His mouth came down on hers with possessive hunger. She opened under him, softly receiving, absorbing all his aggression and turning it into something sweet, something deeper. He groaned and pulled her harder against him, his tongue surging into her mouth, stroking, caressing, inflaming. She captured it. Sucked on it and a shudder went through him. That, more than anything, enticed and emboldened her. The fact that she could reduce this formidable man to shaking with desire.
He backed her into the statue. The pedestal was the height of her hips, and he lifted her to sit on it. Standing between her spread knees, he continued to kiss her while his hands sneaked under her dress and petticoats to roam possessively over the bare skin of her thighs. She should stop this. They were in a public place, for goodness’ sake. Anyone could come around the corner and see them. She tried to gather enough breath to say so, but the next instant Colin froze, his head snapping to the side in alertness.
She was wondering what had caught his attention when she saw them. Three men emerged from behind a cluster of bushes. She had a fleeting impression of mean faces, burly arms, and hands holding knives before Colin stepped in front of her, facing the ruffians. The thugs exchanged wicked grins as they stood menacingly blocking their path.
“Well, well, what do we ‘ave here? A couple of lovebirds.” Said the one who appeared to be the leader.
“Looks like we stumbled upon some fresh prey.” His partner, a short rotund man with a balding pate, replied.
Cold fear swamped her. Would anybody come to their aid if she screamed? But they hadn’t seen anybody else in the maze. Most people had already moved towards the esplanade, eager to secure a good location to watch the balloon.
The privacy they were enjoying just a moment ago had now turned dangerous. Colin took a deep breath. Without moving a muscle, she felt all his senses come alert, although his stance remained relaxed. He looked ready to strike.
“Back off. I advise you to turn around and leave us while you still can,” he said in a level voice, pinning them with a hard stare.
The trio laughed uproariously. “Or what? You gonna fight us,milord?” The leader jeered while they advanced, closing in on them.
“If I have to.” Colin replied as his stance shifted subtly, muscles readying for a fight.
“Don’t think so. That’s a fancy piece you have there.” The ruffian taunted, looking at her. “Maybe we’ll have some fun with her after we have dispatched you.”
“Get behind the statue, Abby.” He said to her sotto voce. She didn’t know how he could be so calm. She was trembling inside. Colin was strong. She had seen his muscles, felt the strength of those arms, but surely he was no match against three ruffians armed with knives.
“Colin, you can’t fight these men by yourself.” She whispered, frantic with worry. “I could try to get past them. Run for help–”
“No. Don’t run. We are in a maze. You could get lost and they would catch you. Stay behind me.”
There was no time for more words. With a swift motion, the leader of the band lunged forward, stabbing at Colin with lethal menace.
Her husband exploded into motion.
There was no other way to describe his actions. Effortlessly dodging the attack, Colin grabbed the arm of the attacker, whirled and flipped the man over his head, flinging him to the ground. The knife fell from his nerveless fingers as his arm lay twisted at an odd angle.
The other two thugs hesitated for a moment, realizing they had underestimated Colin. But Colin didn’t give them time to react. In the same movement, he pivoted, his leg striking out at an impossibly high angle, swift and straight, to kick another attacker on the side of the head with the heel of his boot. The man crumpled to the ground insensible.
The third attacker circled behind him and tried to stab Colin in the back. A terrified scream of warning left her lungs, but she needn’t have bothered. As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Colin crouched low and swiveled, a leg stretched out, swiping the feet from under his assailant, who fell to the ground in an ungainly heap. Colin followed with a chop to the side of the neck and the man went slack.
Abigail stared in awe at the way her husband had single-handedly dispatched the thugs, his movements fluid and controlled. The whole thing had lasted mere seconds and left two men unconscious and one sprawled on the ground, moaning in agony.
Colin wasn’t even out of breath. Standing like a conqueror in the middle of a battlefield, looking around with murder in his eyes.
He was magnificent. And a little frightening.
Then he turned his attention to her and his gaze softened, becoming tender and concerned.
“Are you unharmed?”
“Yes, of course. How about you? I’m not the one who fought three ruffians with knives. Colin, how did you learn to fight like that?”
He shrugged. “Let’s just say my training with Wang involved more than back stretches. Wang is a Chinese martial arts master. He taught me.”
“That was incredible! I was so frightened, I thought...” her voice caught in a sob and his arms came around her. Strong and protective. She clung to his coat, burying her face in his chest, inhaling his comforting male essence.
“Let’s get out of here.” Colin said, grabbing her hand and guiding her out of the maze. “We have to find a policeman and send him here to pick up these three.”
“Are they dead?” She whispered. The leader was moaning semi consciously, but the other two were so still.
“No. Merely unconscious. But not for long. I want to get you to safety and come back before they wake up and have a chance to escape. I am very interested in learning what they have to say when arrested.”
