Kresley Cole - [MacCarrick Brothers 02]

“Hugh?” she murmured in a daze.
“What do you plan to do with me?”

“I’ve something on my mind,” he said, setting her on his bed, following her down. As he leaned above her, his dark hungry gaze flickered over her, and his voice broke low. “Something I need tae see.”

He rubbed an unsteady hand over his mouth, looking like a man in agony. His body seemed to thrum with tension. Frowning, she brought her palms up to cup his face, but he groaned and shuddered, even at that slight touch. What was happening here?

For all the books she’d read, for all that she’d heard from her cousins and learned in London, she’d never imagined a man behaving like this—as though he were about to die from desire, pained with a need so great he could scarcely speak and could barely stand to be touched.

Hugh slowly reached forward to brush her nightdress straps down her shoulders, then dipped a kiss to her collarbone. Just as she felt cool air on her breasts and belly, he hissed something in Gaelic, and sank back on his haunches to stare. She felt his gaze on her bared skin like a touch and arched her back for him.

Leaning forward once more, lowering his head, he rasped,
“Mercy….”

Acclaim for Kresley Cole!

“One of romance’s fastest rising stars!”

—
Romantic Times
Magazine

“With a captivating brand of passion all her own, Kresley Cole is destined to be a star of this genre!”

—The Romance Readers Connection

And praise for her novels…

IF YOU DARE

“Filled with heated passion and wonderful repartee.”

—
Romantic Times
Magazine
(Reviewers’ Choice Award Winner)

“Cole’s voice is powerful and gripping, and
If You Dare
is her steamiest yet!”

—
New York Times
bestselling author Linda Lael Miller

“A deliciously entertaining read that kept the sexual tension high!”

—Romance Designs

THE PRICE OF PLEASURE

“A splendid read! The sexual tension grips you from beginning to end.”

—
New York Times
bestselling author Virginia Henley

“Sexy and original! Sensual island heat that is not to be missed.”

—
New York Times
bestselling author Heather Graham

“Savor this marvelous, unforgettable, highly romantic novel by a fresh voice.”

—
Romantic Times
Magazine (Top Pick)

THE CAPTAIN OF ALL PLEASURES

“An exciting, sensuous story that will thrill you at every turn of the page.”

—readertoreader.com

“Electrifying…. Kresley Cole captures the danger and passion of the high seas.”

—
New York Times
bestselling author Joan Johnston

“Fast-paced action, heady sexual tension, steamy passion…. Exhilarating energy emanates from the pages…very smart and sassy.”

—
Romantic Times
Magazine
(Reviewers’ Choice Award Winner)

A HUNGER LIKE NO OTHER

“A unique romance—it truly stands on its own!”

—
New York Times
bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon

“Not just a romantic read…it’s a powerful experience!”

—The Best Reviews

“With intense action, devilishly passionate sex and fascinating characters,
A Hunger Like No Other
leads readers into an amazing and inventive alternate reality. Hot stuff!”

—
Romantic Times
Magazine (Top Pick)

Books by Kresley Cole

The Captain of All Pleasures

The Price of Pleasure

If You Dare

A Hunger Like No Other

No Rest for the Wicked

Available from Pocket Books

An
Original
Publication of POCKET BOOKS

POCKET BOOKS, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2007 by Kresley Cole

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Pocket Books, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

ISBN-13: 978-1-4165-2500-4
ISBN-10: 1-4165-2500-9

POCKET and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Visit us on the World Wide Web:
http://www.SimonSays.com

Cheers to the very real “sensation seekers,”
a virtually unrecognized breed of Victorian,
wild enough to imbibe, partake, and
cavort with reckless abandon
—and wily enough never to get caught by history.

Discipline is nothing more than avoiding consequences.
Ultimately, disciplined men will always prevail.

—Hugh Logan MacCarrick

Bringing a strong man to his knees is simple.
It’s keeping him there that’s the tricky business….

—Jane Farraday Weyland

Prologue

The Kingdom of Morocco, North Africa
1846

“T
ake the shot, MacCarrick!
” Davis Grey ordered yet again. His tone was harsh, but low enough not to give away their vantage, concealed high in the desolate headlands of the Atlas Mountains.

Hugh ignored him. This was to be his first kill, and he knew that once he committed this deed, there was no going back—a weighty decision for a man of only twenty-two years.

He would do it when he was bloody ready.

Taking his eye from the telescopic sight, Hugh released his rifle with one hand and ran his forearm over his face, wiping away the sweat and sand that stung his eyes like needles. Summer was upon them, and the surreal blue of the sky stretched relentlessly, unmarred by clouds. Hugh squinted against the light of a white, indistinct sun.

“Why in the hell are you hesitating?” Grey bit out. “It’s noon.” The sun was directly above, casting the fewest shadows of the day. Shadows mocked a gunman’s truest aim.

Hugh didn’t want to disappoint the older Grey, his mentor of sorts. Grey was Hugh’s only real friend outside of the MacCarrick clan, and the only person Hugh would spend time with, apart from his brothers. And apart from an auburn-haired lass Hugh would kill for. He gave a bitter laugh, adjusting his rifle against his shoulder.

In a way, he
was
killing for her.

To take out a stranger in cold blood was to cross a line. Which was what he wanted.

“Goddamn it, MacCarrick!” Grey yanked his own rifle and its detached refractor scope from his leather holster, assembling them. “It’ll take us four more weeks to get a shot like this again.”

That was true. The traitor knew he was marked for assassination for his treason and had been running for a month, before holing up in the abandoned Berber farm far below them. In this part of the world, even a battered, flat-roofed hut like the one below had a courtyard for a private oasis, and the man sat within it. He faced the courtyard’s only entrance with a pistol in his lap and a shotgun by his side, yet he was unguarded from above.

The shot was clear, but both of them knew Grey could never hit a target so far away. Where Grey’s preferred weapon was a blade, Hugh had been hunting and target-shooting since he’d been old enough to lift a rifle. Besides, Hugh wanted to act soon while the man was still alone. “I’ll do it,” Hugh grated, sliding a glance toward Grey. He refused to believe he saw excitement there in the man’s expression. This was a job, a foul task. Grey couldn’t enjoy this.

Hugh turned back and took a bead once more. The wind was light, but the target was more than a quarter of a mile away. The glare of the sun was an environmental factor, and the nearly four feet of his gun barrel were heated, as was the single bullet inside the chamber. He took all of this into account.

He stroked his forefinger over the trigger guard before placing his sensitive fingertip at the trigger, beginning a ritual he performed with every shot, almost unconsciously. With his other hand gripping the forestock, he rubbed his thumb twice over the wood, then froze halfway through an exhalation of breath.