Sin gave a short, half laugh. “Remind me to take you along on my next siege, little brother. I like the way your mind works. However, if we poison the men, then we’ll have the women out to kill us for the deed.”
“He’s right about that,” Braden concurred. “After all, they’re hiding in here to protect their men.”
Silence settled between them as each tried to think of something to end the stalemate.
“I’m afraid we have no recourse.” Sin met Braden’s gaze. “You’ll just have to complete what you started. Seduce Maggie.”
How simple that sounded. If it were anyone other than she, Braden had no doubt of his success. But at the moment, her seduction was nearly out of the question. “It’s not quite so simple a matter anymore.”
“How so?”
Braden sighed. “You realize that if I continue pursuing her after she told me she’s doing this to protect her brothers, she will think I’m a total monkey’s arse for it.”
Sin arched a brow at him. “Are you telling me you’ve never seduced a woman who thought you were a monkey’s arse?”
“Nay.” Braden was aghast at the very idea of what Sin intimated. “Women love me.”
“Lucky you,” Sin said drily. “Most of us have to work for our bedmates.”
Braden gave him a droll look. “I’m not most men and you’re not amusing.”
“Actually, I am, but that’s another conversation. Right now, we must stay focused. You work on seducing Maggie, and I shall see if there’s a way to get Lochlan out alive.”
“Let me help,” Ewan said.
Sin shook his head. “You’re too large to skulk about. They’d see you in an instant.”
Braden nodded his agreement. “He’s right about that. You’d end up bumping your head or if you had to hide, you’d never get all your body parts into a single nook or cranny.”
“I’m barely an inch taller than Sin.”
“Aye,” Sin said, “but I’ve had a lot more practice at being deceptive than you have.”
“Fine then.” Ewan looked at Sin. “You go skulk, I’ll repair the roof, and Braden gets to have all the fun.”
“Doesn’t this remind you of childhood?” Sin asked sardonically.
Braden snorted. “All except for Lochlan being tied up.”
Sin arched both his brows.
“On second thought,” Braden said, finally smiling, “we did do that to him a time or two, didn’t we?”
“Just a time or two.” Sin started away from them.
When Sin reached the door of the kirk, he paused in the doorway and gave Braden a meaningful stare. “Braden, don’t disappoint me.”
“Braden, I am so disappointed in you!” Maggie snapped as she glared at him. His lewd proposition rang in her ears. Surely, the man had gone daft.
But worse than his casual invitation to spend the night in his bed, was the fact that in her heart she really wanted to accept that which was unacceptable.
How could her heart want something her head knew was wrong and impossible?
Confused and hurt at herself for her conflicted feelings, she lashed out at the source of it all …Braden.
Why on earth had she thought, for even an instant, that he might be the one to help her?
He’d help her all right. But only if the helping involved a little tupping. To the devil with that. She didn’t care if he was the most handsome man in the world, or even that she was, if she dared admit it, attracted to him. Physically, at least.
