Part 19 (2/2)

Maggie huffed and squirmed. ”Please,” she said, stressing the word.

Pressing his lips into a grim line, Braden shook his head. ”Still it lacks sincerity.”

She froze and glared at him.

Braden bit back a laugh as he regarded her anger. If her amber gaze could kill, he would definitely be shredded by the malice she directed at him.

”If you don't get me out of this, Braden MacAllister, I swear I'll haunt you for an eternity.”

”Now,that could be frightening,” Sin said.

Or it could be a whole lot of fun.

Braden's gaze drifted back toward her bottom. A whole lot of fun, indeed.

Stifling the thought, Braden used his foot to move his pack out of his way, then leaned over to try and move the leaves from her back.

It didn't work.

Braden frowned as he looked more carefully at the limbs. ”This was a trap of some sort,” he said, noting the way the branch had been rigged to fall from behind Maggie.

”Probably some child wanting to trap another. You can tell it wasn't meant to hurt anyone, just pin them down for a bit,” Sin said as he examined it as well. ”Sort of like the ones we used on Kieran and Lochlan.”

Braden laughed at the memory.

”While you two admire the handiwork, would one of you please find a way to free me?”

”I'm working on it,” Braden said.

He moved to stand behind her so that he could pull the limb back in the direction from which it had swung.

It suddenly dawned on him what he'd have to do to free her. And in his gut, he knew she wasn't going to like it.

He, on the other hand...

Braden licked his lips in antic.i.p.ation.

”Maggie, my love, I'm going to have to get really close to you to free you.”

”I don't care what you have to do,” she said sharply. ”Just please do it and let me go.”

Braden dropped his gaze down to her hips as his hunger for her grew even more, as well as another part of him that stiffened and strained, begging for her softness.

Well, if that's the way she wants it...

He stood directly behind her, then had to lean forward, over her back, to pull the limb off her. As he did so, his painfully aroused groin made full contact with her bottom.

She gasped, then jerked her hips to where they collided fully with his swollen shaft. The action wrung a deep moan from him.

”This is a priceless sight,” Sin said from behind them. ”Should I leave you two alone?”

”Shut up, Sin,” they shouted in unison.

Braden struggled to breathe against the agonizing pain of his need for her. He had never wanted anything as badly as he wanted to take her right then and there.

Forcing himself to move, Braden pulled the limb away from her spine. Maggie scooted out from between him and the leaf-table lightning quick. Her face was the same color as her hair as she looked about at anythingother than him.

”Thank you,” she said.

”My pleasure,” Braden said before he thought better of it.

Her eyes flas.h.i.+ng, she met his gaze with fury smoldering in the amber depths. ”Onlyyou would take advantage of a woman in that position.”

There, she was wrong, and if he were the demon she thought him to be, he'd have done a whole lot more to her than just free her.

”I wasn't trying to take advantage of you. I was simply trying to get you out as quickly as possible.”

”Oh, I'm certain of that.” Her sarcasm made a mockery of Braden's even tone as she tugged her plaid back down to her knees.

”Well,” Sin interjected, ”while the two of you catch up on insults, I'm going to scout us a place to sleep.”

Sin quickly vanished into the trees.

Maggie glared while Braden fought down the smile he knew would only anger her more.

The air between them was rife with awkwardness. An awkwardness Braden didn't like.

As far back as he could remember, there had always been the easiness of friends.h.i.+p between them, and he didn't like the sudden change in her demeanor.

”Did you get hurt?” he asked.

The anger dimmed a bit as she shook her head. ”I'm uncertain how I fell. I'm usually very surefooted.”

”Well, even the best of us occasionally falls into the wrong trap.”

She looked down as if his words triggered something in her memory; then, unexpectedly, she smiled.

He delighted in the change it made in her. Her eyes glowed warmly as her entire face lit up. The la.s.s was beautiful when she smiled.

”What?” Braden asked, wondering what had brought about this sudden change.

”I was just remembering another trap.”

”The one where I goosed you at the cave?” Braden asked.

She frowned for a second, until she recalled the event, then she gave a short laugh. ”Nay, I was thinking of the trap you mentioned earlier when Nera, Mairi, and the others ambushed you on the way to my house.”

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