by Aliyah Burke
He headed back to London that night. Salvage had been rested for a few hours and he declined a carriage. The weather turned even worse a few miles from his London house. Freezing rain slashed down with fury. Salvage no longer carried himself with the arrogance he normally did, his head hung low and he plodded along.
By the end of the journey, he’d begun to believe he would never again be warm. Ensuring first Salvage’s well-being, he trudged cold and exhausted to the house.
Berry met him at the door and soon had him soaking in a hot bath. He had no energy to eat so he crawled into bed and slipped into slumber.
In the morning when Berry woke him, he almost snapped at the man until he uttered five simple words. “Miss Najja requests an audience.”
That was all it took to spur him into immediate action.
Chapter Twelve
Najja sat in a green room while she waited for Colin to arrive. Normally, he would be all she thought of but at the present she observed a young boy who spied on her from behind a purple damask settee. He had dark brown hair, blue eyes, and a bruise on his pale face that was in the healing process.
Lowering her lids, she kept her eyes upon him while he inched closer. Who was this boy and who injured him? She smoothed her hands down her skirt and got to her feet. Moving to her left where she decried the curious oil painting on the wall, she approached for a closer inspection.
A beautiful seascape and she noticed three ships on the approach. The detail so intricate she could almost taste the salt from the sea. She reached for it only to pause when the door opened. The familiar tingle which skated up her spine told her who it was. She laced her fingers, turned, and saw Colin.
“Thank you for seeing me, my lord,” she said dropping for a quick curtsey.
The door closed behind him with a definite click and her belly tightened with the mere knowledge of what his touch could do. And did to her. He stood before her dressed in black with a white cravat, simply tied. His hair hung loose around his face and kept his earring hidden for the most part, but she caught glimpses of it when he began advance toward her.
She had to stop him before he got to her. “I appreciate the company as well,” she added.
He paused and lifted a brow. With an almost indiscernible nod of her head, she pointed out where the boy hid. His green eyes followed her indication and a brief smile lifted one side of his bow-shaped lips.
“What can I do for you, Miss Najja? Can I offer you some refreshments?”
“No, thank you. I shant be long.”
His brows furrowed and he gestured to a seat. When she sat he repeated his earlier question. Suddenly she didn’t know how to proceed. Her time here was coming to an end and for some reason, this man would not leave her thoughts. She had no willpower to even stay away from him.
When he’d not shown up the day after their interlude in the music room her mind exploded into scenarios in which he’d been hurt. Now finding him healthy brought out this urge from deep within to run to him and hold him close.
“Come out here, Pug,” Colin said, settling his hard body in a chair across from her.
Pug? She kept her curiosity off her face and waited for the boy to reveal himself. Small scuffling sounds preceded his imminent arrival. He stood near Colin, head bowed and a slight quaver in his thin frame.
“This is Miss Najja, Pug.”
The dark head lifted slowly and she met the mistrustful gaze on his sunken face. He needed food to get some weight on him. He sniffed and wiped the back of his hand under his nose then on his pants.
“Hello.”
“Good morning, Mr. Pug.”
Colin gave her the briefest of winks before placing his full attention on the boy. “What are you doing in here?”
“The guv, Berry, told me to stay until you returned. I have done no wrong, I ain’ stealed nothing.” Pug backed up a step and lifted his chin in defiance. She saw the fear in his eyes but the lad wouldn’t cower.
His sharp answer must have surprised Colin for he leaned back a bit. “I meant why were you hiding in this room?” he asked in a softer tone.
He sighed dejectedly. “I was lookin’ at yer chess set then the bloke…Archer led her in here. So I ’id.”
“You and I will play a game later then. Right now, I need a private word with Miss Najja.”
The boy scanned her again with his gaze. This time more assessing than before, almost like he’d found confidence since Colin had not been angry with him. Or hit him.
“Okay.”
Another sniff and Pug scampered to the door and paused when Colin called his name.
“Make sure you apologize to Mrs. Bunch and Archer for giving them such problems with being bathed,” Colin ordered, settling back in his chair.
Pug’s mouth gaped like a fish before he sighed heavily and vacated the room in silence. Amused by their exchange she plucked at her gray skirt and said, “He is cute.”
A wry grin flashed along Colin’s chiseled features. “I suppose.”
“So he is not yours?”
He snapped his gaze to hers and his smile grew seductive. “No. Although I do need an heir.” His eyes singed her as he stared at her.
She ignored the primal response his words created in her belly. A child with Colin. What would he or she look like?
“I am sure you will have many,” she replied, not even wanting to think of him with another much less fathering a child with someone else. “Just like I am sure this is an inappropriate discussion.”
He stretched his legs out before him, drawing her attention to the powerfully corded legs wrapped in tight black breeches. Colin quirked a brow and laced his hands behind his head.
“Of course,” he said smoothly. “I am sure a woman who carries her own weapons would be offended by discussing me as a father.” He hooked his ankles. “What shall we discuss then? The feel of your skin on mine? How tight your body is?”
