Scarlet Woman

by Shelley Munro

  “What have you done with my friend? Where is she?” Maggie demanded.

  “I haven’t done anything with her.” Saber’s voice held a hint of amused arrogance.

  That wasn’t true, Emily thought, chewing on her bottom lip. Each time she moved, she felt the pull of well-used muscles. And his erection pressing against her had woken her libido so much that she wanted him again. Her pulse hummed in sexual awareness. But he’d done more than make love to her. He’d changed the way she thought about herself. The words Michael had screamed at her weren’t true. She was capable of attracting a man. A smug grin curved her lips when his cock twitched. And keeping his attention.

  “She’s in that bed with you, isn’t she?” Maggie snapped. “I’m not stupid. I can see there are two bodies in that bed.”

  “I love an intelligent woman,” one of Saber’s brothers said.

  “Me too,” another agreed. “A brain is a sexy thing. I think I might be falling in love,” he added in a dramatic tone.

  “Oh, shut up!” Maggie snarled in a very Michael-like growl. Emily trembled, knowing in her gut that her friend was going to hate her when she found out. Maybe she’d just go away? Please let her go away.

  The sheet was yanked off the bed, leaving them both visible. Emily gasped in shock and tried to make herself small. Saber calmly replaced the sheet and tucked it around them.

  Sly walked up to Maggie, trying to divert her. “Why don’t we discuss this over coffee? Let Saber and Jo get dressed.”

  “I’ll be out in the kitchen,” the policeman said. “Doesn’t look like a crime scene to me.”

  Color surged to Emily’s cheeks and seeped down to her chest. One perfect night of passion. That’s all she’d wanted. But even that had gone awry, turning into a fiasco of gigantic and embarrassing proportions. It took two hands to count the number of people who had seen her naked this morning. She scrunched up, trying to make herself small.

  “I’m sorry I dragged you out here,” Maggie said in a stiff voice. Emily cringed at the dark glare her friend fired at her. “I can’t believe you’d treat Michael’s memory in this way. He’s barely cold in his grave. You’re just a…a slut!”

  “No, you don’t understand. Michael and I…” Emily trailed off when she saw Maggie had made up her mind. No matter what she said to excuse her actions, Maggie would think she’d lied and was besmirching Saint Michael’s memory. For all his selfishness, Michael had been a good brother to Maggie, giving his help and money when she’d needed it. Without any questions or recriminations either. It was no wonder Maggie had adored him and was upset with Emily’s wanton behavior.

  “Look at you. You’re sitting there naked in his arms with not a shred of shame.”

  “Your friend is here of her own free will,” the policeman said. “That’s all I need to know.”

  “So it would seem,” Maggie snapped.

  “That’s it. Everyone out,” Saber ordered.

  When Maggie turned to go, Emily leapt up and seized the sheet, dragging it off the bed and wrapping the cotton around her to cover her nakedness. “Listen to me, Maggie. Michael was leaving me on the morning he died. He was having an affair with his secretary.”

  “That’s a lie.” Maggie’s mouth twisted in an ugly sneer. “You’re despicable saying that when he’s not here to defend himself.”

  “No,” Emily said, her voice hard. “It’s the truth.”

  “Michael wouldn’t do that. You’re lying. God, I never thought you’d stoop so low. I thought you were my friend.” With a sob, Maggie turned and ran out.

  The room emptied like magic, leaving Emily alone with Saber. She couldn’t look at him, didn’t want to see his expression. All this mess because she’d wanted a single night of fun.

  “You can use the shower first,” Saber said. “I’ll find some clothes for you to wear.” He gave her a comforting squeeze that brought tears to her eyes. She didn’t want his sympathy. “Don’t worry, kitten. This will blow over.” A single tear rolled down her cheek and she hurriedly turned away. Pitiful. Emily wanted to burrow into his comforting embrace and stay there for weeks, for months. But this was a fantasy. Reality was an empty home in Dunedin and her best friend angry with her. She knew Maggie. She held a mean grudge.

