Free Wild Star by Catherine Coulter

tales?”
    He dropped her wrist. “A lady doesn’t strike a gentleman, now, does she?”
    “You are no gentleman.”
    “And you are no lady. A word of warning, my dear. You strike me again, or make the attempt, and I shall retaliate in kind.”
    Byrony said, furious, “Damn you, I had to marry him. Do you understand me? No, don’t say any more. It is obvious you’ll never understand anything. You are too stupid.”
    She turned on her heel, but he caught her arm and twisted her around. “So, it is his seed that grows in your lovely body? Well, isn’t that interesting. Since you are no lady, and since your dear husband isn’t about, why don’t we—” He broke off suddenly, bent down and kissed her.
    He held her arms tightly against her sides and she couldn’t move. His mouth was hard, alien. Just as suddenly, he eased the pressure and she felt his tongue on her lower lip, probing. His hand came up to cup her breast. She burst into motion.
    She pulled away, and wiped her hand across her mouth. “You—”
    “Bastard?”
    She saw red.
    “It appears your dear husband hasn’t taught you much about pleasing a man yet. You’ll learn, my dear. If you are nice to me, perhaps I’ll instruct you—”
    He yelped in pain, and clutched his groin.
    Byrony, shaking from shock and the vicious kick she’d given him, jerked about and ran from him, holding her skirts high.
    Brent felt the inevitable wave of nausea and remained crouched over until the worst of the pain passed. He forced himself to take slow, deep breaths. Slowly he straightened, and his eyes went down the deck. She was gone.
    “You will pay for that,” he said softly.
    Byrony ran full tilt to the cabin. She paused a moment, leaning her forehead against the door. Tears burned her eyes, and she rubbed them away. How wrong she’d been about him. No meanness in his eyes. What a fool she’d been. He was like all the other men, bullies and worse. She rubbed the back of her hand across her mouth.
    Brent remained on deck, thinking of how to get back at her. Unfortunately, each of them ended with him having sex with her. He didn’t know how much time passed. When he heard a scream, his entire body stiffened. He jerked about to see a man trying to heave a woman overboard.
    For an instant his mind was a complete blank. Then he was running toward them, yelling at the man. He saw him try a final time to heave the woman overboard, saw her long mantle catch between his legs. He pushed her violently into the railing, clouting her back with his fists.
    “What’s going on here? Hey, stop.”
    He saw the woman drop to her knees on the smooth deck, gasping for breath.
    “Mrs. Saxton? Good God, ma’am. What the hell is going on? Who is that fellow?”
    “I’m all right,” Chauncey Saxton said, her body shuddering. She raised her white face to his. “He tried to kill me.”
    Brent cursed. The whole business was insane. Attacked by one woman, saving another. He got hold of himself. “Come, ma’am. He’s gone now.” Brent picked her up into his arms.
    “Del,” she said. “Please, my husband—”
    A man came rushing up to them. “What the hell?”
    “Your wife, Saxton,” Brent said. “She’s all right, thank God.” She began to struggle against him, and he set her on her feet. He watched her run to her husband.
    Brent watched Delaney calm his wife. He felt a twinge of perhaps jealousy at their closeness. He met Del Saxton’s eyes. “What happened?”
    “It appears that someone—a man—tried to throw your wife overboard.” Brent lowered his voice, adding, “Perhaps it was an attempted rape.” Brent saw the wild anger on Delaney Saxton’s face at his words. He heard him say soft, reassuring words to his wife.
    “Hammond, did you see his face?”
    Brent lit a cheroot, blowing out the smoke before replying. The incident had shocked him and made him wonder what the hell was going on. “He was dressed roughly, a wool cap pulled down over his forehead.