Authors: Gloria Harchar
"
Excuse me?
"
"
Yes
. Didn
'
t you ever wonder why she would risk her reputation like that? She has guilt,
too. The two of you could do wonders for each other if you would merely open the door.
"
"
Her guilt is imagined. She didn
'
t kill William.
"
"
You haven
'
t answered my earlier question. Why did your father take your inheritance away?
"
The sigh that escaped his chest did nothing to relieve the tightness there.
"
Father didn
'
t like my stance on the excise tax issues.
"
"
How did William take your father
'
s high-handedness?"
Malcolm
didn
'
t want to talk about it, but the words came anyway
. "William
agreed, saying that I was too narrow-minded on political issues. I countered and said he was too selfish to think of anyone but his small group of friends. I purposely goaded him, knowing he would be angry and attack me in return. We grappled. I stepped back
, causing him to fall over the cliff
.
"
He pointed toward another part of the precipice that was covered in vines.
"
So he did it to himself.
"
"
No. Didn
'
t you hear me? I knew how he would react, and goaded him into fighting.
"
He grasped her by the shoulders.
"
Don
'
t you understand by now that you cannot save me?
"
"
Don
'
t you understand that you were brothers and that you loved him?
"
she countered.
"
How many times had you done that before, goaded him, and nothing came of it? I
'
m from the village, too. Growing up in these parts, I remember seeing you two wrestle and heckle each other about it later.
"
His chest throbbed.
"
You cannot make this inconsequential child play,
Nicola
.
"
"
I can and will. You always took the b
lame for everything. Always
. I was there when William hid rotten eggs in Lady Pemberly
'
s coach. I saw how you were accused. You never said anything. You merely took the punishment, getting half rations for a sennight.
"
"
Why are we talking about my
bloody
childhood? What does that have to do with anything?
"
"
It has everything to do with what you are today. When are you going to stop taking punishment for the sake of your brother?
"
"
You are fit for Bedlam.
"
"
Am I?
"
Reaching for her bodice, she unhooked the front.
"
What are you doing?
"
he asked as he watched her bare her breasts.
"
Nicola
?
"
"
Proving a point.
"
Cradling the back of his hand, she brought his palm to her breast.
"
You even punish yourself by denying my love for you.
"
With a boldness that took his breath away, she cupped his already growing manhood.
"
That
'
s lust,
"
he growled.
"
Prove it. Make love to me,
and then
tell me what is in your heart.
"
Reaching up, she pulled his head toward her.
He was helpless. Settling into the warmth of her lips, he devoured her. Her taste never ceased to enthrall him. Like an aphrodisiac from the Far East, the exotic taste, feel and moves had all become familiar to him,
ye
t were still n
ew. Barely realizing what he did
, he carried her from the cliff,
and then
tumbled her onto the rich grass.
By now he should know her. This should be as common as his old Hessians. But it wasn
'
t. How could he still savor the silkiness of her skin, the manner in which she sighed when he stroked her buttocks and thighs? The scent of her lemony cleanness complemented the earthy smells of a spring day that held a hint of rain. Right now, at this moment, he couldn
'
t imagine a time when he wouldn
'
t be overcome by thirst for her.
Then he was plunging into her delectable warmth.
"
Say that you love me,
"
she commanded.
He panted, wanting to resist, wanting to give in.
"
Say it,
"
she demanded, pushing on his shoulders in a silent urge for him to roll over.
He did, ignoring the root that dug into his back. With a move that stole his breath away, she sheathed him in her, an erotic torture that would strain any man
'
s resolve.
"
Say the words.
"
Her whisper wafted over his lips, warm and sweet.
"
Heaven help me, but I think I do.
"
"
Now say
you didn
'
t kill your brother.
"
"
If you say so,
"
he growled, past the ability to reason. With a fierceness that left him gasping for air, she grasped his hips and pulled him in deeper.
The rhythm thickened his blood, sent it pounding through his shaft and whole body until a sheen of sweat covered him. That, combined with the scent of
Nicola
'
s own musky arousal, the sight of her
splayed
atop him, her breasts a tantalizing breath away, her uninhibited nature as she moved to make them one, caused him to unravel into a million threads. One final squeeze of that silken- ness and he gave himself over to the vortex, spiraling down, down, down into
Nicola
'
s delicious warmth.
He must have dozed because when he opened his
eyes
, the sun had shifted.
She lay next to him, her head propped on her hand.
"
Did you ever notice the color of William
'
s
eyes
?
"
A rock jabbed his hip.
"
Mm
?
"
"
Your brother
'
s
eyes
. What color were they? Brown?
"
Abruptly, the memory of his brother
'
s
eyes
was so keen that his chest burned.
"
Blue.
They were blue. As deep and brilliant as the
Clockwork
Blue
.
"
"
That
'
s a beautiful sentiment. It
'
s why you wanted it so much.
"
She stared at him in tender wonder, and he felt a hint of self-forgiveness break over him.
A light rain began to fall. A curl of hair clung to the dewy nape of
Nicola
'
s neck. He moved it with his nose and buried his face in her softness. When the rain increased, he lifted her to her feet. She began to hook her bodice.
"
Leave it,
"
he said. Adjusting his breeches, he swept her into his arms.
"
Malcolm
? I can
'
t return to the manor like this,
"
she said. She began to pull together her bodice.
"
Leave it just the way it is,
"
he murmured. He pulled her hand away, savoring the view.
"
I
'
m not through with you
ye
t. I want privacy, so I
'
m taking you to the hunting cabin.
"
"
Oh,
Malcolm
,
"
she whispered and stroked his damp hair. A bead of water clung to her nipple and he lifted her up to suckle, savoring the taste of her mingling with the fresh rain.
As he carried her into the small haven, he came to a decision. He would relish this time with her. Who knew what the future might bring? It didn
'
t make everything better, but he could allow himself some happiness.
She
'
d led
Malcolm
into the light
.
Nicola
whistled
a happy tune as she stood in the dye house and inspected a swatch of recently-dyed fabric
.