“Good God,” he burst out. “He left you here to freeze? Where the hell did he go?”
Ophelia poked her head out from under the lap robe, not all of it, just enough for him to see her eyes and to notice that she wasn’t wearing her cap. Even her usual elegant coiffure was missing. She’d let her hair down? She was scrunched down on the seat so tightly into a little ball under the lap robe that she’d even had it covering her head.
“He went to fetch us a new wheel to replace the broken one.”
Raphael sat down next to her and glanced at the cold brazier. “Did he know he was leaving you here with no heat?”
“Probably not,” she said, then snapped, “And shut that bloody door!”
He reached back to pull the door shut. It didn’t help much. His every breath was releasing a cloud of steam in front of him.
She was unwinding, now that she had company. She put her feet back on the floor and sat up straight. The lap robe really was just a miniature blanket, only long and wide enough to reach from lap to feet. She spread it over her lap again. Her hands were bare. Her hair really was loose and longer than he could have imagined. A single lock of it curled by her hands in her lap. Her fingers were trembling with cold! A wave of anger that she’d put herself in danger like this washed over him.
“Where are your muff and cap?” he demanded.
“They weren’t with my coat. I didn’t have time to look for them.”
She said it so primly, it just annoyed him all the more. “I thought you had more sense than to pull a stunt like this,” he snapped as he removed his gloves, then grabbed her hands and rubbed them between his own.
She didn’t try to stop him. She simply said, “Desperation leads me to do stupid things. I thought you and I had already established that.”
“You weren’t desperate. You’re just afraid to face the woman that everyone else encounters when they meet you. And what happened to your hair?”
She took one hand back from him and pushed an errant lock behind her back. “I needed the extra warmth for my neck and ears.”
She was so cold she’d tried to warm herself with her own hair! That made him so furious he snarled, “I’m going to kill that idiot Albert for agreeing to this.”
“No, I promised him a hundred pounds.”
“That’s no excuse.” He grabbed both her hands again and blew his own hot breath on them.
“It is if you’ve never seen a hundred pounds.”
A good point, but still he narrowed his eyes on her. “You’re determined to take full blame, aren’t you?”
“Of course I am—no, I’m not. You’re to blame.”
He almost grinned. “I was wondering when we’d get around to that.”
“Well, you are. If you hadn’t been so ridiculously stubborn in keeping me prisoner, when you didn’t even have my parent’s permission yet, when you only assumed you’d have it—”
“I have it now. My sister was thoughtful enough to bring my correspondence with her.”
Ophelia slumped back. “How nice for you, exonerated on all counts.”
“Yes, quite nice, since we aren’t anywhere near finished raking you over the coals.”
He was teasing. She must have guessed as much, or she would have lost her temper over that remark. But the mention of coals reminded him that he had a sack of coal tied to his horse for the brazier.
“Speaking of which, I did bring some coal,” he added. “Let me fetch it.”
He left immediately and was back within moments. Nor did it take long to light the coal. But it was going to be quite a while before it actually heated the coach, he realized, and Ophelia was sitting there with her teeth still chattering, her lips nearly blue! He was going to have to try something else in the meantime….
“Actually,” he said, as if their conversation hadn’t been interrupted, “we have made progress. You aren’t nearly as abrasive as you were to begin with, and I’ve personally seen no evidence of spite. Now don’t be alarmed, but I’m going to try something else to warm your hands, since that coal isn’t burning quickly enough.”
He opened his coat and pulled his shirttails out of his trousers, then placed both her hands under his shirt on his chest. She tried to pull her hands back, but he held fast to them despite the chill it gave him.
“That isn’t going to work either,” she said. “You aren’t exactly warm right now.”
“Let’s try this then.” He placed her fingers under his arms.
“Only marginally better, but that won’t last. This is merely making you cold too.”
“I was already cold, m’dear. It is snowing out there, you know. But you’re probably right. The only way we’re both going to warm up is with a little exertion. You know, get the blood flowing, work up a little sweat. It works every time.”
She gave him a doubtful look. “There isn’t exactly room in here to exercise, and no thank you, I’m not stepping outside to run about just to work up a sweat.” She added primly, “Besides, I don’t sweat. Ladies never do.”
He wasn’t going to laugh at that silly statement. If it killed him, he wasn’t. But it took a few moments to get the urge under control.
“I was thinking of a more pleasant form of exertion.” Her eyes flared wide, so he quickly added, “No, I draw the line at making love in a coach in the dead of winter—well, at least without a brazier burning more strongly than this one.”
He grinned to show her he was just teasing. He didn’t want to alarm her or outrage her maidenly sensibilities. But this was an opportunity he simply couldn’t pass up.
From the very beginning he’d restrained his natural inclinations with her because his motives had been pure. He’d brought her to Alder’s Nest to help her, not seduce her. But a little kissing wouldn’t hurt, and at the moment it would actually help to take her mind off the cold.
