Daniel shook his head, a wry smile curving his lips. “You look like hell. What were you thinking? That mongrel was twice your size.”
“I couldn’t stand by and do nothing.” He took a deep breath. “Thanks for the help, Daniel.”
Daniel grinned. “It was my pleasure, you stupid, big-hearted bastard.” There was a note of affection in his tone, and for the first time in his life, Talon decided not to take offense at being called a bastard.
They stared at each other for a long moment, and Talon felt a sudden surge of kinship. For all their differences, this man shared his blood. Daniel was his brother, and today he’d actually been there when Talon had needed him. It was strange, unsettling, and a trifle sad. He couldn’t help wondering how different both their lives might have been if they’d grown up together, defending each other’s backs since childhood. “Come on,” Daniel said at last. “Kate’s probably worried about us.” Talon followed Daniel through the door that led into the common sitting area, pondering the “us”, confused by Daniel’s behavior and his own.
“What happened?” Kate rushed to Talon’s side, the concern on her lovely face erasing any doubts he’d had about whether she still cared for him.
Talon attempted a wry smile, feeling a bit sheepish. His split lip pulled painfully, and he abandoned the effort. “It’s nothing.”
Daniel laughed. “He’s so modest. You should have seen him, taking on a brute twice his size to keep a young boy from being brutalized. It was quite heroic.”
Kate shook her head and ushered Talon to a chair. She urged him to sit and handed him a wet washcloth to press to his bleeding nose. “I never doubted his bravery.” Kate brushed a lock of hair from Talon’s forehead. “He’s been my hero on several occasions.”
“I’m not a hero,” Talon said to cover his discomfort. He hated deceiving her. “Besides, if Daniel hadn’t arrived, the lout probably would have killed me.”
“I’ll be the judge of who is brave and who is not, if you please. And I think you should both be commended.” She smiled and then glanced over her shoulder at Daniel. “Would you find me a basin of warm water and some rags so I can tend to your brother’s face?”
“Of course.” Daniel winked at Talon and then left the cabin, closing the door behind him. For the first time in days, Talon found himself alone with Kate.
Her hands drifted over his face, cataloguing his injuries as she tsked beneath her breath. No one had ever coddled him in such a manner. Even his mother had always been too caught up in her own miseries to worry about his.
She massaged his temples, eliciting a small sound of pleasure from the back of his throat. He closed his eyes, reveling in the attention. Her touch was like a gentle rain upon the parched surface of his soul. He drank her in, determined to take as much from this moment as he could since she offered it so freely.
“I think your beautiful nose is broken,” she told him. “Your lip is cut, and you’ll probably have two black eyes in the morning.”
“It was worth it to have you touch me this way.” He didn’t bother to open his eyes and see if his words had affected her. Daniel would be back soon, and the mood would be shattered. He was determined to enjoy her sweetness for as long as possible.
She caught her breath, and he felt the fine tremor of her hands upon his skin. “Talon,” she whispered, her soft voice caressing his name. “You know how much I care about you. But you also know I’m a married woman. I can’t keep letting this happen. It’s wrong.”
“You’re not married.” He opened his eyes and glared at her, willing her to listen. “You’ve been cooped up on this ship with the man for two weeks, but that doesn’t make a marriage.”
Her eyes clouded, and she let her hands fall away. “Maybe not. But it’s a start. Daniel and I have to learn to get along with each other. He’s all I have. There will be no children. We’ll never return to England.”
“You have me, Kate. All you need to do is say the word. I could make you so happy.”
“How will it make me happy to take you as my lover?” Her blunt words shocked him, and she shook her head. “It would be far too easy for me to fall in love with you, and that would only lead to a broken heart because eventually you would leave me. Besides, I could never live with the guilt.”
He sighed and turned his face away. “I live with guilt every day. You manage to get used to it after awhile.”
But that was a lie. He would never get used to it, and it was never going to go away. Even if he managed to win his men’s freedom, the guilt would still be there. If anything, it would be stronger because in saving their lives, he’d have done exactly as Kate feared. He would have broken her tender heart.
The door opened, ending their conversation. Daniel slipped back in, carrying a basin of steaming water he must have gotten from the galley. He set it on the table in front of them, frowning as he took a closer look at Talon’s face. “Well, you won’t be quite so pretty for awhile, but I imagine you’ll live.”
Kate wet the washcloth, lifting it to Talon’s face. “This might sting a bit.”
“It’s all right.” He tried to take the cloth from her hand, unwilling to have her hands on him while Daniel was in the room. “I can do it.”
She put one hand on his chest and flashed him a warning look. “Let me do this for you. I want to.”
“All right.” He couldn’t resist her plea. Despite all her talk of marriage and duty and guilt, she seemed unable to resist this chance to be near him.
Talon held still while she bathed his bloody face, struggling to control his rioting emotions. She traced the outline of his lips with infinite care, and he wondered if she was remembering the kisses they’d shared.
He was. In fact, he’d been unable to think of little else. Especially since that morning in her cabin when she’d come so willingly into his arms. Turning away from her had been so hard, and he wondered why he’d bothered.
He wanted her so badly he ached. More than half a year had passed since he’d found release within a woman’s body, and he knew making love to Kate would surpass all his other romantic experiences.
