“I think so,” he said pleasantly. “Take off your gown.”
Brook blinked. Once.
It was not the reaction Ryland had wanted. He had hoped to shake her maddening poise and make her acknowledge his command of their present situation. “Take off your gown,” he repeated.
“You seem to have forgotten that I require some assistance,” she said.
He had. “All right. Come here.” Ryland uncrossed his legs and spread them apart as Brook approached. When she was standing between them he brusquely ordered her to turn around. He did not replace his pistol in the holster until he took out the knife sheathed inside his sleeve.
Brook felt Ryland give a little tug on the back of her gown, pulling the material away from her undergarments. Before she understood what he was about her gown was rent from neckline to waist. Gritting her teeth, Brook told herself she should be glad she had discovered that Ryland had a weapon in addition to the derringer. “Have you found Phillip’s money?” she asked saucily.
“My money,” Ryland corrected. “And no, I haven’t found it.”
“Then perhaps you’d better make short work of my corset as well.”
Ryland’s fingers slipped under the top of the corset and with his other hand sliced through the lacing in a single sweep. He repeated the motion with her shift and parted the material. The smooth skin of her slender back was marred by the stiff whalebone stays. “You should thank me,” he said, replacing the knife.
“Thank you?”
“For being able to breathe again.” he said. “Go on. Get back over by the bed.”
Brook did as she was told. “Satisfied?”
“Hardly. Step out of your gown.”
She stared at him, not moving.
“And get rid of that damn corset.”
SCARLET LIES
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Also by Jo Goodman
The Dennehy Sisters Series
Only My Love
My Heart’s Desire
Forever in My Heart
Always in My Dreams
The McClellan Series
Crystal Passion
Seaswept Abandon
Tempting Torment
The Thorne Brothers Trilogy
My Steadfast Heart
My Reckless Heart
With All My Heart
The Marshall Brothers Series
Her Defiant Heart
His Heart’s Revenge
The Compass Club Series
Let Me Be The One
Everything I Ever Wanted
All I Ever Needed
The Hamilton Family Series
More Than You Know
More Than You Wished
Single Titles
Scarlet Lies
Violet Fire
Sweet Fire
About the Author
Jo Goodman is a licensed professional counselor working with children and families in West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle. Always a fan of the happily ever after, Jo turned to writing romances early in her career as a child care worker when she realized the only life script she could control was the one she wrote herself. She is inspired by the resiliency and courage of the children she meets and feels privileged to be trusted with their stories, the ones that they alone have the right to tell.
Once upon a time, Jo believed she was going to be a marine biologist. She knows she is lucky that seasickness made her change course. She lives with her family in Colliers, West Virginia. Please visit her website at www.jogoodman.com.