Seduced by a Spy by Andrea Pickens Page B

bedraggled lock from her cheek, reluctant to admit that his dry humor was rather amusing. “I’m not much in the mood for it.”
    Orlov looked around the cramped confines of the cabin. “Forgive me. It appears my unexpected presence aboard this ship has created an uncomfortable situation for you.”
    “You keep turning up where you are least wanted, Mr. Orlov. Which begs the question of how you came to pick such an isolated fortress as the target for your thievery.”
    His gaze shuttered. “I had heard that O’Malley was hiding some special treasures. As you see, I wasn’t wrong.”
    “You nearly paid dearly for them.”
    “Great reward does not come without great risk.”
    She was not about to let his glib parry deflect her probing for answers. “True. Nonetheless, it is quite strange that you somehow appear, as if by magic, at places whose treasures are not common knowledge.”
    He turned to the shadows. “Not really. I make it my business to know about such opportunities.”
    “What business is that, Mr. Orlov?”
    “Like you,
golub
, I have my secrets.”
    “It’s no secret that you are a thief. And word has it you make an obscene profit selling your ill-gotten gains.”
    Orlov contrived to look injured. “The Earl of Kirtland got a bargain. He would have paid a great deal more had the books you speak of actually come up for auction.”
    “They were not yours to sell.”
    “Let us not haggle over the fine points of morality. I could have sold them for far more money to another collector.”
    “Why didn’t you?”
    “Am I being subjected to an interrogation?” His eyes followed her movements as she took up a small knife. “Or perhaps an Inquisition.”
    “The bandage must be changed regularly to avoid infection.” Shannon started to cut away the linen, trying hard not to touch his bare flesh. That his pithy retorts were every bit as appealing as his sculpted muscles was a fact she wished to keep under wraps.
    He seemed to sense her discomfort and smiled. “How churlish of me to make light of your patience and kindness. You are truly an angel of mercy,
golub
. I pray that at some point, I may return the favor.”
    “God, I devoutly hope not.” Lapsing into a surly silence, Shannon hurriedly applied a fresh dusting of basilicum powder and snugged a new length of linen around the wound.
    Whether or not the Almighty heard her implied prayer, a soft rap on the door signaled that her daily reprieve from the cramped quarters—and the Russian’s company—was at hand.
    “Now, if you will excuse me, I need a breath of fresh air.”

Chapter Five
    “Stop squirming, sir. You are not strong enough to sit up.”
    His fever had broken during the night, and Orlov was already chafing to escape his sickbed. “Care to test that assumption,
golub
?”
    “It would hardly be a fair fight,” she snapped. “Perhaps when you are at full strength.”
    “Is that a challenge?” He couldn’t resist provoking her. With her color up and her eyes ablaze, she looked even more alluring.
    “Take it as you will…” Shannon looked away. “With any luck, we won’t have any more of these chance encounters. It is not healthy.” She flexed her wrist. “For either of us.”
    “I
did
apologize for our past encounter,” he murmured.
    “Quite handsomely,” she conceded. “But be that as it may, you can’t deny that sparks fly when we rub together.” Turning back to small chart table, she resumed her writing.
    The lamplight moved in a rhythmic dance across her profile. Though his head was still muzzy and his shoulder ached abominably, he held off from closing his eyes in order to study her features. It was, he realized, the first time he had had the chance to observe her at any leisure. Up until now, he had only seen her in violent action—a blur of spinning limbs and flashing steel.
    In studious repose, her features were sharp cut, strong, yet surprisingly delicate. Like fine porcelain, her face had a luminous