Chapter 8 #3
Now, this was getting out of hand. He wasn’t the only one to blame here. True, he’d been with a lot of women, but he had never forced any of them. In fact, he usually wasn’t even the one doing the pursuing.
“Tell me, Maggie, have you ever asked yourself why it is I might be such?”
She didn’t hesitate. “Because you’re a man.”
He snorted at her response. She made it sound as if his being a man explained all the questions of the universe. “In part, but have you failed to notice how many women come after me?”
Her jaw dropped and she raked him with a scathing, repugnant look. “And that’s your excuse? They come after you and so it frees your conscience up to just take what it is they offer? Consequences be damned? You’re disgusting.”
“Nay, I’m not disgusting,” he said quickly. “You say I am unconstant. Well, what of your fine feminine friends? I can hardly be unconstant alone.”
“So, what are you saying?”
“I’m saying that I’m not the only one to blame here. As you said yourself, I’m a man and it’s hard to resist a woman when she’s crawling naked into your bed, begging for your favor, or pressing her body up against yours while she whispers in your ear all the things she wants to do to you.”
She looked aghast. “Are you trying to tell me that all the women are seducing you? That you are just a humble little lord walking about, minding your own business, when some evil woman sneaks up upon you and forces you to take her?”
“You don’t believe me?”
“Of course I don’t believe you. It wasn’t me doing the seducing last night, Braden MacAllister. It was you breathing in my ear and making free with your hands on my body.”
“That was different.”
“How so?”
He didn’t honestly want to think about it.
But in his heart, he knew it was different.
“Did it never occur to you that if I could ever find a woman who was completely loyal to me, then I would certainly be loyal back? I would love to find one woman on this earth who would be concerned for me, and never ask me to do unconscionable things to please her. To have a woman who wouldn’t stray from my bed into the next man who turned her head. Sadly, I’ve never known such a one.”
She scoffed. “Now there’s a bit of irony.” She gave him an incredulous look as if she couldn’t believe what he had said. “Would you really be able to confine yourself to one single woman?”
“Aye. Do you not think I wouldn’t love to have a home with children?
I’d give most anything for it, but I’ll not be made a fool of by some bonny lass with wandering eyes.
My brother Kieran killed himself over a fickle woman who wasn’t content with him but had to have Ewan as well.
And the woman they loved, after tearing our family apart and causing Kieran’s death, abandoned Ewan the first chance she got to go off with a richer man.
Women, in case you’ve been asleep during Sunday mass, are the root of all evil. ”
He could tell by the look on her face that she would love to strangle him, but to her credit she merely glared at him. “Women would never be evil if it weren’t for men such as yourself leading them down the fiery path to hell.”
Now that made him see red. How dare she blame it all on his gender. “You can’t be blaming men alone for it.”
“Can’t I?” she asked, her voice high pitched and angry. “As you said yourself it takes two to form a tryst. More often than not, ‘tis the man doing the leading.”
Braden couldn’t believe that came out of her mouth when she, of all women, ought to know better.
“That so? Do you not remember the time when I was but ten-and-six and your friends laid an ambush for me? Why, I barely escaped with my life.”
It truly had been unnerving. He had come down a path, near a copse of trees when ten girls had launched themselves at him.
They had tackled him to the ground and started screaming in his ears how much they loved him and how they wanted him to marry them.
They had ripped his plaid and tugged his hair until he was bloody from it.
Somehow, he’d managed to find his way out of their groping hands, and Maggie had hidden him inside the hollow of an oak tree, then sent the girls off in the wrong direction.
It was the last time he had ventured to her house without an escort.
He saw the recollection on Maggie’s face as her eyes turned a bit sheepish.
“And,” Braden continued, “what about that time at your house when you pretended to fall down, and when I tried to help you up, you latched onto me so tight that you almost strangled me.”
Her face turned bright red and he knew in that instant that she had been as guilty of laying a trap for him as the other lasses.
“That was different,” she said, defensively.
“How so?”
“It just was.”
Braden narrowed his eyes on her, certain now of his victory. “You may not like the truth, Maggie, but the truth is that most women are up to no good when it comes to men.”
Her face was a mirror of disbelief. “You arrogant, apish, under-honest lewdster!”
Braden laughed at her insults. He had to give her credit, she could rival his brothers for creativity.
Her body rigid with rage, she whirled around and stomped ahead of him.
Braden hurried his step until he stood directly behind her and Sin.
Sin cast a curious glance at him over his shoulder before looking at Maggie.
Her eyes snapped amber fire. “Your brother is a beslubbering, churlish, hell-governed princox, and I hope one day he gets the beating he deserves for it.”
Sin threw his head back and laughed.
“You find that funny?” she asked incredulously.
“Indeed.” Sin smiled . “You’re the only woman I have ever known who insulted him. And you do it so well.”
Braden joined Sin’s laughter.
Now, she was furious at them both. If only she wasn’t so beautiful when she was angry, Braden mused ruefully. Aye, bright red looked good in her cheeks.
“Men,” she fumed as she stomped on ahead of them. “Who needs them?”