His words had been cruel, lashing, like the angry strikes of a whip. But it had been a gut reaction, a response to the red haze of fury that had overpowered his good sense. From the moment he’d discovered she was no boy, but instead a beautiful woman who happened to be put together more perfectly than any other he’d ever seen, he’d been unaccountably drawn to her. It was as though his body already knew her, had already taken and enjoyed, slaked itself inside her, only in some other place – another lifetime. It made him uneasy, distrustful of his own judgment. It had happened once before, when he’d returned home from the war to find out his ‘loving’ fiancé had married his best friend. That experience had proven just how flawed his judgment was when it came to women. Just a few minutes ago, Cade had seemed completely unaffected by what had to have been a traumatic experience, courtesy of his brother, Robert. Had she told the truth? He’d seen the brand on the inside of her luscious thigh with his own eyes.
