Scandalized by a Scoundrel (9 page)

Her lips curl into a tiny, regretful smile. “I’ve spent my whole life cooped up and protected, and you gave me a taste of the adventure I’ve been longing for. Thank you.” She lifted onto her toes and pressed a soft, sweet kiss to his cheek.

He closed his eyes as his heart thundered in his chest. Her scent was like a drug, daring him to give in to the desire that flooded his whole body. When he opened his eyes, he could see exactly how close she was. So near that if he only turned his head an inch or two, her lips could be his.

He swallowed, willing himself not to move. She started to lower back down from her tiptoes, but she stilled halfway and raised her gaze to his. Indecision warred on her lovely face, even as her breathing increased.

“Gabriel,” she whispered, leaning into him.

He fisted his hands at his side, determined to let her have complete control. He swallowed thickly. “Yes?”

“If I promise that it won’t mean anything, will you kiss me goodbye?”

If it didn’t mean anything? At this point, such an idea seemed impossible. Looking toward the street, he slipped his hand behind her back and tugged her farther into the ally, where the chance of anyone seeing them diminished. Dusk was beginning to fall, casting them in shadow and giving the illusion of privacy. He licked his lips and gently wrapped his arms around her. Pressing his forehead to hers, he said, “Are you certain?”

She nodded, the movement small but impossible to misinterpret. In that moment, she was his. Something inside him broke loose at the thought, and without waiting another second, he lifted his hands to her jaw, cupping her face as though she were made of the finest porcelain. Slowly, purposefully, he lowered his lips to hers.

Chapter Eight

A thousand butterflies took flight in her belly as Gabriel’s mouth pressed against hers. Amelia groaned with the pleasure of the moment, memorizing the way his body felt against hers and the scent of leather and spice that would forever remind her of his kiss.

She didn’t even realize they were moving until her back touched the cold stone of the wall behind her. She lifted her chin, opening fully to him, accepting the exquisite glide of his whiskey-flavored tongue as it danced with hers. God, but she’d been right to come. This was the goodbye they were meant to have. This kiss did justice to the intensity of their short time together. He may have only stayed for a week, but she’d remember it, and most especially this kiss, for as long as she lived.

Too late, she heard the footsteps behind him. She broke the kiss, but before she could so much as blink, a meaty fist slammed into Gabriel’s temple, the sound of flesh against bone sending terror racing down her spine.

His eyes rolled back in his head as he collapsed to the ground like a sack of flour. It all happened so fast. Amelia started to scream, her hand fumbling for her gun, but in an instant the man was on her, his fingers closing roughly around her throat, cutting off her scream along with her air supply. Dimly, she realized there were two of them, her attacker and another man standing over Gabriel, emptying his pockets with one hand while holding a broad-bladed knife in the other.

Panic flashed through her, more vivid than anything she had ever experienced. White spots popped into her vision as she struggled to pull the man’s hands from her throat to no avail. He was leaning into her, pressing her hard against the wall as his hands maintained their steely grip. The more she fought, the more he squeezed.

God, she was going to die.

Just like her mother, just as her father had always feared—she was going to die at the hands of a filthy criminal.
No,
she wouldn’t allow it to happen. She’d trained to protect herself, hadn’t she? She tried to break through the panic, push past the dizzying haze that clouded her air-starved brain. What was she supposed to do when someone held her like this?
What
?

All at once, Gabriel’s calm, authoritative voice flashed though her mind
. You want your fingers to connect with the eyelids while the palm slaps the cheeks.

With the edges of her vision growing dim, she scrambled to rip off her gloves. Once free, she raised her bare hands and slapped against the man’s eyes with every bit of strength she possessed in the world.

His head snapped back as he let out a shocked cry. His backward momentum dislodged his hands from her throat, and she clambered to get away even as she gasped desperately for air. The other man cursed and jumped out of the way, stumbling over Gabriel’s prone form in his haste.

She didn’t have time to recover—she had to move
now
. With her blood hammering wildly through her veins, she jammed her hand into her pocket, closed her fingers over the familiar brass grip of her pistol, and yanked it free of her skirts. The man with the knife recovered his balanced and charged at her, his blade extended menacingly in front of him.

Amelia swung the gun up in a smooth arc, bringing him to an abrupt halt. He exchanged glances with his partner, clearly unsure of what to do. Widening her stance, she moved her arm back and forth, pointing the pistol alternatively between the two men. “Get back,” she growled, her voice raspy but fierce. Surprise registered on both their faces, but they didn’t retreat.

The taller man, the one who had tried to choke her, narrowed his eyes as his lip curled into a sneer. “Ye can’t shoot us both. Ye can bet the other will be on ye the second yer shot is spent.”

