Velvet Embrace

Smothering a wave of panic, she forced herself to think. The shipping office would at least be safer than the dimly lit street, she realized. She was about to retrace her steps when she heard footsteps behind her. Whirling, she just managed to evade the rough hands that grabbed at her, but her heart leapt to her throat as she faced four unkempt sailors who reeked strongly of liquor.

"We wants yer purse, cove," one said as all four slowly started to close in on her.

Terrified, Brie took a step backward, then another, watching them warily. She knew they could smell her fear, for she could hear her own heart pounding. She was wondering if she should turn and run when, at a signal from the first man, they all rushed her at once.

Brie struck out wildly, trying hopelessly to evade their grasping hands. Her hat was knocked from her head during the struggle, sending her hair tumbling around her shoulders.

"Bloody 'ell, it's a woman!" the leader exclaimed.

Brie gave a cry of mingled pain and outrage as his hand groped her breast. She brought a knee up hard, contacting his groin and causing him to double over in pain, then looked around desperately for something to use as a weapon.

There was nothing. She caught a glimpse of a dark horseman further down the street just as another of her assailants grabbed her, but when a fist struck her face, she saw stars. She would have fallen but for the rough hands holding her.

Then abruptly, the scene dissolved in a whirl. Brie heard the ring of steel-shod hooves on cobblestone and vaguely realized that the horseman had ridden his mount directly into the fray. There were grunts of surprise from her attackers, then howls of pain as the horseman lifted his arm time and time again to bring his riding quirt down on the shoulders of the men who held her.

When their grasping hands released her, Brie's legs gave way and she sank to the pavement. She knelt there, sobbing and gasping for breath as her attackers fled.

"Did they hurt you?" She recognized the familiar voice—and tone. It was clipped and harsh and implacable. Brie shook her head, not daring to look at her rescuer.

"Then I suggest," Dominic said caustically, "that unless you enjoy being ravished, you seek safer ground. Where is your horse?" At Brie's mumbled reply, Dominic barked the question again.

"I don't know!" she cried, tears coursing down her cheeks as she glared up at him. He sat his horse easily, his whip resting across the saddle. Seeing his casual pose, Brie wanted to scream. She was shaking with fright, her pride was in tatters, and her nerves were frayed almost to the breaking point—and all he could do was berate her in that hateful, sardonic tone. At that moment she firmly believed she hated Dominic. It was bad enough that he should find her such a defenseless position, but his contemptuous tone made her humiliation complete. She bowed her head and started crying in earnest.

Dominic muttered a soft curse as he dismounted and scooped her trembling form into his arms. He ignored her halfhearted struggles, easily thwarting her attempts to break free, and when she at last lay still, he set her on his horse and mounted behind her, wrapping an arm securely around her waist. Brie sagged limply against him and wept, having lost the strength and the will to fight him further.

As they made their way through the dark streets, Dominic found himself wishing he had done more to the men who had attacked her than to have administered a mere beating. Brie's quiet sobs tore at his heart. She was trembling uncontrollably as well, and the feel of her soft body made him recall other times when he had held her in his arms—when she had trembled with passion.

Unable to dispel the disquieting emotions that were warring in his chest, Dominic swore silently. He ought to beat Brie for causing him such anguish. He had hoped his harsh words to her in the carriage would send her scurrying home, but obviously she hadn't listened. Thank God he had told Jacques to keep an eye out for her! Jacques had seen her leaving the inn and followed her to the docks where Dominic was giving his final orders to the captain of his yacht. Dominic had forgotten his anger, had forgotten that Brie might very well have plotted to murder him, and had ridden after her.

Christ, but he had been given a fright when he had seen her struggling against those four ruffians! He had wanted to kill the bastards with his bare hands. And it didn't seem illogical that while he might like to wring her neck himself, he would permit no one else to harm her.

"Foolish girl," Dominic murmured as he brushed his lips against her hair. The gentle fragrance aroused his senses, and he couldn't refrain from turning Brie's face up to him. He kissed her soft lips, determined to comfort her and drive away her fear. When Brie clung to him in response, Dominic could feel her desperate need for reassurance. Tenderness welled in his heart, while a fierce wave of protectiveness surged through him.

Only when they arrived at the inn could he bring himself to pull away. "Come, my sweet," he whispered huskily. "We are causing a spectacle." Brie nodded, but she was too exhausted to care about the gawking stares and grins they drew from the ostlers in the yard.

Dominic hid her face from view as he brushed passed the astonished innkeeper and carried her up to his room. Laying Brie gently on the bed, he quickly divested her of her clothes, leaving her slender body clad only in her shirt which barely covered her hips. He carefully tucked the covers around her, then stood back. Hearing the even sounds of her breathing, Dominic smiled in spite of himself. Brie was already fast asleep. He let himself out of the room quietly.

When he joined Jason in the private dining room, he found two serving maids occupied in laying out a sumptuous meal. Ignoring both their appraising glances and the more subtle scrutiny of his friend, Dominic poured himself a generous glass of claret and drank deeply, and only when the maidservants had left did he take his seat at the table. Absently, he began serving his plate, his mind still on the sleeping woman in his bed.

It was several minutes later before he realized Jason had spoken. "I beg your pardon," Dominic said, looking up from his food. "What did you say?"

Jason smiled wryly. "I asked you twice if your ship will be ready to sail in the morning."

"Yes, with the tide. I found everything in order. Captain Rogers assures me that the weather will be fair and that we can expect an easy crossing." He lapsed into silence once more, frowning as he tried to decide what in hell's name he was to do with Brie.

Jason, too, was silent, but he studied Dominic curiously throughout the meal.

Dominic finally looked up to find himself being watched. "Is something wrong? Did I spill the gravy on my neckcloth?" he asked sarcastically.

"No," Jason replied, leaning back in his chair and taking a sip of wine. "I was merely wondering at the cause of your bad manners. All day you've been as moody as the Caribbean during a hurricane season, and you've spoken a mere three sentences all during dinner. And you've hardly touched your food. Your obvious preoccupation wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that you've finally let a woman get to you, would it?"

It seemed to Dominic that the room had suddenly become overly quiet, for his sharp intake of breath was clearly audible. He hadn't been prepared to hear the truth stated so blandly.

He wasn't about to admit to such a weakness, though. He forced himself to release the air in his lungs slowly. "Of course not," he returned, sounding more irritable than he had intended.

Jason grinned, his blue eyes sparkling with amusement. "Then how do you explain your churlish behavior this evening?"

Dominic ran a hand through his hair in a gesture of frustration, knowing he hadn't fooled Jason any more than he had fooled himself. He had allowed himself to become far too involved with that enticing, lovely schemer. But blister it, what red-blooded man wouldn't be attracted to a beauty like Brie Carringdon? Yet he had let his attraction for her threaten his friendships with men he had liked and respected for years. Because of Brie, he had nearly become embroiled in a duel with Julian and now he was taking his ill-temper out on Jason.