Honor Bound. B.J. Daniels

Чтение книги онлайн.

       CHAPTER FIVE

      AINSLEY WOKE WITH the worst headache of her life. She groaned as she opened her eyes and quickly closed them.

      “Here, this might help.”

      Her eyes flew open, sending a dagger of pain straight to her brain. She grabbed the sheet and pulled it up to her neck as she stared at the strange man not only in her cabin, but also sitting on the edge of her bed.

      “What are you doing here?” she cried and quickly peeked under the sheet. She was naked as a jaybird. “Oh no, I didn’t!”

      “You didn’t,” he said in a deep, sultry voice she remembered. This was the cowboy who’d saved her in the canyon—but at what cost? “Your virtue is safe.”

      “How long have you been here?” She spotted his boots by the door. “You stayed all night?”

      “I didn’t trust you not to do something even more...wild, given your condition.”

      “More wild than what?” she asked, her voice breaking.

      “Skinny-dipping.”

      She groaned and, sliding back down in the bed, covered her head with the sheet. “Please tell me I was alone,” she said in a tremulous voice from under the sheet. “The rest of the movie crew—”

      “Weren’t there. It was just the two of us.” He pulled the sheet down until their eyes met and gave her a big smile. Had she noticed last night how handsome he was? Is that why she’d decided to go skinny-dipping with a complete stranger? Well, nearly a complete stranger.

      “You were the only one naked,” he said, as if trying to reassure her. “Actually, you were the only one who went in the water, except for when I had to wade in to fish you out.”

      She didn’t think she could feel worse. “I might have had too much to drink.”

      “You think?”

      “I don’t drink but a glass of wine occasionally. Normally.”

      “So I gathered.”

      Ainsley realized she didn’t remember any of this. Memory loss ran in her family, she mused, thinking of her mother’s return from the dead and complete lack of memory of those missing twenty-two years. The stray thought might have made her laugh if she hadn’t felt so awful.

      “I don’t remember...anything,” she admitted.

      “Don’t worry. Nothing happened, other than you sobering up from the icy water enough that I could get you back to your cabin and to bed. Alone. I slept on the couch.”

      She glanced over and saw his black Stetson and his jean jacket on the couch.

      “Now, drink this.” He handed her the glass he’d been holding. As she peered suspiciously at the ugly thick brown sludge, he said, “Trust me. That is going to make you feel much better.”

      “It looks...awful.”

      “It’s my own remedy for a hangover.”

      “I’ve never had a hangover before.”

      He laughed. “Apparently Kitzie was making your drinks? You might make your own in the future.”

      She was still staring at the glass of thick brown stuff.

      “Best to chug it.” He stood. “I don’t know about you, but I have to get to work. I have to go before everyone in camp sees me leaving your cabin.”

      Ainsley felt her eyes widen in alarm.

      “Don’t worry. It’s still early. Your reputation is safe.”

      She groaned. “I don’t understand what happened last night, but it won’t happen again.”

      “That’s too bad. You were trying out the new Ainsley Hamilton. She was up for anything. I kind of liked her.”

      “I’ll just bet you did.” She tried to summon what dignity she could. “Well, I won’t be needing your...assistance again because of intoxication.”

      “That’s too bad, too.” He gave her a wink before he stepped to the couch. She sat up to watch him pull on his boots, hat and jacket.

      “We won’t be seeing that Ainsley Hamilton again,” she said, more to herself than to him. “Back to the old, boring Ainsley Hamilton.”

      “Just between you and me, there is nothing wrong with the old Ainsley Hamilton either.” With that, he left.

      She took a whiff of the drink and her СКАЧАТЬ