And heaven help her, but she wanted him more than she ever had before.
Just as she was certain she could stand no more, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. A chill of foreboding ran down her spine.
Someone was watching them. She was sure of it.
Half expecting to find the thieves, Maggie looked up to see an attractive girl of about a score of years, watching the three of them intently.
When the girl realized Maggie had noticed her, she smiled widely, displaying a full set of perfectly white teeth, and toyed with her long blonde braid, giving Maggie a come hither stare that would have made any man puff his chest out in prideful interest.
Damn her luck! The girl was more than just attractive, she was downright beautiful.
It was then the girl was joined by four more equally attractive lasses, ranging in age Maggie guessed from ten-and-three to just over a score of years.
Maggie went cold.
Oh bother, they were in trouble now. She knew the look on the lasses’ faces.
Man-hungry.
Maggie gulped in fear. The last thing she needed was for one of those lasses to come groping on her body and discover they had a lot more in common than any of the girls could suspect.
Worse, as Maggie looked at them, she knew without a doubt where Braden would be spending the night. And it surely wouldn’t be as her pillow.
Her sight dulling at the thought, Maggie grabbed the small stack of kindling and moved to pile it with the rest.
“Beg pardon…” The eldest lass brazenly approached them. Her light blonde hair shined even in the murky daylight, and her bodily proportions were the type Maggie’s brother’s often fantasized about. “Me sisters and I thought you might be wanting a drink.”
The girls giggled as they came forward to hand each of them a cup of ale. Maggie took the cup and quickly put a few feet between herself and the lass who had handed it to her.
The girl poked her lips out in an obviously practiced pout, but Maggie couldn’t care less as she turned her attention toward Braden.
He took a cup from the eldest. The buxom lass rested her hip against the stump nearest Braden as she fondled the axe handle in a suggestive manner, and stared hungrily up at him.
“I was just telling me sisters how nice it is to have such strong...” The blonde’s gaze dipped to Braden’s chest where his saffron shirt was damp with perspiration. “...Men around to help with chores.”
Braden’s eyes darkened speculatively and worse, he smiled. “And what be your name?”
“Tara,” she said, purring her name.
Maggie had the sudden urge to wrench every strand of blond hair from the young woman’s head.
“I’m making a special hotchpotch tonight, just for you.” Tara reached out to touch Braden’s chest.
Braden cast a quick glance at Maggie who glared at him with the full weight of her displeasure.
The smile faded from his lips, and then he removed Tara’s hand from his chest. “I’m sure we’ll enjoy it.”
Still, Maggie’s heart ached as she wondered if he’d have bothered removing Tara’s hand if she weren’t standing right there, watching them.
Tara pulled her hand back to rub it slowly along her collarbone as she trailed her gaze over Braden’s body, pausing it briefly at the area where his thighs met.
“I’m sure you’ll enjoy it,” she said, her voice conveying a thick double entendre.
Maggie turned her back on the two of them, unable to stand any more.
Let him have the harlot. Maggie had more important things to do, like gather up this stupid firewood so that she and Sin could have a roof over their heads while Braden gallivanted with that strumpet.
Maggie dumped the kindling in her arms, loudly, then turned to gather more.
