses sprang to mind, but for once in her life she had the sense to keep silent Common sense warned that Colin Algerson was not a man to push very far. Her brother and sister-in-law, who loved her, were susceptible to her whims. But this man .. .
    Biting her lip, Roanna realized that she had come around once again to wondering what it would be like to be loved by him. Damn him! He had no right to slip into her very thoughts and make a mockery of her self-control.
    Glaring at him, she became