Free Mackenzie's Pleasure by Linda Howard Page A

kept her awake. Almost. She felt her muscles slowly loosening, as if his
    permission to sleep was all her body needed to hear. Her eyelids were too heavy for her to hold open
    anymore; it was like a veil of darkness descending. With her last fraction of consciousness,
    she was aware of his arms around her, gently lowering her to the floor.

Chapter 4
    She had gone to sleep like a baby, Zane thought, watching her. He'd seen it often enough
    in his ten nephews, the way little children had of dropping off so abruptly, their bodies
    looking almost boneless as they toppled over into waiting arms. His gaze drifted over her
    face. Now that dawn was here, even with the shutters closed, he could plainly see the
    exhaustion etched on her face; the wonder was that she had held up so well, rather than that
    she'd gone to sleep now.
    He could use some rest himself. He stretched out beside her, keeping a slight distance
    between them; not touching, but close enough that he could reach her immediately if their
    hiding place was discovered. He was still wired, too full of adrenaline to sleep yet, but it felt
    good to relax and let himself wind down while he waited for the city to come completely awake.
    Now he could also see the fire in her hair, the dark auburn shade that, when she stood in
    the sun, would glint with gold and bronze. Her eyes were a deep, soft green, her brows and
    lashes like brown mink. He wouldn't have been surprised by freckles, but her skin was dear
    and creamy, except for the bruise that mottled one cheek. There were bruises on her arms, and
    though he couldn't see them, he knew the shirt covered other marks left by brutal men. She'd
    insisted they hadn't raped her, but probably she was ashamed for anyone else to know, as if
    she'd had any choice in the matter. Maybe she wanted to keep it quiet for her father's sake. Zane
    didn't care about her reasons; he just hoped she would get the proper medical care.
    He thought dispassionately about slipping to the building where they'd held her and
    killing any and all of the bastards who were still there. God knew they deserved it, and he
    wouldn't lose a minute's worth of sleep over any of them. But his mission was to rescue Miss
    Lovejoy—Barrie—and he hadn't accomplished that yet. If he went back, there was the chance
    that he would be killed, and that would endanger her, as well as his men. He'd long ago learned
    how to divorce his emotions from the action so he could think clearly, and he wasn't about to
    compromise a mission now... But damn, he wanted to kill them.
    He liked the way she looked. She wasn't drop-dead gorgeous or anything like that, but
    her features were regular, and asleep, with her woes put aside for the moment, her
    expression was sweetly serene. She was a pretty little thing, as finely made as an expensive
    porcelain figurine. Oh, he supposed she was probably of middle height for a woman, about
    five feet five, but he was six-three and outweighed her by at least a hundred pounds, so to him
    she was little. Not as little as his mother and sister, but they were truly slight, as delicate as
    fairies. Barrie Lovejoy, for all her aristocratic bloodlines, had the sturdiness of a pioneer.
    Most women, with good reason, would have broken down long before now.
    He was surprised to feel himself getting a little drowsy. Despite their situation, there
    was something calming about lying here beside her, watching her sleep. Though he was
    solitary by nature and had always preferred sleeping alone after his sexual appetite had been
    satisfied, it felt elementally right, somehow, to guard her with his body as they slept. Had
    cavemen done this, putting themselves between the mouth of the cave and the sleeping
    forms of their women and children, drowsily watching the gentle movements of their
    breathing as the fires died down and night claimed the land? If it was an ancient instinct,
    Zane mused, he sure as hell hadn't felt it before now.
    But he wanted to touch her,