Scarlet Woman by Shelley Munro Page A

of fun.
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    Shelley Munro
    “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.
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    Scarlet Woman
    “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.”