Free A Brother's Honor by Jo Ann Ferguson Page A

what looks to be an abandoned hut on the next cove. As soon as you can walk, we can go there.”
    â€œWalk?” Dominic did not hold back his curse when he saw the splint around his right ankle. That explained why his leg thundered with agony. Stretching, he touched his swollen ankle and winced. “I cannot feel any broken bones, so I should be able to hobble there, if you help me.”
    â€œAnd then what?”
    For a long moment, he did not answer. He tried to make his cobweb-infested brain work. If only his head would cease aching … “We find a way to get out of England.”
    â€œ That I know. But how?”
    His blurred gaze moved along her. As if for the first time, he admired her brilliant blue eyes and the warmth of her red hair. He had to acknowledge what had been easy to ignore on the ship. Abigail Fitzgerald was not simply a pawn in her father’s lust for wealth. Although she seemed to have a blind spot in regard to Captain Fitzgerald’s activities, she was an intelligent woman who had managed to survive what her father’s crew and his own had not. He owed his life to her, and he was sure she expected a generous payment in return.
    â€œI think it would be better to discuss what we must do after we are somewhere where the English will not find us.” He hesitated, then asked, “Do you have anything to drink?”
    â€œAre you thirsty?” she asked.
    â€œVery.”
    Abigail smiled at the sincerity in Dominic’s voice. When he was not in pain, she guessed that he would regain his arrogance, but he seemed grateful for her kindness. And he should be.
    Reaching behind her, she picked up the tin cup she had left out in the rain. She had guessed he would be craving water when he awoke.
    He took the cup and downed the water in one gulp. “ Merci, ” he murmured, then frowned. “Where did you get this cup?”
    â€œThe English should not be the only ones to scavenge what is left of the Republic. ” Backing out of the shelter, she was careful not to bang the pistol against the trunk. She had hidden it in her pocket, because she did not want Dominic to guess she had it.
    When she held out her hands, Dominic grasped them. He edged out of the shadows slowly. As soon as his head cleared the lowest branches, he jerked on her hands. She gasped as she fell toward him. His arms surrounded her when she struck his chest.
    â€œWhat are you doing?” she choked. As close as they were, she was unsure if the shivers were only hers or his, too.
    â€œNothing yet, chérie. ” He laughed as his fingers twisted through her snarled hair. A lightning bolt seared her when his gaze explored her face with yearning. Only when his other hand caressed her waist, outlining it with a warmth that sparked to her very center, did she start to pull away. His hands tightened on her as he whispered, “Now I am doing something.”
    His mouth slanted across hers. Everything she wanted was in his kiss, for it offered her as much rapture as it demanded. His fingers stroked her back, sending tremors up her spine. As her hand curved along his nape, his thick hair caressed it.
    When Dominic pulled back with a curse, Abigail blinked, still lost in pleasure. She saw him touch his shoulder and grimace.
    â€œBe careful,” she said in a whisper, not daring to speak louder in case the English villagers were near. “You were burned when the ship exploded.”
    She was amazed when he grinned. “That explosion was not as fiery as your lips, chérie. ”
    â€œYou should not be thinking of that now.”
    â€œWhy not?” He chuckled as he clambered to his feet, leaning against the tree trunks. “We may be captured at any moment, and I can think of nothing I would rather have as my last sensation than the taste of your lips. Well, mayhap a few other sensations we might enjoy, but you would slap my face if I were to list them.”
    At his roguish