“I—” With a wince, she noted the trail she’d been instructed to take. Rupert was going to be angry when he realized she’d discovered his secret stash. How could she convince him to accept her help if he was angry with her? “Perhaps we should talk later. You seem to be busy right now.”
“You can’t go back to the village without a light. It’s too dangerous.”
She glanced back at him. Good goddesses, he’d moved closer and the water level was down to his hips. She focused on a nearby rock.
“Did you follow the stream?”
She hesitated. Even if she made him angry, wouldn’t it be better to be honest with him? How else could she ever earn his trust?
“Brigitta—”
“I won’t tell anyone about the treasure.”
“Crap!” His head fell back and he lifted his hands to run them through his hair.
Her mouth dropped open. With his bulging muscles and broad shoulders, he looked like a mythical sea god emerging from the ocean. “I really won’t tell anyone. I’m on your—”
“Are you sure you’re not a spy? You should be ’cause you’re damned good. Now I’ll have to find another cave.”
“I swear to you I will not tell another soul.”
He scoffed. “How can I believe you when you followed me here?” He slapped the surface of the water as he made a noise of frustration. “What am I going to do with you?”
Did he see her as nothing but a problem? That irked her. She planted her hands on her hips. “The real question here is what can I do for you? How can I help you make things right? We need to sit down and have a serious talk.”
“Fine, let’s talk.” He strode toward her.
She gasped as more of his abdomen was revealed. “No!” She held up her hands to cover her eyes. “Don’t come any closer!”
“I thought you wanted to talk!”
She squeezed her eyes shut behind her hands. “I can’t talk to you naked.”
“You’re not naked. I am.”
“Don’t come any closer!”
He made another noise of frustration. “What are you afraid of? It’s a damned cock! It’s not a creature from the deep!” There were some splashing noises. “Fine. You can look now. I retreated.”
She peeked through her fingers. The water was back up to his navel now.
“Dammit.” He glanced down with an annoyed look. “Can you throw me my breeches?” He motioned to a large boulder. “They’re over there.”
“Yes, of course.” She rushed over to the boulder. Next to his boots, his shirt and breeches lay folded neatly. She picked up the folded breeches and tossed them toward him.
To her horror, they simply unfurled in the air and plopped onto the water a few feet from where she stood.
“Are you kidding me?” He gave her an incredulous look. “You call that a throw?”
She winced. “I thought they would go farther.”
He glanced down and grimaced.
“Don’t worry.” She kicked off her shoes. “I’ll push them toward you.” She waded into the water.
“Stop!” He held up a hand. “I-I think you should stay there. I’ll get them.”
“But—”
“Just turn around if you don’t want to see.” He gritted his teeth. “We can’t have my cock leaping out of the water to attack you.”
She gasped. “It leaps?”
“I was kidding!” He winced. “A bit. Turn around.”
She did. Water splashed as he waded toward the breeches. She winced at the sound of a few muttered curses. Perhaps she shouldn’t have admitted to finding the treasure. But she wanted complete honesty between them. “Is it safe now?”
He snorted. “It was always safe.” After a moment, he said, “You can turn around.”
She swallowed hard. The time had come for her to admit everything she knew. And once she told him, there was no going back. With her heart pounding, she clenched her skirt in her fists.
“Is something wrong?” He’d moved to the flat rock where the lantern was, and he was sitting there, watching her as he leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.
She took a deep breath. “I know who you are.”
Chapter Seventeen
He immediately sat up, a wary look in his eyes. “What do you know?”
Her heart thudded loud in her ears. Was this a mistake? She’d been so eager to help him and atone for her family’s sins that she’d come straight here without realizing that her confession might be the last thing he wanted to hear. He had no reason to trust her, not when it was her family who had caused all his grief. It was a wonder he could even bear to look at her.
“I know … you must hate me. I know why you need revenge.” Tears burned her eyes. “And I’m so very sorry for everything my father did to you and your family.”
A look of alarm crossed his face as he rose to his feet. “Then you know…?”
“You’re the lost prince.”
He stiffened, his hands clenching into fists.
She winced. From the look on his face and the tension radiating off his body, she could tell she’d given him an unwanted shock. “It will be all right, really. I would never tell anyone.”
He scoffed, then wandered into the water.
She watched with increasing alarm as he went deeper and deeper into the pool. “Rupert, what are you doing?”
He glanced back at her, a tortured look on his face. “Nineteen years. I kept my identity a secret for nineteen years. Only Stefan and Ansel knew.” With a grimace, he pounded a fist through the water. “Dammit to hell! You figured it out in five days!”
He’d gone from shock to anger. She didn’t know which was worse. “Well, I…” She attempted a placating smile. “I tried to warn you about my gift. I’m very good at finding lost things. Even lost princes.”
With a frustrated groan, he slapped the water again. A wind whistled through the grotto, churning up the water. “Dammit.” He closed his eyes, and his chest expanded as he took deep breaths.
He was truly her tall and handsome stranger, Brigitta thought. The moonlight shone down on him, illuminating the sharp lines of his jaw and the wide breadth of his shoulders. The golden strands in his light-brown hair gleamed with starlight. And all those muscles—he looked so incredibly strong, yet at the same time so alone and vulnerable. Her heart ached for him. If only he could accept her in spite of who she was.
