slipped her arm around her sister’s shoulders. The protective gesture was not lost on Shaw. “We have a lot of catching up to do.”
The man looked as if he might be debating making a stand after all. Shaw shifted his weight, issuing a silent warning to him. “The lady said leave.”
If looks could kill, there would have been three dead bodies within the room. “The lady hasn’t heard the last of this yet,” Simon warned before storming out of the suite and slamming the door behind him.
Moira blew out a sigh of relief, then flashed an encouraging smile at the woman beside her.
Shaw’s eyes shifted from one woman to the other. They looked alike. Not so he would mistake one for the other when they were standing side by side. Seeing them both, he could readily identify which one was Moira. But he wasn’t so sure about his ability to tell one from the other if he’d happened along just one of them.
Moira’s eyes were greener, he decided. And she looked a lot more in control, more vivid than the woman next to her.
Shaw made the natural assumption. “Is this your sister?”
“My baby sister,” Moira qualified with the kind of warm pride that had no foundations other than love.
The woman flushed. “Eleven months. Moira’s just eleven months older.” Belatedly, she put out her hand. “My name’s Carrie.”
Moira snorted. “Your name would have been mud if you had gone with him.”
She shook her head, still stunned that the vibrant, gregarious sister she’d once known would have allowed herself to become subjugated by a man like that. Granted, Simon was good-looking, but looks only went so far. Kindness could bridge all sorts of gaps, and if she was any judge of character, she knew that the man her sister was involved with didn’t have a drop of kindness in him.
Carrie shrugged nervously. “He’ll cool off. He’ll be fine.”
“He’ll be alone,” Moira insisted. She saw the look on Carrie’s face. Given half a chance, she’d forgive the man who had abused her and go back to him. She could hardly believe it, but there it was, in Carrie’s eyes. “I don’t want you seeing him again.”
The moment threatened to erupt in a confrontation between the sisters.
“So she’s bossy like that with everyone?” Shaw asked the other woman, seeking to lighten the tension, at least while he was still in the room.
Carrie nodded. “Pretty much.” Her smile faded a little as she looked at Moira. “It’s one of the reasons I left.”
“And maybe one of the reasons you came back,” Moira guessed.
But this was something that needed discussing later, privately. Moira looked at Shaw. Under other circumstances, his appearance on her doorstep might have been the beginning of something. But not right now. Not while she had Carrie to worry about.
“Speaking of coming back, why did you?” She wasn’t going to allow herself to speculate about the reasons for his return. “Not that I’m not grateful for the cavalry appearing at just the right moment,” she added.
“You forgot these.” Slipping his hand into his right pocket, Shaw took out the earrings she’d handed him in the ballroom. He held them up. They caught the light and flirted with it. “I thought you might want them.”
Moira saw her sister’s eyes grow huge as she looked at the dangling earrings. If they’d been real, they would have easily been worth twenty thousand dollars—each. “Thanks.” She took them from Shaw. “But you didn’t have to come back for that.”
He shrugged. “I didn’t like the idea of carrying around expensive jewelry in my pocket.”
“You weren’t.” When he raised an inquiring eyebrow, she explained, “This is just costume jewelry.”
He laughed shortly. They certainly had fooled him. And given him a reason to return, which had turned out fortunate for everyone. He’s seen people like that guy before. They got off by threatening women.
Shaw touched the tip of one earring in her palm. “Sure
The man looked as if he might be debating making a stand after all. Shaw shifted his weight, issuing a silent warning to him. “The lady said leave.”
If looks could kill, there would have been three dead bodies within the room. “The lady hasn’t heard the last of this yet,” Simon warned before storming out of the suite and slamming the door behind him.
Moira blew out a sigh of relief, then flashed an encouraging smile at the woman beside her.
Shaw’s eyes shifted from one woman to the other. They looked alike. Not so he would mistake one for the other when they were standing side by side. Seeing them both, he could readily identify which one was Moira. But he wasn’t so sure about his ability to tell one from the other if he’d happened along just one of them.
Moira’s eyes were greener, he decided. And she looked a lot more in control, more vivid than the woman next to her.
Shaw made the natural assumption. “Is this your sister?”
“My baby sister,” Moira qualified with the kind of warm pride that had no foundations other than love.
The woman flushed. “Eleven months. Moira’s just eleven months older.” Belatedly, she put out her hand. “My name’s Carrie.”
Moira snorted. “Your name would have been mud if you had gone with him.”
She shook her head, still stunned that the vibrant, gregarious sister she’d once known would have allowed herself to become subjugated by a man like that. Granted, Simon was good-looking, but looks only went so far. Kindness could bridge all sorts of gaps, and if she was any judge of character, she knew that the man her sister was involved with didn’t have a drop of kindness in him.
Carrie shrugged nervously. “He’ll cool off. He’ll be fine.”
“He’ll be alone,” Moira insisted. She saw the look on Carrie’s face. Given half a chance, she’d forgive the man who had abused her and go back to him. She could hardly believe it, but there it was, in Carrie’s eyes. “I don’t want you seeing him again.”
The moment threatened to erupt in a confrontation between the sisters.
“So she’s bossy like that with everyone?” Shaw asked the other woman, seeking to lighten the tension, at least while he was still in the room.
Carrie nodded. “Pretty much.” Her smile faded a little as she looked at Moira. “It’s one of the reasons I left.”
“And maybe one of the reasons you came back,” Moira guessed.
But this was something that needed discussing later, privately. Moira looked at Shaw. Under other circumstances, his appearance on her doorstep might have been the beginning of something. But not right now. Not while she had Carrie to worry about.
“Speaking of coming back, why did you?” She wasn’t going to allow herself to speculate about the reasons for his return. “Not that I’m not grateful for the cavalry appearing at just the right moment,” she added.
“You forgot these.” Slipping his hand into his right pocket, Shaw took out the earrings she’d handed him in the ballroom. He held them up. They caught the light and flirted with it. “I thought you might want them.”
Moira saw her sister’s eyes grow huge as she looked at the dangling earrings. If they’d been real, they would have easily been worth twenty thousand dollars—each. “Thanks.” She took them from Shaw. “But you didn’t have to come back for that.”
He shrugged. “I didn’t like the idea of carrying around expensive jewelry in my pocket.”
“You weren’t.” When he raised an inquiring eyebrow, she explained, “This is just costume jewelry.”
He laughed shortly. They certainly had fooled him. And given him a reason to return, which had turned out fortunate for everyone. He’s seen people like that guy before. They got off by threatening women.
Shaw touched the tip of one earring in her palm. “Sure
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