Stormy Vows - Iris Johansen [111]
“This isn't really necessary, you know,” Jane said gently, watching his lean, taut face. “I'm sure you and Captain Benjamin took more punishment than I did. Those crazy men were hitting one another more than they were hitting me.”
“How very comforting,” Jake jeered. “So instead of broken bones and internal injuries, you only have severe cuts and bruises.” Despite the anger in his voice, his hands were incredibly gentle as he washed the cut on her lip with a cold cloth. “At the rate you're going, you'll be lucky if you live to be twenty-one.”
She smiled tremulously. “I promise that I'll be more careful in the future,” she said lightly. “At least until the cruise is over. I fully intend to make sure you get your money's worth in labor to pay for that panel.”
“Damn the panel!” Jake spoke harshly, his black eyes flaming. “Do you have any idea what would have happened if that mob in the pit tonight had discovered that you were a woman?”
Her golden eyes flew to his face in bewilderment. “You mean…” she whispered, and blushed uncontrollably. “But they were so angry.…”
“My God, Jane!” Jake said savagely. “Anger can be as much of an aphrodisiac as any other stimulant. Don't you know that?”
She shook her head, her eyes suddenly frightened. “No, I didn't know that,” she answered simply.
“It figures,” he said shortly. “For a girl who's lived all over the world, you've picked up relatively little common sense. That grandfather of yours must have kept you tied up.”
“Everything happened too fast,” she replied defensively. “I didn't have time to think and analyze every movement I made. I just knew that I had to stop them before they killed those two birds.”
Jake carefully applied iodine to the cut lip before answering. His tone was grim. “I should have chained you to my wrist before I took you into that place.”
Jane dropped her eyes. “You would have found that a trifle inconvenient,” she said obscurely, remembering the sultry beauty at the blackjack table.
His eyes narrowed. “What's that supposed to mean?” he asked, critically examining her eye. “You're going to have a beaut of a shiner,” he commented.
“Nothing,” Jane murmured, as he tilted her chin and dabbed gently with the cold cloth at her swollen eye.
“You should never try to lie, redhead,” he said dryly. “You're clear as glass. Now, answer me.”
“It's just that I saw you with that woman,” Jane said awkwardly. “I'm sorry if my getting into trouble interrupted you.”
“What woman?” Jake asked, puzzled. Then his eyes gleamed mischievously. “Oh, that woman.” He threw the cloth into the sink and uncapped the small jar of unguentine and started smoothing the salve around her eye. “We hadn't reached the point where an interruption would have caused me any really traumatic frustration.”
Jane felt a rush of inexplicable relief at the knowledge that he had obviously forgotten the woman existed until she mentioned her.
“She was very beautiful,” Jane said tentatively.
“Luscious, quite luscious,” he agreed absently. Then he grinned mockingly. “What are you hinting at, brat? Are you under the same impression as Marc, that I can't survive the cruise without a woman in my bed?”
“Well, you do have that reputation,” Jane said demurely, her golden eyes dancing, “but you seem to be holding up very well, for a satyr.”
“You know, I'm tempted to make that black eye into a matched set,” he said in a conversational tone. “Not only do you deprive me of sexual solace, but you have the supreme insolence to taunt me with it.”
She giggled, and he flashed her a smile of such warmth that her heart skipped a beat. “Laugh, will you?” he said with mock ferocity. “I ought to make you take the luscious Consuelo's place in my bed tonight.”
She made a face. “You're not that hard up,” she said with an impudent grin.
“Well, it would be a bit like taking a prizefighter to bed,” he granted dryly. “But you know how we satyrs are—anybody would do in a clinch,” he punned.
She groaned. “That's terrible, Jake.