drives… much like an animal.”
He cocked one eyebrow. “And that a woman doesn’t?”
“She implied that there were women who did, but that they were unnatural creatures, given to bringing scandal and ruin upon their families. She also explained in rather excruciating detail what would be expected of me if I was to provide the earl with an heir.”
The sparkle in Jamie’s eyes hardened to a dangerous glitter. “And you assumed I would be expecting the same thing from you.” It was not a question.
“From what your man said, you’d be more likely to demand than expect.” Even though it was one of the hardest things she’d ever done in her life, she forced herself to hold his direct gaze. “Or to simply take what you wanted without begging my leave.”
His rugged jaw tightened, that subtle motion only hinting at the dark things that could pass between a man and a woman when she was forced to rely upon his mercy. “As long as Hepburn gives me what I want, you’ve naught to fear. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” He paused for the space of a heartbeat. “Including me.”
She gazed at his outstretched hand, still torn. All she had to do was stand and stretch out her own arm to seize his offer of salvation.
She had no reason to trust him. He was a scoundrel and a thief. He could be lying through his teeth. Her gaze darted to the dizzying drop below. If she were a true lady, she would fling herself upon the rocks rather than risk being defiled by his hands.
Almost as if reading her mind, he said, “You’re forgetting one thing, lass. Your virtue is of nearly as much value to me as your life. The Hepburn isn’t going to pay me so much as one halfpenny for damaged goods.”
“What makes you think he’ll still want me? How can he not consider me damaged after you and your band of not-so-merry men have dragged me halfway to Hades without the benefit of any sort of chaperone?”
“Oh, he’ll still want you,” Jamie said grimly, “if only to prove a Sinclair didn’t get the best of him. Knowing the Hepburn, he’ll probably insist his own personal physician examine you to prove you’re still worthy to be his bride.”
As the full import of his words sank in, a scorching blush drove the chill from Emma’s cheeks.
“Why, I wouldn’t put it past the auld buzzard to invite the wedding guests into his bedchamber to witness your deflowering or to hang a bluidy sheet out the window the next morning just as the Hepburn lairds of auld used to do.”
“Stop it!” Emma shouted. “Stop trying to make a kindly old man out to be a monster when you’re the true villain! For all I know, you’re lying about everything, including what you plan to do to me if I trust you enough to give you my hand!”
“What if I am?”
The deadly calm of his tone cut right through her agitation.
A taunting sneer curled his lips. “What if I am lying to you? Have you so little spirit that you’re willing to die to preserve your precious virtue?” Even though Emma suspected he was deliberately trying to goad her into action, she was still mesmerized by the cruel cant of those sensual lips. “You set a very high price on yourself, don’t you, lass? Why don’t you come up here and show me whether or not you’re worth it?”
Keeping her furious gaze locked on his face, Emma began to inch her way to her feet, her back still pressed to the stony wall behind her. As the subtle shift of her weight sent a fresh shower of rubble dancing its way down the side of the cliff, she squeezed her eyes shut against a rush of paralyzing vertigo.
“Damnit to bluidy hell, woman, take my hand!” Jamie’s voice deepened on a beseeching note. “Please…”
It wasn’t his roared command but that raw plea that finally swayed her.
She swung her arm upward and slapped her hand into his broad palm, choosing life, choosing him. His fingers closed around her slender wrist with the force of a vise. As the narrow ledge beneath her feet broke away from its stony mooring and went tumbling into the gorge below, Jamie hauled her up and into his waiting arms.
Chapter Six
JAMIE ROSE AND STAGGERED backward, dragging them both away from the edge of the bluff. As the last echo of the shelf tumbling into the gorge died, reminding her