It took all her will to ignore his continual recitation of what they’d done together. However, it didn’t matter as her breasts grew heavy and ached for the touch of his work-roughened hands. Her fingers flexed in her gloves with the urge to touch his heated skin and trail over the defined muscles. Hold his heavy weight in her hand. While no stranger to such talk it was a world of difference when Colin spoke the words.
“I was thinking something totally different,” she remarked calmly, despite the furious beating of her heart.
With a groan he sat up and rested his forearms upon muscled thighs. “Very well, luv. But talk quick because all I can think about is that we are the only two in this room.”
Her body heated up even more as the meaning of his words sank in. “I must accompany Lord Adrys to Cornwall. Can you…would you check on Jo and her mother while we are away?”
His gaze became razor sharp. A furrow appeared between his eyes. “Why? I thought you were protecting Jo. How can you go as a woman with Adrys?”
He fired the question in rapid succession not allowing her to answer before launching the next. Regardless of the fact she loved his concern, she never let it show.
“Keep to the issue at hand, please.”
Colin held her stare and pushed up from the chair. All it took was two steps and he stood before her. Two predatory and authoritative steps. He gave the presence of strength personified. His gaze examined her and she remained frozen.
One hand settled upon each side of her and he got close so they were nose to nose, his black hair hung down around his angular face.
“I want one thing in return,” he murmured in a low timbre.
She had been sucked in by his verdant gaze. It swirled with tempestuous emotions but she couldn’t look away. Nor could she refuse him. The heat from his body surrounded and teased her.
“What?” Her question as hushed as his.
“One night.”
One night. She couldn’t find the words.
“One night, luv. Not on a chaise or a piano for a moment in time. I want,” he r
epositioned his head near her ear and nipped the shell, “I want all night with you in my bed. All night to explore your body.”
Her lids fluttered at the spikes of longing that speared her. One night. One more time in his arms.
“Yes.”
“Be careful, luv,” he said before brushing their lips together. His kiss tantalized her. “If you do not want to be naked in seconds, luv, you should go. I have no power in keeping any distance from you.” A slight pause. “Much less keeping you clothed.”
“I had better go then. Thank you.” She ducked around his man-made blockade and shook out her skirt so it fell smoothly around her legs. He rose tall and stared at her from beneath hooded eyes. Silent, she drifted to the door and opened it. Hanging near, she spied the boy, Pug. He leaned against a wall and did his best to appear uninterested in the door.
Peering back over her shoulder she caught Colin’s piercing gaze. “I am grateful for your time, Lord Clifton, thank you for seeing me on short notice. Good day, my lord.” Face to face with Pug she inclined her head at him and said, “And a good day to you as well, Mr. Pug.”
Najja strolled from the house and began the walk back to the Adrys house. The sun shone brilliantly down upon the snowy streets. Her breath could be seen in the frigid air. Despite her warm shoes and clothes she was thoroughly chilled when she entered the warmth of the house.
In her room she got ready for the trip. After a day of resting she grabbed her items and began to change her attire. She bound her breasts after which she stared at her reflection in the tall mirror. She wore leather pants which were tight against her skin. Calf high fur lined boots held her sais and would keep her feet very warm, no matter the weather.
The white cloth sliced her dark skin and she frowned over the numerous scars exposed on her upper body. She reached for her black shirt and continued dressing. Once the side laces were secure she added on another layer. One which hung to mid-thigh. Around her waist she secured her whip. Tucking her necklace under her layers, she reached for a harness and slid it on. Once it sat in place she attached the two weapons designed to fit it. The final item she withdrew was a dark brown, full length, hooded cloak.
Before the cloak went on she picked up her black cloth and wrapped her head and neck, allowing only her eyes to be seen. She held her own gaze as she fastened the cloak on and with a final flip of the hood the fact she was a woman had been eliminated. Drawing on the apex of the hood a bit, she flowed to the door and exited the room.
Hayworth met her at the bottom of the stairs and together they hurried outside to the waiting carriage. A feeling sliced up her spine and she paused with one foot on the step and peered up the street. The approaching night held at bay by the recently lit lampposts. Beside one such post she spied Colin. The fluttering in her chest prompted her into action. So with one final peek at him she entered the carriage. The move was difficult. She wanted to run to Colin and feel the banded strength of his arms around her.
Focus!
Najja sat back and buried the temptation presented by Colin Faulkner and put her attention on the job at hand. Protecting Hayworth Adrys so he could return to his family. It took a while but eventually she succeeded in that quest. Hayworth kept to himself and she had no problems with him doing so. This couldn’t be easy for him. So she respected that and settled in for the long ride.
It had been two weeks since he’d seen Najja. Colin visited the Adrys house daily feeling somehow connected to Najja by being near Jo. The women were uncertain of what exactly was going on and while it never showed in public, behind closed doors of their house, he knew then their masks could come down.
He stretched out his legs and swirled the drink in his hand as the noise from Almack’s fell around him. He’d met Trystan earlier and had been personally in no rush to head out in the icy rain which had begun to fall. So he sat alone in a corner and just observed. A few of the men he’d gone to school with had stopped by but, being as he had not really socialized with them since he joined His Majesty’s Royal Navy, he had nothing to say to them. They got the hint eventually and he was gratefully left alone.