His eyes opened and he regarded her sadly. “I don’t know what to do with you.”
Her heart squeezed and tears gathered once again. “That’s all right. I know what to do.” She stepped toward him, her bare toes reaching the edge of the water. “That’s why I came here tonight. I want to offer my services. I’ll go with you and help you set things straight.”
He gave her an incredulous look. “I’m not letting you endanger yourself.”
“I have to help you. It’s the only way I can atone for the crimes of my family. Please let me—” A tear rolled down her cheek, and she impatiently brushed it away. “It nearly kills me to think how much you’ve suffered because of my—”
“Stop,” he growled. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”
“But I have to do something! What my family did to you was unforgivable. I’ll help you with your revenge, and I’ll earn your trust. I swear it.” With trembling legs, she lowered herself onto one knee. “Your Majesty.”
His face went pale. “Shit.” He plunged into the water and swam toward the left side of the grotto.
That was not the reaction she’d hoped for. With a sigh, she plopped down onto the beach and watched him swim. He was doing laps back and forth from the left wall to the right one, where the rope ladder was hanging. Perhaps he just needed to think. Or work off some tension.
She still needed to persuade him to let her help, but she had a bad feeling that he would not be easily convinced. What she needed was a plan. As he swam, her mind raced with ideas of what she could do.
He finally stopped in front
of the ladder, his hands gripping a rope rung while he leaned forward to catch his breath. She followed the sandy path around the pool till it ended with a flat rock that jutted out a few inches above the water.
She settled on the rock, not far from him. Then she lifted her skirt just enough to dangle her feet into the pool. “I can see why you like this place. The water is so nice and warm.”
He scowled without looking at her.
“Are you ready to talk now?” she asked. “I’ve been thinking, and I have a few ideas how—”
“I’ve been thinking, too. You’ll need to stay here on the island.”
“But I have a plan—”
“I will not let you risk yourself.” He turned to face her, the water up to his chest. “You don’t owe me anything. What happened was not your fault.”
“I was used to lure your family to their doom. So I will help you, whether you like it or not.”
“Dammit, Brigitta! Don’t make me force you to stay here!” Another breeze swept through the grotto.
“Then don’t!” She scooted forward till she was sitting on the edge of the rock with her lower legs immersed in water. “You said I had the right to decide my own destiny.”
With a wince, he turned to the ladder and muttered a curse.
“My decision has been made,” she continued. “I expect you to honor that.”
He dragged in a deep breath and turned toward her. “I cannot bear for you to be in danger. And I will not use you to further my cause. When you were a babe, I made a vow that I would protect you.”
Was he still trying to keep the betrothal vows after everything her father had done? Tears collected in her eyes once again. “I was too young then to return the vow, but I can make one now. I will help you regain the throne. And I will earn your trust.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “How could I ever betray you when I’m in love with you?”
His eyes widened with a stunned look.
She sat back, hastily wiping her cheeks. Good goddesses, that was more than she’d intended to confess. Mortified, she pulled her legs out of the water.
His hand shot out to grasp her ankle.
She gasped as a surge of emotion blasted through her body. Desire. Longing. He wanted her. He wanted her something fierce.
He moved closer. “Are you all right? Did you have another vision?”
“Nay, I…” she answered in Eberoni, then switched back to Tourinian. “I didn’t see anything.” Since she knew his identity now, she doubted she would see any more of his memories. But why had she felt his emotions? Normally her gift only worked with things that were hidden.
Of course. The answer clicked inside her. He’d been trying to keep his feelings for her a secret.
“Ack!” she cried out when he suddenly hauled her into the pool. “What are you—”
His mouth clamped down on hers.
She was so surprised she didn’t know what to think or how to respond. With a strangled cry, she broke the kiss. “Wait.” She gasped for air. “Why…?”
He cradled her face in his hands. “You said you loved me.”
Her cheeks grew hot. She could hardly deny her own words. “That doesn’t mean you should—” She glanced down and saw her green skirt up to her armpits, floating around her in the water. “Oh goodness.” She tried pushing it down.
“Allow me.” He pushed the skirt down in the back and fumbled with the drawstring.
“What are you—” She huffed when he lifted the wet skirt over her head and tossed it onto the rock. “I didn’t say you could—”
“This, too.” He quickly unlaced the green velvet vest and dragged it down her arms.
With her arms pinned down momentarily, she glanced down and winced at the wet blouse and shift now molded against her breasts. She ducked down a few inches. “Rupert, I thought we were going to talk.”
“Sweetheart.” He threw the vest onto the rock. “Don’t you know when you’re being ravished?”
Her mouth fell open. “I don’t recall agreeing to that.”
“Then I’ll ask.” He pulled her tight against him.
Her hands landed on his bare chest, then she withdrew them a few inches, curling them into fists.
“Brigitta.” He cupped his hand around the back of her head while he planted soft kisses across her brow. “Sweetheart.” The tip of his nose glided down her cheek, then he nibbled a path to her ear.
She shivered, and her hands slowly uncurled.