  Saber directed her into the en suite and flicked on the shower. Shock had whisked all color from her cheeks and she was trembling. Tears looked imminent. He leaned over to touch his lips to hers, lingering for a long moment when she responded. His mind leapt immediately to sex. Making love. But he shoved his urgent need away, knowing this wasn’t the time, not with her friend out there waiting. After tugging the sheet from her body, he pushed her gently under the warm water. Once he was sure she was okay, he strode back into the bedroom and pulled out a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. He left them on the bed, then yanked on a pair of jeans and went to face his brothers.

  Felix saw him first. “Bro.” He smirked. “Why didn’t you tell us you were bringing the luscious Jo home with you?”

  “Yeah, we wouldn’t have barged in on you,” Leo said.

  They couldn’t fool him with their innocence. They’d known he’d had a woman in there with him. They would have picked up the scent of a stranger as soon as they entered the house. Saber rounded the battered wooden table in the middle of the large kitchen and wandered over to the coffeepot. He grabbed two mugs from the cupboard above the coffeemaker and set them down on the bench with a clunk. “Where’s the friend? Gone with Allan?” Perhaps he’d make some toast. Jo might be hungry. He pictured her tight, pinched face. Maybe not, but he needed something to do. Making toast was better than bashing his brothers.

  “Allan left to round up some stray stock. Joe and Sly offered to give Maggie a lift to the train station. Knowing them, they’ll probably talk her into letting them drive her to Dunedin. They both seemed to like her.” Felix shook his head. “There’s a brawl in the making, if ever I saw one. They have the same taste in women. Feisty and fleshy.”

  Saber gave an abrupt nod. His youngest brothers did everything together. They’d sort themselves out, though personally, he thought Maggie had the personality of a viper. The twins would find that out once they saw past the initial attraction. His eyes narrowed on Felix. “What the hell were you thinking? I could have had anyone in there.”

  “We knew it was Jo.” Leo ducked past Saber to stand behind the table before he smirked. “Recognized the flowers in the girly lotions and potions she smears over her skin. Same ones I smelled last night. And her pheromones. Very sexy. What’s she like?”

  “None of your damned business.” Saber took two steps before a soft chuckle jerked him from the red haze of fury. His brothers were jabbing at him on purpose, enjoying the situation. And when he thought about it, from their point of view, his hooking up with Jo probably was a bit like payback for all the stern lectures he’d delivered last week. He forced the edginess away and went back to the coffee pot. He filled both cups and picked one up to take a sip. The black coffee rush soothed his ruffled fur and eased the tension in his shoulders.

  “If you’re going to keep her, the truth has to come out at some stage. You can’t live a lie.” Felix took a sip of his coffee but kept watching him as though he was an interesting bug.

  “I’m going to ask her to stay, but I’m not going to spring the truth. Not unless she asks questions.”

  Felix’s brows rose. “Do you think that’s wise?”

  “I’ve no idea.” Saber felt a moment’s panic before he replied. “I wasn’t expecting to find a mate.”

  “You should hold onto her,” Leo said, his cheeky grin absent for once. “Keep her here no matter what it takes. Make her believe that staying here in Middlemarch with you is the only alternative.”

  Footsteps in the passage silenced them, and Saber took the opportunity to skew the conversation away from him. “What did you and Leo get up to? Meet anyone?”

  Leo snorted. “Nice try. We were talking about you and the luscious Joanna
.”

  “Morning, Joanna,” Felix said.

  Saber took in her appearance with possessive pride. His woman. His sweats dipped low on her hips. She’d turned up the legs so they were the right length for her while the worn T-shirt clung to her breasts. A sharp intake of breath reminded him his brothers were present. He turned to nail them with a warning glare. “Mine,” he snarled softly before he went to her and tugged her against his side.

  Saber touched her because he had to. His. Her pulse quickened beneath his fingers. Her body recognized they were right for each other even if she didn’t understand.

  “When does the train go? I need to go home.” Jo caught her bottom lip between her teeth.

  Her pale face called to him. Her eyes were red… “Your eyes are brown.”

