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Then a dazed sense of awareness bolted through her brain, and her eyes flew open. An arm was wrapped around her body, holding her against an obviously masculine chest.
Panic flooded her veins as she struggled to remember where she was, and with whom. If not for the heavy leg flung across her lower extremities, she would have shot up in an instant.
Get out of the bed, you idiot.
Donella was about to push the man away when a quiet snore sounded in her ear. She’d heard that sound before, although not in such close proximity. The arms that held her belonged to Logan Kendrick and she was snuggled under his coat, doing her best not to freeze to death. When she’d dropped off last night, too exhausted to fight the anxiety of sharing a bed with him, he’d held her with careful courtesy, trying to preserve her modesty.
Now, they were plastered together, and she could feel everything from stem to stern, including . . .
Good. God.
With that particular appendage nudging against her backside, freezing to death was no longer a problem. In fact, heat flamed across her skin like a raging fire, and she wondered if one could spontaneously combust from embarrassment.
Thankfully, Kendrick was deep in slumber, obviously exhausted from the events of the last few days. But with that heavy leg thrown over her legs, it would be almost impossible to extricate herself without waking him up.
Andthatwould surely be as embarrassing for him as it was for her. For all his brash ways, he was a gentleman. God only knew how he would respond if he awoke and found himself in such a state with her cuddled against him. Donella had no idea if his current physical condition was natural to the situation, but she imagined it could lead to all sorts of problems, each more disastrous than the rest.
To think that only a few weeks ago she’d been preparing to take her vows. Now she found herself in the close embrace of a man who was almost a stranger. Even worse, her body was clearly enjoying the feeling of safety and shelter in his arms.
It was an appalling reaction, of course, and meant she needed to get upright now.
Gingerly, she freed an arm and folded back the coat. Then, she started to wriggle her hips toward the edge of the mattress. It wasn’t easy, since he was a veritable giant and his leg was heavy. Still, in just a few inches she’d be able to slide free and roll to the floor, hopefully without waking him.
Before she made it, Kendrick snorted in his sleep and rolled onto his back, taking her with him. When she yelped in surprise he jerked, and then tightened his arms. Donella was now lying directly on top of him, back to front, with both his arms wrapped around her and their legs tangled together.
“Mr. Kendrick,” she hissed, now beyond embarrassment. “Please wake up and let me go.”
His breath huffed through her hair. Then he sighed, starting to finally come awake.
“Mmm, you feel good,” he murmured in a sleepy, rumbling voice as he hugged her closer.
Donella could feel her eyes bugging out of her skull. Blast the man. Why wouldn’t hewake upand realize their predicament?
She was about to stomp her heel against his shin when she heard a crunching sound from outside, and a thump near the front door. She froze, horrified.
“Donella, are you there?” called a voice she’d recognize anywhere.
“Alasdair,” she squeaked. “Don’t come—”
Kendrick suddenly shifted. “What the devil?”
The latch rattled and the door flew open. Standing in the doorway was Alasdair Gilbride, his commanding height and broad shoulders outlined by the pale light of dawn. His face was in shadow, but Donella had no trouble imagining that her cousin’s eyes were bugging out just as much as hers no doubt were.
If she could have fainted to avoid what was coming next, she would have happily done so.
Alasdair shook himself free of his brief paralysis and charged into the room.
“What the hell is going on?” he thundered, his gray eyes blazing with fury.
He reached down and grabbed Donella by the arms, lifting her straight off the bed. He plunked her down at his side and wrapped an arm around her before turning to glare at Kendrick, who’d shot up into a sitting position but was clearly still trying to get his bearings.
Alasdair took a menacing step forward. “Kendrick, if you’ve hurt Donella, I swear I will end you.”
She grabbed her cousin’s coat sleeve and gave it a shake. “He didn’t. We were just sleeping, for heaven’s sake.”
Alasdair’s baleful gaze stayed on Logan. “That doesna look like sleeping to me, ye bastard.”
When her cousin’s brogue came out, bad things tended to happen. Alasdair was the kindest of men. But when he lost his temper, the results could be unpleasant.
