Free For the Love of a Soldier by Victoria Morgan Page A

parted. For the first time in all of their confrontations,she had caught him off guard. After an awkward silence, he collected himself. “I don’t believe I asked for that, but fair enough.” His eyes drifted over her, a teasing light in them. “Perhaps when we know each other better.”
    Heat suffused her. She drew the covers to her neck, again unsure of this Kendall. His relaxed features, soft and amused, stirring something beneath her breast.
    His expression once again became serious. “So, Miss Daniels, if that is your name, do we have a deal or not?”
    She struggled to keep up with his quicksilver mood changes, but she recognized the gleam of challenge in his eyes. He held the advantage now, but she might surprise him. It was past time for her to do just that.
    She lifted her chin, straightened up, and met his damn dare. She had risked much this past year and survived with little money and no protection. Kendall offered her both. She liked those odds—and she wanted his money. She had plans for it. “Yes, I’ll help you.”
    Kendall’s smile returned, quick and sharp.
    Alex caught her breath, cursing it and him as her words echoed back to her.
    Some risks might be worth taking, but at what price?

Chapter Six

G ARRETT noted the slim thrust of his adversary’s jaw and the determined glint in her eyes, and nearly shook his head. He hadn’t played her wrong. She had mettle all right, sharp as steel and strong.
    For now he’d settle for her willing participation in his plans, for they coincided with his. He vowed to eventually pry Miss Daniels’s true identity from her. The enemy you know is better than the one you don’t. Or was the expression, keep your friends close and your enemies closer? Either way, he was keeping her.
    “For your assistance in this investigation, I will reimburse you for your time as well as any expenses you may incur. You have my word that you will not be hurt again and will be under my protection. I expect…” At her frown and furrowed brows, his words tapered off. “What is it?”
    “I don’t see how I can assist you further than I already have. I’ve told you everything I know.”
    “Right now, you are the only link to these men and their murderous plot against me. You heard their voices and got a look at one of them. You might remember something moreabout them, something distinctive about their voices, their walks, or an odd mannerism. The knock on your head also might have dislodged a detail you didn’t recall earlier. After suffering a trauma in battle, some men speak of seeing things. Their lives flashing before their eyes, so to speak. Maybe something will return to you that will help you recognize one of them or assist us in finding them. So I need you. If not,” he shrugged, “it’s a gamble I’m willing to take. Unlike you, Miss Daniels, I don’t wager what I can’t afford to lose.”
    Her eyes narrowed at his reminder of her circumstance. “What about other risks?” she shot back. “What will your mistress have to say about this arrangement?”
    The question both surprised and amused him. “You mean the mistress of this house? Whose castoff you protested wearing?”
    She gave a curt nod.
    He grinned at her mutinous expression. Too bad he had left his jacket on the bed. He would have liked to see the gown she wore. His sister had lovely clothes, and her nightgown would be no exception, something as sheer as silk. His eyes drifted over Daniels’s features. Blue fabric would enhance the shimmering pools of her eyes, but a rich, deep red would provide a brilliant contrast against her fair skin.
    He jerked back, stepping away from the bed. Christ. Hours ago, he had believed her to be a man. He now knew otherwise, but that was all he knew about her. He needed to retreat before she further lowered his defenses and he pictured her naked.
    He returned his attention to Daniels’s question. Kit, with her perverse sense of humor, would delight in being mistaken for