  She shrugged, peering at him owlishly. “Contacts. The train? I have to explain to Maggie.”

  A tense silence enveloped the kitchen. Saber signaled his brothers with a jerk of his head. For once, they took the hint and faded from the room in total silence.

  “Perhaps you should give her time to cool down. Stay with me for a few days.”

  Joanna yanked from his touch. “Why?”

  Saber wanted to curse. This wasn’t going well. His vision of cozy families and steamy sex was a hundred miles away from this scenario. “We’re good together.”

  “In bed. It’s not as though we made promises of forever. It was about animal lust. Scratching an itch. Sex, dammit. That’s all.”

  Saber stared, speechless, his gut churning as he absorbed each verbal blow. “Maybe it is just sex,” he said finally. His mind railed at him, but he forced the words out knowing if he didn’t tread carefully, he’d lose her. She didn’t understand the connection between them. Not yet. “I’d really like you to spend a few days with me. We don’t need to have sex. We have plenty of spare bedrooms. You can take your pick.”

  “Why do you want me to stay if it’s not for sex?”

  Saber hated the suspicion he saw in her brown eyes. The vulnerability. Her husband had hurt her deeply. The fool. How the hell could he fight a ghost of the past? “We could be friends. A person can never have too many friends.” For a fleeting instant, he wished the shifters in his line hadn’t lost the power of subliminal suggestion. When he was a kitten, his mother had spun tales of their ancestors defeating their enemies with this extraordinary power. Saber concentrated hard on sending her a silent message despite knowing the decision had to come from Jo. He wanted her to stay so badly but didn’t have a clue of what to offer for incentive. They didn’t know each other well enough—that was the crux of the problem.

  Jo took a deep breath, her breasts rising and falling as the expression in her eyes turned hard and angry. “I might as well stay,” she muttered without warning. “Maggie will run blurting tales to her family.” She opened her mouth to say something else then closed it without speaking, a shimmer of pain reflecting in her eyes.

  “Great. There’s a spare bedroom right at the end of the passage. I’ll get Joyce, our home help, to make it ready for you.”

  “I’ll sleep with you,” Jo said with an irritable shrug of her shoulders. “I might as well since that’s what they’ll all be accusing me of. Among other things,” she added, her face set in a dark scowl.

  Saber nodded, trying to pull up relief. It was what he wanted so why didn’t he feel as though he’d won?

  Chapter Four

  Emily tried to stuff her anger back into the tight spot inside her chest where it had come from, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the expression on Maggie’s face. The distaste. The disappointment. The hostility. The hate Maggie had glared at her because she thought Emily was despoiling Michael’s memory. Maggie thought she was a slut and a liar. And it hurt badly.

  “I need to check on the sheep and shift the yearling cattle to another paddock with more grass. Do you want to come along?”

  “Why not?” Emily said, unable to suppress the bitterness from her tone. “It’s not as if I have anything else to do.” She glanced down at the borrowed clothes. “Is there something I can wear on my feet?”

  “I’ll find some boots for you.”

  Sudden trepidation hit Emily. What the heck was she doing agreeing to stay here? She needed to go back to Dunedin and talk to Maggie. “What am I saying? I can’t stay here. I have to go home to face this head-on instead of running away. Besides, I don’t have clothes with me.” Tears stung the back of her eyes and she blinked rapidly. She would not cry. Emily stared at her bare feet, her hands fisted at her sides. She imagined the expressions on her in-laws’ faces, the silent condemnation. Emily shuddered. She really didn’t want to go home either, but there was nowhere else to go.

  Emily scowled, immediately second-guessing her decision. Stay or go? Saber wasn’t ordering her to stay. He’d asked and she’d agreed. This was different from following Michael’s every decree. She’d only stay for a day or two. This was her choice. Free choice. Maggie… Shit, what a muddle.

  A wave of self-pity hit and her face crumpled. She swallowed, fighting the need to sob. All she’d really wanted was a man to hold her, to tell her she was beautiful. She’d wanted to get away from Michael’s taunts that echoed through her mind during each lonely night she spent on her own in their marriage bed. Emily hadn’t wanted to hurt anyone—her best friend and family. How could making love with Saber, something so beautiful, cause so many problems?

