Born in Sin by Kinley MacGregor

wrinkled her nose as she regarded him. “It’s a very short list.”
    “Unlike yours. I’ll wager your list is long. Infinite, probably.”
    He was teasing her and she enjoyed it a great deal. For the first time, she realized he was a different man around her. He never teased anyone else and he seemed a bit more relaxed in her presence. The thought thrilled her. “As a matter of fact, my list is quite infinite.”
    “You probably enjoy dancing and singing.”
    “Aye. Do you?”
    “I’ve never attempted either.”
    “Not once?”
    He shook his head.
    “Why?”
    He took a deep drink of wine and set the cup aside. “Never had time as a youth, and as a man I never had any inclination.”
    “Oh. I don’t suppose you read?”
    “Nay.”
    “So, what is it you do when you’re home and not serving your king?”
    “I train.”
    “And when you’re not training?”
    “I think about training.”
    “And when you’re not doing that?”
    “I’m resting so that I can train when I rise.”
    She grimaced at his earnestness. “Are you being honest, or are you just being irritating?”
    “I’m always honest, milady, and am told most often irritating.”
    Her heart lurched at the casual way he said that. He was so accepting of the way others treated him.
    “Always honest, eh? I don’t think I’ve ever met a man who could claim that.”
    His black eyes burned into hers. “I’ve done many things in my life, things that I wish I’d never done, but I have never lied.”
    Somehow that comforted her.
    “Tell me, Lord Sin—”
    “Sin,” he said, interrupting her.
    “What?”
    “Just call me Sin. I’m not one for titles.”
    “But you are an earl, are you not?” She’d heard one of the courtiers refer to him as such. The man had told her Sin had lands all over England, Normandy and Outremer.
    “I am a man, Caledonia. I’m not a title, and the only thing I wish to be master of is myself.”
    It was the first time she’d heard her name from his lips. A tingle swept over her. There was something very intimate about the way he had spoken her name. “Is that why you don’t show a coat of arms?”
    Sin didn’t answer. “Why don’t you tell me about you, milady?”
    He was a sly one, trying deftly to distract her, but she wasn’t about to let him get away with such tactics. “I know all about me; ’tis you I don’t know.”
    “Aye, but I know nothing of you. Nothing except you are fearless.”
    She rubbed her neck nervously. “Far from fearless. I have been terrified since the moment my father died.” She couldn’t believe those words came out of her mouth. She’d told no one of that.
    “Why?”
    “He was everything to my clan. He held them together when one half wanted to attack the English and the other half just wanted peace.”
    Sin nodded as if he understood, and she felt a sudden connection with him, though why she would feel such, she couldn’t imagine. “Your uncle is laird now?”
    “Aye. They wanted to elect me, but I refused. I knew such a thing would hurt my brother Dermot. He already feels very competitive with me because of our mothers. I had no wish to make it worse for him.”
    Sin took a bite of pheasant. “What about your mothers would make him feel competitive?”
    “My mother was cousin to King David.” Callie paused as she saw hatred flare in his eyes at the mention of the former Scottish king. “You don’t like him?”
    “Let’s just say the one time I met him, we did not get along.”
    “But he was such a good man.”
    Sin looked away.
    Callie swallowed her nervousness. Would his hatred of her cousin spill over onto her? There was no doubt that Sin had no use whatsoever for David, but she couldn’t imagine why. Davey had been nothing but kind to her when she had lived at his court.
    “And Dermot and Jamie’s mother?” he asked.
    “She was a very young shepherdess. I was Jamie’s age when my father met her. He fell in love and married her within a month’s