Excerpt of Midnight Captive by Arial Burnz

Under different circumstances, she'd be very taken with this man. And she still couldn't help wondering where she'd seen his face.

Throwing his cloak back over his shoulders, he revealed a broad chest that rippled under the thin material of his black shirt as he reached across his hip for his sword.

Cailin blanched. Not many men carried swords on their person in the port city of Leith—daggers were the weapon of choice and easier to conceal—and those that did rarely matched the craftsmanship of this blade. This was not a cheap, decorative sword. Out of one mess and into another. She swallowed her fear and stood her ground.

"I suggest a wager." He winked.

"I am not a gambling woman."

Tilting his head back, he laughed and Cailin clenched her jaw, her cheeks blooming with heat again. Amusement twinkling in his eyes, he ignored her comment. "A challenge. If you win, I shall let you walk free."

"And if you win?"

The amusement in his eyes transformed into smoldering desire. "I shall have to take you in hand and see you submit..." His eyes raked her body. "To the proper authority." He folded his arms in front of him, the blade of his sword sweeping up and standing erect from his fist.

Cailin's breath left her in a rush and fire surged through her body—from the fluttering in her stomach to the tingling in her toes. She did not miss his twofold meaning, and drew a deep, steadying breath, biting her tongue; though keeping her tongue proved more difficult to manage. "We shall see about this, sir."