  “Don’t cry, kitten. It will be all right.” Saber’s arms came around her, holding her tight. “Maggie needs some time.”

  His kind words and consideration made the tears flow faster. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had held her like this, offering nothing but comfort. Emily relaxed against his broad chest and stopped worrying about the tears and what Saber might think. If he saw her at her worst and still wanted her to stay…well, she might begin to believe.

  Saber set her away from him and stroked a finger across one cheek. He smiled gently. “Come and sit at the table. Drink your coffee while I hunt up a coat for you to wear, some socks and a pair of boots.” His gaze lingered on her lips before he smiled. “You won’t need many clothes during your stay here.”

  Emily gaped. He propelled her across the tiled floor. She found herself sitting at the table with a mug of steaming coffee in front of her. Saber disappeared silently, leaving her alone and in shock. No clothes required. Sensual awareness shot to her core. A few words and he’d reduced her to a quivering mass of need. How did he do that when she was at such an emotional low?

  In desperate need of distraction, she studied her surroundings. The kitchen was spotlessly clean, probably the doing of the home help Saber had mentioned, but it also bore signs of its masculine occupants. A leather wallet and a pair of sunglasses sat on the table. A stack of unopened mail sat on the counter along with more farming magazines. Saber’s brothers must have eaten already since there were dirty dishes stacked near the sink. On the heels of this thought came another. Those cats she’d seen in the bedroom this morning…where were they now? Emily glanced over her shoulder and ducked her head to check underneath the wooden table, just in case she’d missed seeing their pets. Nothing lurked beneath. Thank goodness. They’d looked huge. Suddenly she wanted Saber to hurry back. She didn’t particularly like cats. Emily was more of a dog person or she would have been if Michael had let her have a pet.

  Saber reappeared as silently as he’d left. “Socks and a jacket. I found a pair of boots for you. They might be a bit big but they’ll do for now. We can buy you a few things in town if necessary.”

  “Thanks.” The gleam in his eyes made her very aware of her body, her sexual needs. Exactly the things that had landed her squarely in the middle of this mess in the first place. “I’m going to get a dog,” Emily said, in a bad attempt to change the focus of her thoughts. Concentrating on the row of potted herbs that sat on the sunny windowsill didn’t help her much either.

  Saber’s dark brows rose. “Really. What brou
ght on this momentous decision?”

  “Michael didn’t like dogs. He said he was allergic to them. How many dogs do you have here on the farm?”

  “We don’t have dogs. Would you like toast?” Saber opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bag of sliced bread. He removed two pieces and popped them into the toaster.

  “What happened to the cats that were inside before? They looked big.”

  Saber paused before continuing across the kitchen. He tugged open a cupboard and picked up two plates before turning back to her. “The cats are native to the area. The two you saw were raised by hand. They’re safe enough, but you shouldn’t approach them if I’m not with you.” Saber dropped onto the chair opposite her. “Promise me.” His eyes were strangely intent as if her safety was really important to him. “They’re wary of strangers. No telling how they’ll react.”

  “I promise,” Emily said, giving him a watery smile. “I’m not a big cat person.” She caught Saber’s scowl before the toaster popped up the toast and wondered at it. “Are these the cats that the reporter wants to write a story about?”

  “Yes.”

  Another thought occurred. “Is that why you want to keep me here? To make sure I don’t talk?”

  “No.” Saber slapped the toast on a plate hard enough that one slice bounced off and hit the floor. He turned a glare on her. “I wanted to spend time with you. No other reason.”

  That’s what he says now. Michael had said the same thing at the beginning, before he’d become so domineering and indifferent to her feelings. Emily swallowed audibly. Trust was such a difficult thing. Fragile. And even more difficult for her after Michael had trampled over everything they’d had together. She’d lived a lie and hadn’t even known! It was going to be difficult, maybe impossible, to trust another man. She’d always wonder. Worry…