Embracing Silence Read Free Page B

his arms.
    She shivered and he frowned. Her hair was damp and so was her clothing. He worried she might be cold. His frown deepened.
    Why the hell should he care if she was cold? She’d been following him, tracking him for weeks. His sole purpose in capturing her was to find out who she was and what she wanted. The fact that his tracker was a woman didn’t matter. Shouldn’t matter. Yet somehow it did.
    Her breath feathered his cheek, a light caresses. Every muscle in his body tightened and his cock jumped. Rock hard now, it strained for release. He ignored his body’s reaction, concentrating on the job at hand.
    The basement room was dark, an interior room with no windows. He needed to put his captive down long enough to light a candle. His arm muscles tightened at the thought of releasing his precious cargo.
    He growled at himself in displeasure. She didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was the information she could give him.
    Tienan forced himself to set her in the wooden chair he’d placed in the center of the room when he’d set it up as his interrogation chamber. She mumbled and slumped to one side. Grabbing the arm restraints, he cuffed her wrists to the arms of the chair. A belt encircled her waist and he pulled the loops behind the chair, tightening it to keep her upright.
    His fingers stroked her hair, an automatic gesture that made him curse. He jerked his hand away, rubbing his palm against his thighs, trying to erase the softness he’d felt. Turning to the small table behind him, he struck a match and lit a candle, one of several he’d liberated from a camp several nights ago. The candle flared to life before settling down to a slow, steady burn. Taking a deep breath, Tienan faced the woman in the chair. She’d been his nemesis these past weeks.
    She was about five-foot-seven and very slender. Her legs were long. Hair as dark as his own was cut short and shaggy. It had little style and looked as though she hacked at it with a pair of scissors whenever it got too long. For some reason the image of her standing with a pair of shears or a knife, cutting off whatever hair was in her way, made him smile.
    Her heart-shaped face was ordinary, her cheekbones high, her skin pale. Her nose was straight, her lips full. She wasn’t beautiful by any means, but for some reason his heart beat faster just watching her.
    There was something about her.
    Cocking his head to one side, he studied her. He knew she was smart and tenacious. She’d been tracking him for weeks, picking up his trail again days after she’d lost him. He was curious as to how she’d managed that. He was very good at evading, but she seemed to always be on his tail.
    Crossing his arms over his chest, he leaned against the table and watched her breasts rise and fall with each breath she took. She was still wearing her jacket, but it was wide open, exposing the black T-shirt beneath. Although her shirt was dark, where it was damp, it clung to her like a second skin, outlining her breasts. The mounds were small but well-shaped, her nipples pressed against the soft fabric.
    Frowning, he stepped away from the table and went to crouch at her feet. He’d been so taken with just looking at her, he’d forgotten to check her for weapons. Stupid! Just because she was a woman didn’t mean she wasn’t dangerous. In fact, it made her more so.
    Unlacing her boots, he found a short but deadly, three-inch blade tucked inside. Her ankles were so slender he could circle them with his hands. They seemed too feminine and delicate to be encased in combat boots. Tienan carefully retied the laces, not wanting her feet to get cold.
    Ignoring the voice in the back of his head that told him he was being ridiculous, he slowly slid his hands up her calves and then her thighs. Her legs were slender but muscular. Her hips flared out and then dipped in at her waist. Tienan plucked another knife from a sheath at her waistband.
    Dumping the weapons on the table, he