She straightened to her full height, glaring at them with all the ferocity of a woman who had spent her whole life fighting against the fear of just this sort of thing. They would
not
win. “You’re right. I cannot shoot you both. But I
will
shoot one of you. And I promise you, I will make that shot count.”

They hesitated, exchanging another glance. She could almost hear them debating her competency, woman that she was.

She took advantage of their indecision, lowering her aim. She may have been sheltered, but even she knew what part mattered most to a man. “Which of you would like to go to your grave missing a very important part of your anatomy?”

That
got their attention. The confident smirks slipped as both of them covered the area in question with their hands. It was then that Gabriel stirred, groaning as he struggled to sit up. Relief course through her with an almost dizzying intensity. He was all right, thank God.

He blinked, confusion creasing his brow as he tried to focus. Suddenly his eyes widened, and he was up like a shot. Without a second’s hesitation, he lashed out at the closer of the two men, kicking his leg out from under him at the same time he drove an elbow in the man’s face. Gabriel moved like lightning, already attacking the second man before the first even hit the ground.

In a matter of seconds, both men were unconscious on the ground and the knife was safely tucked in Gabriel’s boot. She gaped at him, her eyes rounded with shock. She’d never seen anyone move as fast or as effectively in her life, especially for a man of his size. He hadn’t been lying when he said hand-to-hand combat was his area of expertise.

His gaze flickered back to her, roaming from the top of her head to her feet and back. “Are you injured?” Desperation clouded his words as he panted for breath, though he didn’t move from his position over the two unconscious men. “Please tell me you are all right.”

She lowered her weapon and nodded, trying to breath past the relief that clogged her throat and weakened her limbs. “Mostly intact. Nothing compared to the injury you sustained.” Already his right eye was swelling, and a thin line of blood trickled from the corner of his brow.

Despite the seriousness of the moment, despite the two men crumpled at his feet and the fact he was still breathing hard, he smiled. “My hero. It appears you were right after all.” He gestured limply to her gun. “He who has the pistol has the upper hand.”

She shook her head, tears unaccountably blearing her vision now, when she was safe. “No. I never would have gotten away without your lessons. He tried to choke me, so I slapped his eyes.”

All humor abruptly vanished from his eyes. “He laid his hands on you?” When she nodded, his nostrils flared. “Which one?”

She pointed to the closer of the two. Turning, he delivered a sharp kick into the blackguard’s ribs. Blowing out a breath, he straightened and looked back at her. “You should go.”

She blinked. After all that, he was telling her to leave? “What? Why?”

“I need to deliver these men to the authorities, and I’m assuming you don’t want anyone to know you were here.”

He was right. If her father found out, he might never recover from the shock of it, or from his disappointment in her. As it was, she suspected she would have to be creative with her clothes for the next few days to hide the bruising at her neck. Nodding, she slipped her pistol back into her pocket. “Will I see you again?” Her throat tightened as she said the words. The thought that she might not left her breathless.

He bobbed his head once. “Tomorrow morning?”

No, that wasn’t good enough. She couldn’t possibly wait that long. She shook her head.

“Tonight, then.”

Swallowing, she nodded. “I’ll be waiting.”

***

It was a good hour before Gabriel was able to get the two bounders sorted out. Apparently, they’d heard about the wedding and thought to capitalize on out-of-town revelers. As Gabriel suspected, neither had been inclined to say a word about the woman who had overcome them.

Now, as Gabriel approached the old oak they had met at before, he could barely breathe with the need to see Amelia again. He needed to touch her, to see with his own eyes that she was truly all right. She was there, waiting in the darkness for him.

He dismounted his horse and tossed the reins over a low-hanging branch, not even pausing in his need to feel her in his arms again. She didn’t wait for him to reach her. Striding forward, she met him halfway, neither of them stopping until their arms were wrapped tightly around each other. He held her securely in his arms, squeezing his eyes shut as he rocked from side to side.

When he could finally draw a proper breath again, he loosened his hold and stepped back, inspecting her face in the moonlight. “Are you certain you are well? I think I lost ten years off my life when I came to and realized what was happening.”

She nodded, taking a long breath before exhaling. “Yes. I’m shaken, but I’ll be fine. Thanks to you.” She slipped her hand around his and gave a little squeeze.

He laced their fingers together and brought her knuckles to his lips. After brushing a kiss to each one, he said, “My apologies for being so distracted that I didn’t hear their approach. As for the lessons, I did nothing but teach you a few tricks. You were the one who saved yourself. Both of us, in fact. I’ve never met a braver, stronger, more amazing woman in my whole life. And now that I’ve found you…” He paused, giving a helpless shrug. “I find I don’t want to let you go.”

She stilled, her eyes looking deeply into his, searching. “What are you saying, Gabriel?”