He’d been good. He’d been damned good. He honestly didn’t know how he’d managed to resist keeping his hands off her, as desirable as she was. His dislike of her had helped. But as soon as she’d started explaining some of her actions, his feelings had turned neutral. He didn’t exactly like her, she still had a lot to account for and to change about her behavior toward others, but he didn’t have to like her to want her, and good God, he did want her.
Chapter Nineteen
S HE’D BEEN CURLED UP, BREATHING so hard against her knees to get a little warmth back to her face, that Ophelia hadn’t even known Raphael was there until he’d first spoken. He hadn’t gloated as she’d expected when he’d found her. He’d shown nothing but concern and anger, not at her, but for her.
She’d been beginning to fear that the coach driver wouldn’t return today. If he didn’t reach the town before nightfall, he might not. But all her fears had departed with Raphael’s presence. She didn’t doubt for a minute that he’d get her back to warmth and safety. She no longer cared that she’d failed to escape him.
“I’m merely going to kiss you, Phelia. I guarantee after a few moments you won’t notice the cold, and after a few minutes, you’ll start feeling quite warm.”
She started to feel warm just thinking about it. Not really warm, but the thought of kissing him was already taking her mind off the cold.
She’d been sitting there trying to keep her teeth from chattering while she talked to him. Every few seconds she had to fight down a chill. She wished he’d just kissed her as he did before, instead of mentioning it. Discussing it implied he was asking her permission first, and she’d rather not have to say that she wanted him to kiss her. In fact she did and had been quite disappointed that he hadn’t attempted to do so again, after that first kiss in the snow.
“You’re speaking from experience, no doubt?” she said.
“Of course. Passion generates its own warmth. Shall we give it a try?”
He was asking permission. How unrakish of him. When the deuce was the man going to live up to his reputation? But she supposed he only tried to bed women he liked, and they’
d long ago established that she didn’t fit in that category.
“By all means,” she said with a sigh. “I’ll try anything to get warm again.”
“Anything?” He grinned.
“Most anything.”
But he was still grinning as he came closer, and then their lips were touching. His weren’t cold. Hers probably were, though not for long. But he wasn’t touching her in any other way, as if he was deliberately restraining himself. Or maybe he just didn’t really want to kiss her! She still felt an unexpected thrill to have her lips pressed to his, even though the kiss was rather tepid, as kisses went.
“Don’t be alarmed,” he warned, barely moving his mouth away from hers. “But when I suggested this, I didn’t have chaste kissing in mind. Exertion is the key, and that comes from passion.”
She drew back. “What do you mean?”
“This.”
This was an entirely different sort of kiss indeed. He drew her flush against his chest, then wrapped his arms around her to keep her there. His mouth fastened hard on hers, forcing hers open with his tongue. That was a shock. She’d had more kisses stolen from her than she could count, but they usually ended abruptly with a slap from her. None had ever progressed to this amazing intimacy that stole her breath and started her heart pounding.
He leaned back against the side of the coach, lifting her into his lap so their mouths didn’t part. It felt as if she were lying on him now, which was quite an exciting feeling. One arm still held her fast, but his other hand slipped into her loose hair, his fingers threading through it against her scalp. Shivers shot down her spine that had nothing to do with the temperature.
“Have you stopped feeling the cold?” he asked as he rained a few kisses over her cheeks and chin.
“Yes.”
“Do you want to feel my hands on you?”
“Not if they’re cold.”
“I do believe there’s nothing left on me that’s cold. I’ll show you.”
His mouth slanted across hers again while his hand cupped her cheek. It wasn’t just warm, it was rather hot as he moved it down along her neck then began unfastening the top of her coat. He didn’t open her coat far, just enough for his hand to slip inside and cup her breast. She made a sound deep in her throat. She wasn’t even sure if it was a protest or merely a sound of pleasure she couldn’t contain, because it felt wonderful, having his hand there, tingly, sensually stirring, making her want to curl even closer against him.
“Not thin everywhere,” he noted.
His tone was only half-teasing at the reference to his earlier comment about her being too skinny. The other half sounded quite pleased. The remark still caused her to blush, which just heated her all the more. But although he was managing to say things, he wasn’t giving her many chances to reply, because his kiss wasn’t actually ending, was merely pausing before his tongue thrust deeply again.
And then he drew her tongue into his mouth to gently suck on it. She moaned and she wrapped her arm around his neck without even thinking about it. Her knees curled upward on his chest. She did make a sound of protest when he stopped kneading her breast, but it was brief, because his hand wasn’t leaving her, was just moving in a new direction, down along her waist, then he was cupping her derriere with it to draw her even more tightly against him.
“Think of me as a pillow,” he whispered against her lips. “It’s all right to curl up and stretch against me.”
How did he know she wanted to? It was the most amazing urge she had, to crawl all over him! And she was learning quickly, this new sort of kissing. She even took over the lead in it, couldn’t seem to help herself, though he quickly took it back. They dueled with their tongues! They seemed to fight over dominance, or more accurately, they shared it. And heat was pouring off them both now.
