then." She came to her feet again. "So why would ye be wanting tae marry me at all since ye've got this thorn stuck so deep in yer pompous arse?"
"Watch your lan guage," he warned as he stood. "We've been through this before. What I want to know is why you left the shop when I gave you strict orders to stay put?"
Kristen laughed. "Have ye not noticed that I don't take orders very well? Ye need tae get that through yer thick head."
Trevor took a step toward her. "You'll do well to follow my orders because the consequences could become severe," he warned. "Leaving the shop was a very foolish thing for you to do. You could have been killed in that part of town, dressed as you were."
" 'Twas not dangerous at all. I know those streets like the back of me hand." She held her hand up to emphasize her point. "But what I dinna expect was for Da tae show up."
Trevor folded his arms across his chest. "Tell me about him."
" 'Tisn't much tae say." Her voice seemed cold. Then she pressed her lips together in anger as she added, "He's a good-for-nothing as I'm sure ye've noticed and he was mean tae my mother. I want nothing more tae do with him ever again."
Trevor's shuttered expression suggested he was holding his emotions in check, and a muscle twitched in his cheek. "You won't have to worry about that, I promise. Did he beat you?"
"Aye." She nodded. "He did until about eight months ago when I took Hagan and ran away."
"Why didn't you leave sooner?"
"And go where?" she asked indignantly. "I had no money. No home. No family. Not everyone lives like ye do."
"What changed?" Trevor wasn't sure he wanted the answer, but for some reason he had to know. He didn't want to think what horror had prompted her to run. God, had she been selling herself on the street?
".'Twasn't what ye think." Kristen answered stiffly as she lifted a brow at him. "I lifted a hefty purse." The corner of her mouth twitched.
Trevor relaxed with relief. On top of that, he felt a little guilty for thinking the worse. But her past wasn't the issue. What had happened earlier was. "What was so important that you couldn't wait for me to take you back to where you lived?"
Kristen tried to move past him, but he blocked her with his stiff arm. "I'd rather not say."
Trevor turned her back around to him and tilted her chin up so he could see her eyes. He seemed to be getting good at reading her thoughts. "I would rather that you did." He stood her in front of him, holding her lightly by the upper arms.
"I--I don't care a twit what ye'd rather."
"Kristen!" His grip tightened. "Have I treated you so badly that you can't trust me with a simple answer?"
"Nay," she said, shrugging him off. He hadn't treated her badly at all. So far he had rescued her and Hagan, fed them, and now clothed them, and she felt guilty. "I--I didn't want ye tae see the filth I lived in before."
Trevor recognized the pride in her eyes, and something inside him twisted. "Kristen." This time her name was a whisper, a caress, on his lips. He rubbed his thumb across her chin. Her skin felt like silk, and she was so incredibly beautiful he wanted to do more than just touch her. This woman was so unpredictable and unspoiled that she attracted him more than any of the sophisticated, flirtatious women he'd known.
"Ye getting off the topic," she whispered.
"I know." His lips brushed hers. "But for some strange reason I like doing this."
"Aye, ye do." She breathed softly and closed her eyes as he pulled her closer.
"There is something about you--" Trevor's mouth pressed, feathering kisses across her cheeks, cutting off the rest of his words. Kristen felt so comfortable, so right, in his arms, yet he couldn't explain why. He'd held many women before and then calmly shoved them away when he became disinterested. Why was this small, stubborn woman different from the rest?
He kissed her again, his touch confident, sure. The kiss exploded into an intoxicating drug. What surprised
"Watch your lan guage," he warned as he stood. "We've been through this before. What I want to know is why you left the shop when I gave you strict orders to stay put?"
Kristen laughed. "Have ye not noticed that I don't take orders very well? Ye need tae get that through yer thick head."
Trevor took a step toward her. "You'll do well to follow my orders because the consequences could become severe," he warned. "Leaving the shop was a very foolish thing for you to do. You could have been killed in that part of town, dressed as you were."
" 'Twas not dangerous at all. I know those streets like the back of me hand." She held her hand up to emphasize her point. "But what I dinna expect was for Da tae show up."
Trevor folded his arms across his chest. "Tell me about him."
" 'Tisn't much tae say." Her voice seemed cold. Then she pressed her lips together in anger as she added, "He's a good-for-nothing as I'm sure ye've noticed and he was mean tae my mother. I want nothing more tae do with him ever again."
Trevor's shuttered expression suggested he was holding his emotions in check, and a muscle twitched in his cheek. "You won't have to worry about that, I promise. Did he beat you?"
"Aye." She nodded. "He did until about eight months ago when I took Hagan and ran away."
"Why didn't you leave sooner?"
"And go where?" she asked indignantly. "I had no money. No home. No family. Not everyone lives like ye do."
"What changed?" Trevor wasn't sure he wanted the answer, but for some reason he had to know. He didn't want to think what horror had prompted her to run. God, had she been selling herself on the street?
".'Twasn't what ye think." Kristen answered stiffly as she lifted a brow at him. "I lifted a hefty purse." The corner of her mouth twitched.
Trevor relaxed with relief. On top of that, he felt a little guilty for thinking the worse. But her past wasn't the issue. What had happened earlier was. "What was so important that you couldn't wait for me to take you back to where you lived?"
Kristen tried to move past him, but he blocked her with his stiff arm. "I'd rather not say."
Trevor turned her back around to him and tilted her chin up so he could see her eyes. He seemed to be getting good at reading her thoughts. "I would rather that you did." He stood her in front of him, holding her lightly by the upper arms.
"I--I don't care a twit what ye'd rather."
"Kristen!" His grip tightened. "Have I treated you so badly that you can't trust me with a simple answer?"
"Nay," she said, shrugging him off. He hadn't treated her badly at all. So far he had rescued her and Hagan, fed them, and now clothed them, and she felt guilty. "I--I didn't want ye tae see the filth I lived in before."
Trevor recognized the pride in her eyes, and something inside him twisted. "Kristen." This time her name was a whisper, a caress, on his lips. He rubbed his thumb across her chin. Her skin felt like silk, and she was so incredibly beautiful he wanted to do more than just touch her. This woman was so unpredictable and unspoiled that she attracted him more than any of the sophisticated, flirtatious women he'd known.
"Ye getting off the topic," she whispered.
"I know." His lips brushed hers. "But for some strange reason I like doing this."
"Aye, ye do." She breathed softly and closed her eyes as he pulled her closer.
"There is something about you--" Trevor's mouth pressed, feathering kisses across her cheeks, cutting off the rest of his words. Kristen felt so comfortable, so right, in his arms, yet he couldn't explain why. He'd held many women before and then calmly shoved them away when he became disinterested. Why was this small, stubborn woman different from the rest?
He kissed her again, his touch confident, sure. The kiss exploded into an intoxicating drug. What surprised
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