The dark liquid in his tumbler mesmerized him when a whiff of lemon reached him. A scent he’d not smelled in a long time.
“Hello, Colin.” The voice was cultured and soft.
Had he had any drink in his mouth he would have choked. As it was he had a hard time keeping his composure. He skimmed the woman standing before him. A silk dress, the hue of blue ice, covered a body he once knew well. Her flame-red hair piled high while some of the shiny locks curved over her left shoulder to rest upon the swell of her breast.
Francesca Kelly, Countess Valewood.
His ex-fiancée.
“Franny,” he said coolly.
Her light brown eyes narrowed slightly. I forgot she hates that name. He’d always thought he could never forget her beauty and yet, right here, right now, staring at her she was remarkably…unmemorable.
“You are looking good. I heard about your father and brothers. Sorry for your loss.”
He inclined his head by way of thanks.
“May I?” she asked waving a gloved hand before her.
“Sure.” He took a drink.
Francesca pulled out a chair and sat while removing her kid-leather gloves. She placed them on the table.
“You seem different,” she said pouring herself a drink from the bottle on the table.
Colin sat forward and braced his arms on the smooth wood. “People change when years pass. What do you want?”
She sipped slowly and cast a glance around the place. He knew people watched them, for her jilting him was a well known fact. If it showed up in a betting book at a gaming hell he wouldn’t be the least bit surprised.
When she deigned to look at him again he saw the slyness in her gaze and his guards solidified. “I made a mistake you know,” she commented offhandedly.
He had already grown bored with this exchange. “Really.” It wasn’t a question.
“I thought Vale would make me happy.” Her thin face showed distaste. “He is a vile man.”
“Why do you think I give a damn about your marriage, Franny? You made the choice. You left me for him, his name, and his money.”
He watched her expression and knew she was less than pleased with the direction of their encounter. There was no remorse in him for her or what her life had become.
“I miss you. How it felt to be in your arms.” She reached across the table and dragged her fingers down the back of his hand and rested one finger upon his.
Her touch used to excite him. Hell, everything about her did. Not anymore. He felt nothing but antipathy for her.
Colin broke their contact and peered at his timepiece. Time to go. “Then that is your problem.” He rose. “Good bye, Lady Valewood.” Coat on he left Almack’s without a glance back. He took his carriage to see his mother before he returned home to do some more work.
Another message waited for him when he got home.
Your time is coming.
He swore and shoved it into a lower drawer. Sending for Pug, he sat the boy across from him at the chessboard. It had become their ritual and he was really beginning to enjoy it. Pug had no one and had melded into the house with ease. Except for the occasional refusal to bathe.
“I have some questions for you, Pug, and I want the truth.”
The boy nodded and tugged on his starched collar. Pug wore the clothes a boy would wear if he were Colin’s son and not an urchin off the street. Colin didn’t care, he liked having Pug around.
“Who paid you to get me the message?”
“A man who works for Mr. Mitch. I took it to yer house but the stuffy man said you were here.”
Stuffy man. Had to be Abel. Colin moved his knight. “So you rode here. Did you recognize the man who attacked you?”
“No. He was a big bloke. Smelly. Had a beard wot covered up his face. Scar down one eye.” He drug a finger over his left eye as he moved a pawn.
“How did you get away?”
Pug grinned, a sparkle highlighting his eyes. “’E was big, not too fast.”
The boy was smart and quick on his feet. “What about your family?” he asked moving another piece.
A small shrug. “Got none.”
I must be getting soft. “You are welcome to stay here.”
Shrewd eyes met his. “I thought you not like that.”
Colin frowned. “What?”
“One of those men who likes little bo--”
“Oh, God no. No. No. No!” He held out his hands, appalled Pug would have even the knowledge of such things. “I meant no such thing as that. I mean you stay here and get some schooling.”
“Why?”
“You are a smart lad who is fearless.”
Pug cocked his head to the side. “We wagerin’, guv?”
Colin put all his attention on the boy. “No. No wager. No deals. Just the offer. If you want to live with me here and in the country, you can. If not, Berry will take you back to where you came from.”
“None o’ that funny business?”
The way Pug kept going back to that made him wonder if something had not happened to him in the past. “My preference runs to women much older than you,” he stated bluntly.
Pug never missed a beat. “Like that Miss Najja? You stared at her like a hungry man after food.”
Colin slid his queen along the board. “Like her.”
Pug countered with his knight. The boy was quick. Extremely analytical. He’d picked up this game in no time. “Do I have to call you, my lord?”
Colin chuckled. “No. Colin is fine.” He repositioned his bishop to the square he wanted. “Checkmate. You are getting good at this game, Pug. If you remember anything else about the one who attacked you, let me know.” He got to his feet and smiled at the boy who frowned at the board before him. “I will see you later.”
He made it to the door before Pug’s question stopped him.
“So you will protect me?”