He somehow got that roving hand of his under her skirt. She did feel a slight draft as he did so, but barely noticed it as his fingers felt their way along her thigh. And then she literally jumped in his lap when his finger touched her directly between her legs. He held her tighter. He wasn’t going to let her deny herself the immense pleasure he was capable of giving her, but she had no thought of stopping him, was too caught up in the novelty of the new sensations he was evoking.
She had grasped a handful of his hair, didn’t know she was pulling it. She was kissing him voraciously as the pleasure swiftly escalated, her entire body trembling with desire, not cold. But what suddenly burst upon her was beyond her comprehension. She would probably have screamed. As it was, he trapped a loud moan in their kiss as her orgasm pulsed against his finger.
Utterly drained, luxuriously replete, toasty warm in his arms, she could have stayed there all night. He was dropping soft kisses on her brow. His hand was merely gently caressing the outside of her thigh now. He made no attempt to move her, just held her in his lap. She could probably have slept. He would have let her, she didn’t doubt, and kept her warm, his body was giving off so much heat.
But he must have heard the movement outside. She did as well and lifted her head from his chest just before he set her back on the seat. So they weren’t touching when the door burst open. And poor Albert, ready to assure her that he’d succeeded at his task, didn’t get a chance to. Raphael’s fist caught him squarely in the face and sent him sliding through the snow to the bottom of the ditch.
Chapter Twenty
“I S’POSE I’M FIRED?” ALBERT asked warily as he picked himself up off the ground.
“Damned right you are,” Raphael replied as he untied the wheel hanging from the horse Albert had just ridden back on. “After you fix the coach wheel and drive us back to Alder’s Nest.”
The stipulation turned Albert indignant. “And why would I be doing that if it ain’t my job anymore?”
“Possibly because the alternative is for you to walk away from here on foot?”
Albert snorted. “I’ll bleedin’ well walk, and I’ll be taking the money with me, that the lady promised.”
Raphael pinned Albert with a look, some of the rage he’d felt earlier reflected in his tone when he said, “You think I’m going to let you anywhere near her without killing you, when you left her out here to freeze? Don’t mention money again when you didn’t complete her task, which you should have refused in the first place!”
Albert didn’t know Raphael well enough to be wary or was too disappointed to care. “Fine then, I’m going,” Albert grumbled, but took no more than a few steps before he swung around and demanded, “You ain’t going to try to stop me?”
Raphael almost laughed at that point. Instead he raised a brow and said, “Why ever would I do that?”
“Because I’ll probably die out here on foot!”
“And your point is?”
Albert flushed with angry color and marched back to take the wheel from Raphael, conceding, “Here, I’ll do that, m’lord. I’ll have us back on the road in a few minutes.”
“I thought you’d see it my way. And you might want to put some snow on that swelling cheek,” Raphael added before he turned back to the coach.
He didn’t miss the mumble “Bleedin’ nabobs,” he just chose to ignore it.
He didn’t doubt Ophelia had heard every word, and in fact the first thing she said when he helped her step out of the coach was “Don’t fire him.”
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t.” He drew her against him to keep her warm while Albert replaced the broken wheel.
“Because I used my best smile on him.”
She didn’t really need to elaborate. He could only hope she never used that particular smile on him, because he could just imagine how dumbstruck and willing to do her bidding Albert had been.
In a teasing tone, Raphael said, “That vanity of yours must be a wearisome burden. Quite out of control, isn’t it?”
She snuggled closer to him to get warm again. “Don’t think I consider it a flaw, because I don’t. I actually don’t like the effect I have on men, but that effect is
entirely predictable. Except where you’re concerned, of course.”
“Really? Why am I an exception?”
She glanced up at him. “Don’t pretend you don’t know. You don’t see this face when you look at me, you see the monster you think I am.”
He chuckled. That wasn’t the least bit true, but he’d rather not correct her other than to say, “I never called you a monster, m’dear.”
“Not in so many words. But you’ve implied it a number of times.”
She didn’t sound the least bit huffy or otherwise indignant over that reminder; in fact, she’d been agreeably mellow ever since she’d expended some of her passion. Not only that, having her hair loose and flowing about her seemed to make her softer, more accessible. It wasn’t his imagination. Or maybe that too was because of the passion she’d released. Actually…
“I believe I’ve figured out why you have so little control of your temper. You have a great deal of passion in you, which can be a wonderful thing, but you’ve had no outlet for it, except for your temper.”
She slipped her hand inside his coat to keep it warm on his chest. “D’you really think so?”
“Indeed. But then there’s one way to find out.” And then he groaned. “Just not here.”
A while later when they were back in the coach on their way to Alder’s Nest, she said, “Now that I’m nice and warm, I’ve noticed that I’m famished.”
“So am I.” He wasn’t referring to food. She’d woken a sleeping dragon tonight. There was simply no way he was going to be able to keep his hands off her now. In fact he’d been softly caressing her ever since she’d settled back against him again.
“We’ll be at the Nest soon,” he added. “And I probably should warn you that there will be no way to prevent my sister from finding out who my houseguest is now.”
The Devil Who Tamed Her Page 11