if his desire ran too hot.
For one brief moment, she contemplated using this fierce passion against him, trying to turn possible defeat into a weapon. Then she told herself not to be such a complete idiot. That sort of game required skill and knowledge, neither of which she had. Although she was not ignorant of what occurred between men and women and had even gathered a few facts from her brothers and cousins, she had not even kissed a man before this dark laird had captured her. A few practice kisses from her male cousins was the limit of her experience, and none of them had stoked a fire in her belly. Avery sighed and tried to get comfortable as she told herself to stay with her plan of hard resistance.
“If ye dinnae wish to sleep now, we could always return to our previous game,” drawled Cameron.
“I dinnae think so, fool,” she snapped. “I have a weak stomach.”
“Ye really should study your opponent more closely ere ye whet your tongue on his hide.”
“Is that a threat?”
“It could be.”
“My, I am all a-tremble.”
“Dinnae push me too hard, lass.”
“Or what? Ye will hurt me?” She glared over her shoulder at him, a little pleased to catch the brief look of consternation on his face before he could hide it. “Ye have chained me, insulted my clan, and plan to dishonor me in some misguided attempt to avengeyourself against my brother. Pardon me if further threats and growls now fail to move me.”
Cameron stared at her straight, slender back. There really was nothing he could say to that hard truth, so he remained silent. As he closed his eyes, he decided he was going to have to think of some new way to intimidate the woman. He would give some long, hard thought to some more creative and alarming threats first thing in the morning.
Chapter Three
“Avery!”
Gillyanne’s call was enough to distract Avery from glaring at Cameron’s broad back as he walked away from her. Although she was pleased to see her little cousin so obviously hale and unafraid, it only lessened her fury a little. For two days she had been chained to the bed, and now she was tied around the wrists and lashed to his saddle. If this was how she was to be treated, by the time she got to Scotland she would probably not care if her clan came to Cairnmoor and slaughtered every last MacAlpin there. In fact, she would probably cheer them on.
“Ye are weel, Gillyanne?” she asked her cousin, pleased to see the way Gillyanne glared at the ropes, then turned that look of fury upon Cameron. Even though the girl was too young and too small to help, it was nice to have someone on her side.
“Aye,” Gillyanne replied. “The women coddle me, although they wouldnae let me come to see you ere now. I think they would do almost anything for me save go against Sir Cameron’s orders. The men, too. Although none have said so directly to me, I did chance to overhear a few mutterings which revealed not all of his lairdship’s people agree with his plan. They are all verra keen to make Payton suffer, however.”
“He didnae do it.”
“Ye need not plead his innocence to me. I ken it. He was one of the few amongst our cousins and brothers who would ne’er e’en redden our backsides no matter how we lasses tormented him. A mon who willnae e’en do that when ye fill his fine boots with pig dung isnae a mon who would hurt any woman.”
Avery grinned. “So that was you, was it?”
“Aye, his teasing had made me verra angry that day.” She briefly shared a laugh with Avery, then scowled at the rope around Avery’s slender wrists. “How fare you?”
“Weel enough. This enrages me,” Avery nodded at her bonds, “but see how he has wrapped silk about my wrists beneath the rope? For all his black looks and growling, ’tis clear he will do his best not to really hurt me.”
“He means to seduce and shame you.”
“Aye, there is that. He hasnae done so yet, if that is what troubles you.”
“It did. Weel, all ye have