No Other Man Read Online Free

this moment, I could speak in your defense. I could—"
    "You're
not listening to me. Who the hell are you!" he thundered. She felt her
limbs trembling despite her determination not to show fear.
    "My name is Skylar Douglas."
    "You're a liar!"
    There
was such rage and conviction in his voice that
    Skylar was startled into silence, staring up into his unusual
green eyes. Desperate confusion filled her. What did her name matter to this
Indian who might speak English amazingly well but was nonetheless a savage?
Once again, she began to feel the physical discomfort of being naked and
pressed to the bed by a powerfully muscled man whose rage was directed at her.
    "Are you going to kill me?" she demanded suddenly.
    His gaze slid over her face, down the length of her. She felt
as if her flesh were being scorched by it. She willed herself not to tremble
and shake, but she seemed to have no control over the chattering that seized
her teeth, the way her blood seemed to race madly throughout her.
    "I haven't quite decided yet. I want to know who you
really are and what you think you're doing out here."
    "Who the hell are you?" she flared, her temper
briefly overriding her fear.
    "A man ten times larger and stronger than you who is
also in possession of a knife. Let that suffice for the moment. I'm the one
asking the questions."
    She closed her eyes, swallowing hard, still confused,
frightened, trapped in anguish. She couldn't bear this any longer, feeling his
flesh, the threat of his strength, the fury that created the staggering heat
within him. This was worse than before. Somehow more intimate. Because he understood
every word she said. And she clearly understood him.
    "If you're going to kill me, get it over with," she
forced herself to say with an even, calm voice.
    "But I want an answer to my question."
    "I've answered you!" she whispered.
    He swore, then to her amazement and relief, suddenly rose,
jerking his robe closed and rebelting it as he walked to the fireplace. Both
hands on the mantle, he stared into the flames.
    "You're not Lady Douglas," he said flatly.
    "I am." Dear God, she thought, what difference did
it make to him?
    "You're not!"
    "How can you be so sure?" she cried, starting to
rise as well, then, recalling her nakedness, falling back and grappling for a
pillow to hide behind. To her dismay and reawakened fear, he pushed away from
the mantle, striding toward her again. She gasped, hopping up-—with nothing—
flattening herself against the wall on the opposite side of the bed.
    Again, to her vast surprise and relief, though his green eyes
did flick over the length of her, they bore nothing more than a glint of
contempt.
    And he didn't actually come near her.
    He paused at the foot of the bed, threw open the trunk there,
and tossed her a robe similar to his own. Shaking, she slipped into it,
maintaining her position across the bed from him. He stared at her a moment,
turned away, and walked back to the hearth. There he bent and poured the
brewing coffee she had smelled earlier into two earthenware mugs. He set the
mugs on the table, took a whiskey bottle from the shelf, and poured its
contents liberally into both mugs. When he finished, he raised an arm, offering
one of the mugs to her. She remained frozen to her spot.
    "If I do decide to kill you, it won't be by
poisoning," he informed her dryly.
    She still couldn't move. She could barely swallow. She prayed
that he could not see that, yet she was aware that the pulse at her throat was
pounding.
    He crooked a finger her way. "Can't use a drink? I
surely can," he said pleasantly enough. But then the tone of his voice
changed. "Get over here. I'm really not going to poison you, and I know
damned well that you can really use a drink."
    She bit her lower lip, feeling again a rise of temper that
nearly vanquished her fear, walked carefully around the bed and halfway across
the room, keeping as far away from him as she could manage while accepting the
cup at the same