Page 46 of Native Hawk
Determined to prove it, she unbuttoned her dress with furious fingers. She yanked the shoulders down and pulled the sleeves off with such force that she almost ripped the seam. She shoved the dress down until it puddled at her feet. Then she stepped out of it, whipped it up in one hand, gave it a good shake, and draped it across her chair.
If she thought that would wipe the grin from his face, she was wrong. If anything, his eyes sparkled with more amusement than before.
With a frustrated growl, she untied her petticoat and stepped out of that too.
Then, before he could make some self-satisfied remark, she turned down the oil lamp until it guttered out.
But the joke was on her, because the storm had cleared and the full moon shone into the room. He could still see every humiliated inch of her. And she could still see the gleam in his eye.
With an exasperated sigh, she stomped over to her side of the bed, threw back the covers, and got under them before he could ogle her any longer. She flounced onto her side, facing away from him, but not before her foot contacted his briefly.
Her breath caught. His skin had felt warm and smooth, not at all what she’d expected. But she wasn’t going to let that kind of thing happen again.
He flopped over on the bed, dragging most of the covers with him. Her eyes went wide in panic. What if his leg brushed hers?
It didn’t. After a moment, she breathed easy again. She closed her eyes, determined to sleep away her conflicted feelings.
But sleep evaded her.
She opened her eyes, glaring at the moon outside the window.
It wasn’t the moon’s fault. She simply couldn’t quiet her brain. She kept thinking about the man lying beside her.
Drew Hawk was surely the most fascinating, irritating man she’d ever met.
She pulled what few covers he’d left her up over her shoulder.
Full of contradictions, Drew could be charming one moment and aggravating the next. He’d cautioned her against pursuing this line of work, and then he’d hired her. He’d claimed she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. And yet he had no interest in pursuing her.
It was baffling.
She squished her pillow into a more comfortable shape, and then lay her head back down.
She began to think about what Miss Hattie had said, about it being good to have a gentleman like Drew for her first experience.
He didn’t seem very gentlemanly to her. He was a rogue, a manipulator, a trickster.
She picked up her pillow, flipped it over to the cooler side, gave it a swat, and nestled into it.
She’d watched Drew play cards. He might smile through the whole game, but his strategy was ruthless. She wondered what his strategy was tonight. It seemed to her he had just wasted another twenty dollars.
She released a heavy sigh and burrowed farther under the covers.
Drew startled her. “Hey, Miss Wigglesworth, you plan on settlin’ in sometime soon?”
She’d thought he was already asleep. “Well, if you had not stolen all the covers…”
“Did I?” He sounded sincere. “Sorry about that. I’m not used to sharin’ a bed.”
He reached over the top of her, giving her back her covers. This time his hand grazed her shoulder. She was sure it was an accident. But it still sent a delicious shiver through her.
“There. Better?”
“Yes,” she choked out. “Thank you.”
Now shereallycouldn’t get to sleep. Her shoulder tingled where he’d touched it. If a slight brush could cause such a powerful current…
“How about callin’ a truce?” he said.
