Seconds later, it joined the others.
She pointed to the fire poker set. "And those, of course. You wouldn"t believe the noise I could make with iron."
Without a second"s delay, they joined the tumbled, splintered pile in the courtyard.
"Anything else?" he asked grimly.
"Oh, I"m sure I"ll find something." She gave him a brilliantly smug smile, her anger hidden behind her teeth. "I don"t cry quit simply because someone else cannot keep their temper."
For one second, she feared she"d gone too far, for his mouth thinned in a most ominous way. Instead, he turned on his heel and emptied out the remainder of movable furniture, tossing each item one at a time out the window. When he was done, nothing was left in the room other than a large wardrobe, the ma.s.sive bed, and the heavy, marble-topped dressing table.
Mary looked about the nearly empty room. "That was certainly dramatic."
His gaze narrowed, as she shrugged. "It may be a bit late to mention this, but I suppose you couldn"t have had the furniture removed and stored, rather than destroying it?"
"I could, but it wouldn"t have made my point."
"Your point being that you"ve a horrid temper and can act like a complete and utter a.s.s? Yes, I"d say you"ve made your point quite well."
He was across the room so quickly that she didn"t have time to do more than suck in her breath. He glared down at her, his broad shoulders blocking all of the light from the windows, and she was once again astounded at his size.
His deep voice roiled across her like the hot lick of flames. "Listen to me well: I will not brook insolence. You will do as you"re told. Until Mr. Young confirms your ident.i.ty, you will remain here, in this room, and behave yourself. If you don"t, then you won"t have even the luxuries you have now. Am I understood?"
She straightened her shoulders and tilted her head back to stare up into his haughty face. "Even if you take all of the furnishings and toss them out the window and remove me from this room and lock me away in the-the-the stables, I will do what I must to make certain you are every bit as miserable as I. Am I understood?"
Angus had never been so furious in his entire life. This woman, this impostor, who"d dared come to his home to steal an object entrusted to him by one of the few men he deemed a friend, did not deserve even the kindnesses he had bestowed upon her-a luxurious bedchamber with her maid in attendance. Why, he"d even left his own comfortable bedchamber for the smaller one adjacent to this to make certain she was safe!
Yet the chit showed no grat.i.tude and actively attempted to irk him. Well, she"d succeeded.
He knew some of his anger had to do with being awakened from a rare, deep sleep, but more of it was because she refused to be bent to his will. He wasn"t used to that, and he"d be d.a.m.ned if he"d start now.
Even now she glared up at him as if unafraid and unmoved by his fury. Yet she lied, and he knew it. Her modestly covered chest-temptingly generous-rose and fell quickly, straining at her pale blue gown. Her sherry-colored eyes were slightly dilated, her lips parted, her creamy skin flushed.
Every word she uttered was a deliberate challenge. Well, the chit was about to get what she so desperately desired: an answer for her impertinence.
He grasped her to him, lifted her off her feet, and pulled her curvaceous figure against him. He had intended to simply hold her there until she begged to be released, but once he felt her warm skin beneath his hands, the pressure of her generous b.r.e.a.s.t.s upon his chest, the excited gasp from her parted lips, suddenly holding her wasn"t nearly enough.
He bent his head and kissed her, pouring all of his discontent, fury, and heated desire into it.
The instant his mouth closed over hers, he realized his mistake. His anger fled before an onslaught of pure, red-hot l.u.s.t. He forgot why he was mad, why she was locked here in this room, forgot everything but the blinding sensuality of her soft curves pressed against him while her lavender scent engulfed him like a velvet prison.
She froze for a second, then she, too, was lost in the heat that flared between them. He could feel the thunder of her heart as it merged with his, the desperation of her hands as they grasped his coat.
He cupped her to him, lifting her higher until her arms wrapped about his neck. She moaned against his mouth, opening her lips beneath his, desperately seeking.
He was vaguely surprised at her boldness, yet her response answered his own pa.s.sion so clearly that he didn"t question it, but welcomed and encouraged it. He teased her lips farther apart and deepened the kiss, holding her firmly to him, no longer thinking-just feeling, enjoying, tasting and touching and stroking. His hands never stilled, but molded her to him, cupping her rounded a.s.s, sliding up her sides to find her generous b.r.e.a.s.t.s and- A shout rose through the open window as a servant found the pile of broken furniture. Recalled to his senses, Angus reluctantly broke the kiss and slid Mary to the floor.
Her eyes were still closed, her lips still parted as she panted, her hands bunched about his lapels as if she might fall if she released them.
The sight relaxed him. He might be flushed with pa.s.sion, but she was utterly overcome.
The thought soothed his irritation as nothing else had, and he felt a sense of self-satisfaction as he gently released his hold.
Her eyes fluttered open and she gazed up at him in bemused amazement, her mouth temptingly swollen from his kiss. For a wild, impulsive moment he considered kissing her again, but reason returned.
He stepped away and her hands fell from his lapels. "There." He had to clear his throat from the husky pa.s.sion that still gripped him. "Let that be a lesson to you not to try my temper."
She blinked and opened her mouth as if to say something, but no words tumbled from her parted lips.
Ha! He might have a husky voice, but she was rendered speechless by a mere kiss.
Smirking, he went to the window and closed it. Then he strode to the door, pausing to look back.
She still stood in the center of the almost-empty room. As he watched, she pressed a hand to her lips as if they still tingled from his kiss. Even more interesting, she made no move to argue with him-not a single word or look turned his way.
That was more like it. Though the kiss had affected him more than he"d wished, he was no slave to it as she was. He, therefore, was stronger than she.
Now I know how to stop her. He gave her a mocking bow. "Good day, Miss Hurst. I shall send your maid to you. If you maintain your decorum for the rest of the day, I shall send in a chair with your dinner so that you may have some comfort, though it will be removed once you finish. In the meantime, I believe I shall go for my morning ride."
Satisfied and feeling magnanimous, he left, closing the door behind him.
ALSO BY KAREN HAWKINS.
THE HURST AMULET SERIES.
One Night in Scotland.
THE MACLEAN CURSE SERIES.
How to Abduct a Highland Lord.
To Scotland, With Love.
To Catch a Highlander.
Sleepless in Scotland.
The Laird Who Loved Me.
PREQUEL TO THE HURST AMULET.
AND MACLEAN CURSE SERIES.
Much Ado About Marriage.
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE.
Talk of the Town.
Lois Lane Tells All.