“Really?”
Seamas looked suddenly surprised.
“Well then why have you come here to seek me out?” he continued. “I thought you wanted nothing more to do with me ever again.”
She looked up into his eyes, and he saw that her eyes were full of longing and sadness.
“I... I came here because I've missed you,” she said.
And now that Susan was here, with him... she found that, as loathsome a character as he was, part of her did still miss him. It was hard not to be drawn in by his perfectly-muscled, incredibly chiseled physique, and his strikingly attractive good looks. What she was saying was not entirely a lie.
“You do?”
“Yes,” she continued.
“Well... I... I've missed you too, to be honest. In fact, I was just thinking about you when you knocked on the door. Isn't that strange?”
“It is...”
“Maybe it's God's way of saying that...” said Seamas slowly and suggestively.
“That?”
“That perhaps we should be together again.”
“Why don't we drink some whiskey and talk about it?” suggested Susan.
Seamas grinned.
“Of course. Come in, I've got plenty of whiskey in here.”
Susan stepped inside, and Seamas, still grinning, shut the door behind her. With a swirling tempest of emotions warring churning within her, she bit her lower lip and walked nervously over to the bed to sit down, wondering what she had just gotten herself into.
CHAPTER 8
Robert paced up and down in the small room, peeking through the curtains across the street every chance he could get. He had rented this inn room for the day just because of where it was – just across a small lane from the room Seamas was staying in. From here he could keep an eye on the proceedings as Susan did her best to use her feminine wiles and history to elicit a confession from Seamas.
Robert knew it was going to be intensely painful to watch her attempt to seduce her ex-lover, for even if it was an act – and she had assured him that it was, and that she no longer felt anything for the man – Robert didn't know how he could possibly be sure about that.
After all, Susan had once been engaged to this man. She had once wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. How could it be that she no longer had any feelings at all for him? And when playing this mock seduction game, how much of those feelings and physical responses would truly be faked? How far would she have to go with Seamas – while Robert watched, albeit secretly – before she got that confession? And, worst of all, what if there wasn't a confession? What if she went through with it as far as it would go – which meant sleeping with this lying, thieving criminal – only to have him say nothing?
A cold sweat broke out across Robert's broad back, and chills ran down his spine. This alternated with hot flushes of heat, and he could almost feel himself beginning to hyperventilate. There was still time to call this whole thing off, wasn't there? Couldn't he just run down the stairs, across the lane and up into the inn across the road, and pull Susan out of there, and demand honor and justice at sword point from Seamas?
He cursed with silent frustration. Of course he couldn't do that. There was no evidence of Seamas being involved in the crime – not yet, anyway – and with two rich and powerful noblemen in his corner, there was no way he would end up being punished for anything. In fact, if anything, the tables would be turned and Robert would be thrown into a dungeon, on trumped-up charges of harassment or false accusation – and of course a hefty bribe paid to the local judge by either MacNally or Seamas's father.
No – this was the only way. He had to watch, wait and hope – as horrible as that was.
Robert drew in a quick breath; he saw Susan entering the room. His heart immediately began hammering in his chest, and perspiration started dripping from all of his pores, despite the chill in the room.
Susan and Seamas started talking. Robert couldn't hear, because of the noise of the bustling lane between the buildings, but he could see clearly enough what was going on.
They sat down together on the bed, talking and laughing. If Susan was acting, she was doing a damn good job of it, because it looked as if she really was trying to seduce Seamas. Robert saw his rival pouring two deep pitchers of whiskey for himself and Susan. And then, to his horror, he saw her slipping her slender arm around Seamas's waist, and edging closer to him on the bed. Soon enough Seamas's arm was draped over Susan's shoulder.