Chapter 11

But for an instant, when his gaze caught the proud line of her jaw, the flex of the muscle in her arm as she kept the pressure against the rag steady, Gideon wondered what it would be like to take Mary to bed for more than a bite. She was the first person to stand up to him in a very long time, and while her body occasionally betrayed a trace of anxiety, she didn’t fear him. It should have pissed him off. He’d worked a long time for his notoriety.

Instead, it made him want to see just how far he could actually push her. Whether it was possible for the indomitable Mary Straughn to break at all.

Slowly, Gideon lifted his hand, watching her carefully as he placed it over hers. Her fingers were long and slim, nearly matching his in length if not breadth, and he molded over them as if to help in the first aid.

“You know,” he said, keeping his voice low and intimate, “I think this might be the first time getting staked wasn’t such a bad thing after all.”