Free It Happened One Bite by Lydia Dare Page B

trousers was the only thing keeping him decent. Of course she’d already seen all of him today. Perhaps she wanted another look. James was happy to oblige her if that was the case.
    “Try it and see what happens,” she said, her spine stiffening before him.
    “Is that a dare? How many daggers do you carry, Miss Lindsay?”
    “Blaire!” Captain Lindsay called out before she could answer. His quick footsteps sounded on the steps.
    He tried to bite back a grin. Could the fates be any more kind? Certainly, she wouldn’t want her older brother to find them in this compromising situation. “Well, what’s it to be? Shall I drop my shirt?” His fingers inched downward.
    Her face shone instantly red. She glanced away from him as she muttered, “ Mòr ,” and flicked her wrist in his general direction. At once the clothes he wore and the shirt in his hands righted themselves.
    James smiled at her, though she still had her face turned away. “Many thanks, Miss Lindsay. And I’ll expect my watch by the end of the night.” He buttoned his trousers, pulled the shirt over his head, and tucked the ends into his waistband.
    At that moment, Captain Lindsay turned down the corridor toward them. “Blaire,” he called again. “Brannock said ye were quarrelin’ with Lord Kettering.”
    James shook his head. “Nothing quite so dramatic, Captain. All is well.”
    “Wonderful,” the captain said as he neared the pair. “Dinner is ready, my lord, and I am dyin’ ta learn how ye ended up in my cellar.”
    “As are we all,” Miss Lindsay muttered under her breath.
    James inclined his head to his host. “Of course, Captain. My memory is somewhat spotty, but perhaps we can put the pieces together that I do remember. It’s a bit disjointed.”
    “And, Blaire,” the captain said as he glanced at his sister’s disheveled appearance. “Make yerself presentable.” The man disappeared back down the stairs.
    “I’d sooner be boiled in a vat of bubblin’ oil,” the lass muttered as she turned toward her own chambers, presumably to make herself presentable despite her protestations. He liked her quite a bit in her homespun gown, which was still damp from where he’d pulled her against his naked, wet body. He hardened in response. Dinner. He had to find dinner very, very soon.
    ***
    Mutton stew! Blaire nearly groaned aloud. What awful stuff. Still, it was her fault. Mutton stew was common fare when Aiden was in charge of meals. She wondered if she could last until morning without a bite to eat. Tomorrow, they would go into the village of Strathcarron and see about hiring staff. Perhaps there was an inn where she could break her fast in the morning.
    Blaire glanced across the table at their guest , and what small appetite she did have quickly evaporated. Kettering’s dark eyes seemed to bore into her as though he could peer into her soul, and, for a moment, she wondered if he did, in fact, possess just such a power. Was that why he’d been trapped at Briarcraig? Could he see into others’ souls? What would one do with a power like that? Something nefarious, no doubt.
    She watched as Kettering took a cursory glance at his own bowl before returning his attention to her. The watch she’d taken from his clothes rested heavy in her pocket. She had no intention of stealing the thing, not really. She’d just thought it might give her some clue about his purpose. A little ceremony with the piece under the light of the moon could possibly tell her something of the man before her. Blast him for realizing it was missing so soon.
    “So,” Aiden began from his spot at the head of the table, “we are all curious, my lord, ta learn how ye arrived at Briarcraig.”
    A heart-stopping, charming smile appeared on the baron’s face. “I don’t know precisely how I ended up in your cellar, Captain, but I can give you an educated guess. What, may I ask, is the date?”
    Aiden frowned. “January 19th.”
    Something flashed in Kettering’s