He nipped at her earlobe, then whispered, “Would you like to be ravished?”
Her knees grew weak, so she grabbed on to his shoulders.
“Is that a yes?” His nose brushed back across her cheek toward her mouth.
“I-I’ll consider it.”
“Take all the time you need.” His mouth took hers, gently savoring and coaxing her until the world swirled around her, and time seemed to slow to a halt.
All that was left was Rupert. His mouth against hers, sweetly molding her and making her melt. His hands touching her neck, stroking her back, and sending delicious shivers along her spine. His chest pressed against her, making her breasts feel so achy and full that she finally gave in to a desperate need building inside her. With a moan she rubbed her breasts against his chest.
He groaned against her mouth. His hand moved down her shift all the way to her rump, then he pulled her hard against him.
She gasped as something hard jabbed at her. But as soon as her mouth opened, his tongue slipped inside.
“What?” She pulled back. “What was that?”
His eyes glimmered with a golden heat. “Shall we continue with the ravishing?”
“I…” Did he intend to do more than a passionate kiss? “Are you planning to do more strange things with your tongue?”
His mouth twitched. “Definitely.”
“I—” She glanced down. “I think there’s something in the water. A turtle, perhaps. I’m afraid it’ll bite me.”
“It’s a damned cock. It doesn’t bite.”
She inhaled sharply. That was him? Her cheeks blazed with embarrassment.
“Would you like to investigate for yourself?” He took her hand from his shoulder.
“No!” She jumped back, pulling her hand away. “I mean, I’m not ready…” She paused when she realized his gaze was riveted to her chest. Unwittingly, she’d moved into shallower water, and now her breasts were showing. Her wet blouse and shift were glued to her skin, the nipples tight and protruding.
“Come here,” he growled, pulling her back into another kiss.
Longing. She felt his emotions flow through her, mixing with her own desire until she could no longer tell which of them was the more desperate.
When he deepened the kiss, she opened her mouth, and this time she welcomed his invasion. He explored and stroked her tongue, encouraging her until she was kissing him back. Heat built inside her until she dug her fingers into his shoulders and squirmed against him.
He clamped a hand on one of her breasts, squeezing and flicking a thumb over the hardened nipple. When she shuddered, he whispered, “Do you want more?”
“Aye.”
He grasped the hem of her shift, then pulled it and the blouse over her head. The wet clothing landed with a plop on top of her skirt.
Good goddesses, she was naked. She barely had time to acknowledge it before he tugged her back into an embrace. Her breasts against his chest, bare skin touching, sent a wave of sensation hurtling through her. Each breath he took pressed against her.
He planted his hands on her rump and lifted her off the pool’s rock floor. “Wrap your legs around me.”
“What?” She grabbed on to his shoulders as he kept raising her higher. Her breasts were now abovewater, completely exposed. Her nipples pebbled in the cool air, the tips tight and aching to be touched.
“Wrap your legs around me,” he repeated. “And squeeze me tight.”
Tentatively, she hooked her right leg around his hips, just above the low wai
stband of his breeches.
“And the other one.” He slid one arm under her rump to support her, while using his other hand to drape her left leg around his waist.
He pulled her hard against him, and she cried out when her private parts came in contact with his hard abdomen. Her gaze met his, and she melted at the fierce yearning in his golden eyes.
He placed his fingertips on her shoulder, then dragged them down the upper curve of one breast till he reached her nipple. When his thumb rasped against the hardened tip, she shuddered.
“Sweet,” he whispered, gliding his hand beneath the breast to test its weight, then returning to tease her nipple. His gaze moved to her other breast, then he leaned close and drew that nipple into his mouth.
She cried out, raking her fingers into his hair and holding him close. With each flick of his tongue, she tightened her legs around his waist. When he suckled hard, she could no longer bear it. Digging her heels into his back, she ground herself against him.
With a groan, he nuzzled his face against her breasts. “You’re killing me.”
“I don’t mean to.”
“I want to touch you. But that’s as far as I can go. I cannot risk getting you with child.”
Her thighs tightened involuntarily, and his gaze met hers.
“But I want you. I want you so bad it hurts.” He looked around, then carried her over to the rope ladder. “Here.” He moved her hands to a rung above her head. “Hold on tight.”
“Why?” She curled her fists around the rope.
“I’m going to play with you until you scream.” He plunged a hand between them, and she jolted when his hand cupped her.
Good goddesses, it was hard to breathe. With a moan, she squeezed her eyes shut and hung on to the rope. His fingers moved over her, stroking gently.
“Rupert,” she groaned.
“Keep holding.” His fingers grew bolder, exploring until she was panting and squirming.
When he inserted a finger, she cried out, the rope twisting in her hands. He waggled the finger inside her while his thumb rubbed against a spot that made her quiver all over.
“Rupert!” She tensed suddenly as if she were on the edge of a waterfall. Her grip on the rope failed, but he pulled her toward him just as a wave carried her over the falls. Her scream echoed around the cave. She was crashing, soaring, tumbling through a wild tempest. She squeezed him tight and felt herself throbbing against his hand.
So I Married a Sorcerer Page 21