A Contract Bride's Triple Surprise Read Online Free Page A

didn’t know when you’d arrive.”
    She set her jaw when he didn’t immediately reply. She reached out her hand and pulled the top sheet over her. He let her hide, for now. Gillis told him to do anything and everything to make sure she accepted him as her husband. That meant pleasuring her a few times before he made her his. He was up for that. Literally.
    “Are you going to just stand there and stare at me? I’ve had a long journey and would like to get back to sleep.”
    Knowing she couldn’t see, he let a grin escape. Prue was demanding but in a surface way. She was easily pleased by material things. This younger sister not only had a backbone, she had a pert tongue. Making her angry would mean she’d need spanking. Soothing her afterward would be worth damn near anything she said.
    “You tired?” He still didn’t move, waiting for her reaction. Would she invite him into her bed, ignore him or—
    “Yes. Close the door behind you on the way out, thank you.”
    She rolled over on her side, again facing away. The sheet hid what he wanted to touch. Such as the curved ass begging to be spanked for her impertinence. He shut the door loudly then waited. He didn’t move but didn’t try to hide his breathing, either. For some reason, he couldn’t control the heavy rasps as he inhaled deep.
    “You’re on the wrong side of the door, Mr. MacDougal.”
    Her voice cracked on the last word, showing her indifference as a lie. She chose the wrong man if she thought she could control him.
    “Nope.”
    He moved so his body was in the light but his head still in shadow. He pulled his white shirt from his pants. She whipped her head around at the sound, looking over her right shoulder. He unbuttoned his cuffs, watching her watch him. When he continued with the shirt, she rolled partway back to face him.
    “What are you doing?”
    “Taking off my shirt.”
    “Why?”
    She sounded snippy, but nipples didn’t lie. The room was too warm for them to rise in chill. No, she was hot. And he was damn well going to make her hotter.
    “I’ve been working since sunup. Instead of sleeping, I rode all the way to town to meet my wife. I want my bed.”
    “You’re not getting in this bed with me!”
    He unhooked his belt and slowly slid it out of the loops. She watched as if it was a leather snake, slithering toward her.
    “Who am I, Mrs. MacDougal?”
    She rolled onto her back and clutched the sheet to her chin with both fists. She shifted her gaze to where his face would be.
    “You’re my husband, Nevin.”
    He rolled up his belt and placed it on the table as he strolled to the far side of the bed.
    “Nope. I’m your husband, Ross.”
    For a moment she stared then shook her head silently.
    “No!” She scrabbled to the far side of the bed, taking the sheet with her. “I married Nevin, the quiet, nice one, not the MacDougal Devil!”
    That was the problem with a bad reputation. People believed it. He sighed.
    “You want me to turn on a light and show you the contract, wife?”
    “No!” She covered her left cheek and ear with her hand. “Why aren’t you Nevin?”
    “Because I’m Ross.”
    She lay there, eyes wide and chin quivering. He sighed and rested a shoulder against the wall. He put his weight on one leg and rested the toe of the other on the floor. She swallowed, blinking a few times. After a moment, her breathing slowed from mad panic.
    “What did your sister tell you about me?”
    “People told her you were a vicious killer who put dozens of men in the ground. You always have ravens around you and carry three knives. You like to throw them at people.”
    She pressed her lips together as if debating whether to go on.
    “You weren’t rude though you usually grunted your answers. She wasn’t sure if you could speak English very well, but you understood it. And when you thought no one was looking, you liked to play with her friend’s baby.”
    He didn’t know Prue saw him playing with James Elliott. Every