Page 64 of On Edge

I give a little squeak, and a wave of shame burns me from my toes up, leaving my face hot and my body positively feverish.

He straightens, his hooded eyes never leaving mine. “You left the main barn doors open.”

“N-no, I closed them.”

He sighs. “I meant when you came in earlier.”

My cheeks are burning now, and an ache builds somewhere I refuse to acknowledge. “Oh, I-I didn’t realize…” I look elsewhere, I have to, fiddling with the button on my cardigan. Looking directly at him makes it worse.

“If you’re going to wander in places you aren’t supposed to be, at least try to remember to close doors behind you?” His voice is cutting, slicing me in two.

“Sorry.” Another squeak. God, I sound like a mouse. “I didn’t know.”

“Well, now you do. These are expensive animals.”

Silence follows.

Slowly, I meet his eyes. Water drips off his hair as he stares at me. It lands on his chest and rolls down.

The urge to lick it comes out of nowhere.

“Sage.”

“Yes? What?” I make myself look at his face, my eyes feeling too big and round.

“Are you even listening?” His eyes narrow, becoming slits as he studies me, then blows out a breath. “No, you’re not. You’re soaked through and shivering.”

“It’s raining.”

“Yes, I know.” Of course, he knows, he’s just as wet as I am. “Your dress is?—”

But he stops, his eyes bleeding dark and hungry, stuck on me like I’m something to be chased through the storm.

Lights flash through the windows.

I don’t move, my breath held prisoner in my chest. Nervous energy hums through my veins, but with fear or excitement, I can’t tell.

Then…

“There are towels in the tack room.” His hand tightens on the horse’s halter like he doesn’t trust himself, rather than the horse, to let go.

“Go and get dry. I’ll wait.”

Wait for what?

I almost stumble trying to hurry to the tack room. There are big, fluffy towels on a rack. I take one and start drying myself off.My body tingles with every rub of the soft cotton that I almost exhale a moan.

Oh God.I’m in a murder pact to kill this man, and here I am, perving over him every chance I get. Why the hell did I stay? I should have closed the barn door with me on the other side of it. I’d be eating breakfast by now, getting dry by the fire. No. I should have taken the boat when he offered it to me. I could be anywhere but here.

Staying on the island, trapped with this man, is just nuts.

I force out a breath and rub my hair vigorously, trying to erase the bad thoughts from smothering my brain?—

“Watch it.” Severin grits out, right behind me.

I gasp in fright, turning, nearly crashing into him. He seizes me, his large hands easily encircling my waist. Heat crawls up my throat as I stare into his eyes, noting how dark his lashes look when he’s glancing down. And then I follow his gaze to where my hand is, pressed against his bare chest to steady myself—or maybe to stop myself from collapsing into him.

His skin is warm, hot almost.