Was that hope in her voice, or was he hearing what he wanted to hear? He shook his head, hardly able to believe that she had so thoroughly turned his life upside down in a matter of days. “I’m saying that I don’t want to give you up. I’m saying that I’m not going to let my hatred of my father’s family prevent me from being happy. I’m saying that maybe”—he tugged her a little closer—“I should forgo my trip to America next month and come here instead.”

She closed her eyes, blowing out a breath before gazing back up at him. “But my father…”

Smiling, he purposely flexed his muscles, letting her feel his strength. “Your father may like the idea of his daughter marrying an overlarge brute of a former army officer with a talent for incapacitating would-be criminals. Did not I just hand over two lowlifes to the magistrate?”

Worry knitted her brow. “But you don’t know him like I do. He won’t be able to just let go of the anxiety that plagues him.”

“Amelia, I have all the time in the world. I’m confident I can win his affections. But answer me this: Have I won yours?” He waited, heart pounding, for her answer. He had every confidence that, with time, he could convince her father that he would protect her. But that didn’t matter if the woman herself didn’t share his conviction.

Her grin was the most wonderful sight he had ever seen. Nodding, she said, “Indeed. Though for the life of me, I don’t know how. Eleanor warned me you were a scoundrel, you know.” Her eyes glimmered with mirth, and he chuckled in response.

He exhaled a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding. “Well, thank God you didn’t listen to her. After all, I find I’m in need of a bodyguard, and I doubt I could do better than a woman of your considerable talents.”

She laughed, the joy of the sound washing over him. He kissed her then, long and hard. He was very, very much looking forward to sparring with his sweet Amelia for a long time to come.

Epilogue

“You look just like you mother, poppet.”

Amelia met her father’s gaze in the mirror as he came up behind her and settled his hands on her shoulders. Tears sprung to her eyes at the peace she saw in his expression, and she pressed a hand over his. “I do?”

He nodded, a soft smile touching his lips. “You do. She wore a gown just that shade of blue on our wedding day, as well.” Slipping his hands from her shoulders, he reached into his pocket and produced a small strand of pearls. He carefully placed it around her neck and fastened it into place. “Which is why I thought the necklace she wore that day would look just right.”

“Oh, Papa,” Amelia said, turning and burrowing her face into his chest. The tears slipped down her cheeks, dampening the crisp, white fabric of his cravat. “Thank you so much. They’re beautiful.”

It had taken over six months for Gabriel to win her father over. He had been patient and kind and full of a quiet confidence that had eased Papa little by little. It helped, of course, that Gabriel was as brawny as Falks, as skilled a fighter as any professional boxer, and as protective as a bear of its cubs. Her father seemed to recognize that Amelia would be safer with Gabriel than just about anyone else on the planet.

Papa still had his days, but for the first time since her mother’s death, he seemed to find some measure of peace. “Yes, well, promise me that you will take care of them. And yourself,” he added, a hint of worry clouding his eyes.

She smiled, reassuring him with a nod. “You know I will.” She didn’t tell him that she had her pistol tucked into her pocket even now. Today, it wasn’t for fear or protection. Today, it was her “something old.” Her good-luck charm, really. Her stomach fluttered just thinking of the day she and Gabriel had met and the role it had played in their unusual courtship.

Kissing his cheek, she said, “And you can come visit as often as you like, of course. Just as we will visit here frequently.” It had been particularly helpful that Gabriel’s home was only half a day’s carriage ride away. The same home that would be hers after today.

The ride to the church was quiet as she held her father’s hand and stared out at the land she had called home for her whole life. It had been her sanctuary and her prison, shielding her from not only the bad, but also from all of the good life had to offer. She could hardly believe that all the things she once had never dared to even dream about were now becoming her new reality.

The carriage slowed to the stop and her heart flipped with the sudden surge of excitement. He father disembarked first then turned to help hand her down. As she emerged into the bright spring sunshine, she glanced around at the pretty flowers lining the path leading to the church’s entrance. There she spotted Gabriel, tall and so very handsome, standing with his hand arrested on the knob, his eyes riveted on her.

When their eyes met, he broke into the brightest, widest smile she’d ever seen and gave her a little wave. Unexpected tears blurred her vision as she grinned and waved back. Her pulse surged with anticipation. In a few short minutes, Gabriel would finally be hers!       

Her father chuckled and gently wrapped her hand around his elbow. “Are you ready?”

A wave of happiness washed through her, filled with optimism, love, and hope.  The sorrow and darkness were truly behind them, and the future ahead was very bright, indeed. Grinning broadly, she nodded. “More so than I’ve ever been in my life.”

No more fear. No more holding back. Her adventure, her
life
, was about to begin.

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