“I may never speak of it again,” she warned.
“That’s an answer in itself.” He took her hand, laid a soft kiss on the back of it, and then released her, showing her that he didn’t just take what he wanted. He was content to wait for it to come to him. And his words made it seem quite natural for her to want to come to him.
“You’re a most perplexing man,” she said.
He smiled and it nearly took her breath away. “Yes, I know,” he said. “It’s part of my charm.”
She realized she was already leaning in for another kiss. Lord, he was dangerously attractive. Too bad he knew it.
Trying to recover a modicum of dignity, she rose to her feet. “It’s well past time to return.”
“You’re undoubtedly right.”
But she just stood there, overwhelmed by emotions.
Rafe stood too, never taking his attention from her. He raised one eyebrow. “What’s the matter? One foot in front of the other, beautiful. That’s how I manage it.” Now he was teasing her, but his teasing felt gentle rather than cruel.
“I’mmoving.” She took a step. There. She did remember how to walk. Then she stumbled in the darkness.
Rafe’s hand was at her elbow. “Careful,” he said in a low voice. “If you get a scratch, it will look very bad on me. Not to mention on you.”
Rafe walked Angelet back to the inn. It was as if the kiss and his outrageous proposal never happened. But Angelet could still feel his mouth on hers, and his arms around her, a sort of protective circle that urged her to forget the whole world and focus only on him. She had no doubt that if she allowed him into her bed, it would be…memorable. He made no secret of his flirtatious nature and his experience with women.
However, actually accepting his proposal was out of the question. She was a modest lady, a widow, a soon-to-be postulant in a nunnery. She was not some woman ruled only by her lust.
In fact, she’d been good and modest her whole life…and what had it got her except being sent away to a place where there was no other choice but to be good and modest? She curled a lip in irritation. Why should she never be allowed to enjoy anything in life on her own terms? She was always being ordered by someone else. A man with more power and authority than she’d ever have.
I’ll obey your every command.
The more she thought about it, the more Rafe’s offer made her blood catch fire. What would a night with him be like, if he truly obeyed her every command and indulged her every wish? Wouldn’t that be worth it, considering the years of solitary, holy loneliness that awaited her?
Chapter 9
Back at the inn, Rafetook Angelet directly to her door, and he was actually grateful the maid Bethany was there, attending to some task by candlelight. Two guards stood outside, just as Rafe ordered, which also kept him from making any remark that was too familiar.
On the left stood Dobson, one of the four men-at-arms that Otto had included as part of the revised agreement after the value of the chest had been revealed.
Dobson nodded a greeting to Rafe. “We’re to switch watches halfway through the night, sir?”
“Yes. Two others will take your place.”
“Are two guards at a time necessary, sir?” Dobson’s tone was diffident, but he obviously thought that it was overkill to guard a door inside the inn at all, let alone with multiple men with multiple watches.
“I hope it’s not necessary, Dobson,” Rafe said, keeping his manner easy. “But those are my instructions. Understand?”
“Yes, sir.” Dobson looked to be about forty—in other words, old enough to have learned that questioning an order wasn’t worth the hassle. “You’re in charge.”
Rafe relaxed. The last thing he needed was an insubordinate soldier on his first outing as a leader.
“Get some rest, my lady,” he told Angelet. “We leave early tomorrow.”
She nodded graciously, her manner not giving a hint that they’d exchanged a wildly inappropriate kiss. “I thank you for your advice, Sir Rafe. After such a long day of travel, and knowing my door is guarded so thoroughly, I shall sleep well indeed. Good night.”
He turned away and then got the hell out of range. Her words, designed to be neutral, immediately caused Rafe to picture Angelet laying on a soft, white featherbed. Her hair would spill out on the fabric, and her body would be just as soft as the feathers themselves. God, what he’d give to see that with his own eyes, to have her smile and invite him to join her, to spend a whole night with her.
However, she hadn’t accepted his offer, and who knew if she ever would? Rafe guessed she wasn’t quite as demure as she seemed as first—after all, she had been married, andshehad kissed him. But she didn’t exactly jump at his offer, either.
Until she did, he wouldn’t do anything about it. Well, he would try not to. Old habits died hard, though. Rafe spent most of his life indulging his vices, which happened to center around women. Over the past year or so, he’d been trying to be a better man. Truly. And in many ways, he had improved his behavior. But he’d never run into a temptation like Angelet before. Beautiful and intriguing and somehow still very innocent. He'd never been attracted to the fair, wide-eyed type. But hewasattracted to Angelet. Far too much.
