His Abducted Bride (11 page)

Ignoring the group of people who watched them, he smiled and slid his arm around her waist. He prompted her forward. “If you like, I can have the cooks prepare one of your favorite dishes. Just say the word, and it’ll be done.”

She glanced at several people who had the decency to lower their gazes and hurry off down the hall.

“Let me guess,” he ventured, an irritatingly satisfied smile on his face. “When you wrote me, I was a raw meat eater, and since I was the villain at the time, I assume you wanted to show my thirst for blood. However, I have no such thirst. As sorry as I am to disappoint you, all of my meat has to be cooked. A medium-well is fine, but raw will not do. But that is neither here nor there. We’re discussing your culinary preferences. When you wrote scenes where you ate, there were roasts, baked fish, quail-”

“I’ve never had quail,” she clarified.

He studied her. “Then why did you write down that you enjoyed it?”

“So I could write something different. I couldn’t keep saying I was eating the same thing all the time.”

“You didn’t seem to mind if I was eating the same thing every day.”

“But you didn’t always eat raw meat the same way. Sometimes you ate the heart of an animal after cutting it out.”

He grimaced. “Yes, I remember. Funny how you didn’t mention the fact that I threw up afterwards.”

“You weren’t supposed to throw up.”

They climbed the stairs, and though she made an attempt to get in front of him, he kept his arm securely around her waist. “Of course I threw up! That was absolutely disgusting. What kind of monster do you take me for?” She opened her mouth, but he interrupted, “Never mind. I remember exactly who it is that I was supposed to be. Don’t worry, though. I won’t hold your error against you.”

With a sigh, she shook her head.

They reached the top of the steps, and he turned her so that she was facing him. “I’m actually a cuddly and sweet guy.”

“And persistent.”

“Yes, that’s also true.” He lowered his head, and assuming he was going to kiss her, she turned her head. Chuckling, his lips brushed her neck. “I was going to whisper in your ear that you’re persistent, too.” He raised his head. “I guess the real question is, which one of us is more so.”

“Does it matter?”

“Of course it does. The one who is more persistent will win. And I,” he brushed her cheek with the back of his hand, “am more persistent than you are.”

She rolled her eyes but didn’t argue as he led her down the hall. “Where are you taking me?” she asked as they passed her bedchamber.

“We need to get dressed for dinner.”

She slowed her steps, though he kept urging her forward. “What are your intentions?”

“I think you know exactly what they are.”

Pushing away from him, she stopped walking. “I’m not sleeping with you.”

“Sure you are. At some point, we will even consummate the marriage.”

“No we won’t.”

“Maybe not tonight…if you can resist me.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

Rolling her eyes, she muttered, “Resisting you isn’t a problem.”

He shot her a wounded look. “I got the impression you didn’t mind my kisses.”

“It’s not like you gave me a choice.”

She waited for him to respond, but he led her into his bedchamber and pulled the cord on the wall. Turning to face her, he smiled and clasped his hands behind his back.

When he didn’t say anything, her eyebrows furrowed. “What are you up to?”

He approached her and cupped her face in his hands. “I’m not up to anything.”

His thumbs caressed her cheeks, and though she wanted to pull away from him, there was something hypnotic about the way he was touching her. It was so soft. So gentle. It’d been a long time since anyone touched her that way.

“You don’t have to keep fighting me,” he whispered. “We’re a good match.”

The knock at the door saved her from having to respond. He stepped around her and headed for the door. She swallowed the lump in her throat. When she opened her eyes, she turned her gaze to the servants who were bringing in two tubs. “What’s going on here?” she asked as they set the tubs close to each other.

“We can’t go to the banquet hall smelling like we were in combat,” Gavin told her as more servants brought in pails of steaming water.

“Hold on,” she told several servants who were ready to pour the water into her tub. “I can’t take a bath in front of,” she motioned to Gavin, “him.” Her face warmed as she made eye contact with him. “It’s a matter of privacy.”

“Of course.” He nodded and directed the servants to put her tub behind the large dressing screen that had been in her bedchamber. “If you require assistance, Noel will be happy to help.”

Noel, who stood to the side, held neatly folded towels. She bowed. “I’ll do whatever you wish, my lady.”

“I can give myself a bath,” Sandy replied, walking over to her. While the servants placed her tub behind the dressing screen, she lowered her voice. “But maybe you can help with the evening gown.”

“You’re going to willingly wear a gown?” she whispered.

“Yeah, I guess.” She rolled her eyes, and smiled when Noel giggled. “But it has to be when the king isn’t in the room, and I don’t want him to know I volunteered for it.” She glanced at Gavin who was telling one of the servants what he wanted the cooks to make for dinner. Directing her attention back to Noel, she added, “There’s no sense in giving Blackheart a swell head.”

“My lips are sealed,” Noel promised. “When you are ready for me, send word and I’ll return.”

With a nod, Sandy retreated behind the dressing screen so Gavin wouldn’t see her take a bath.

Soon, it was just the two of them in the bedchamber, and the whole thing would have been awkward had it not been for the fact that Gavin sang ballads. He hit a few bad notes, making her laugh despite her efforts to ignore him. Though she couldn’t see him because of the dressing screen, she heard him turn in his tub.

“Is there something funny about the ‘Ballad of the Courageous Knight’?’” he asked.

“I wasn’t laughing about the knight’s battles. I was laughing at your atrocious singing,” she replied, not hiding her snicker.

“Well, I guess that just goes to prove that everyone’s a critic.”

Despite his huff, she detected the amusement in his voice. “Get real. I didn’t tell you anything you didn’t already know.”

“Can you sing?”

“Sure, I can sing just as bad as you. Fortunately for you, I have the common courtesy to spare your ears.”

She finished washing herself off and settled back in the tub. If nothing else, the water felt wonderful after the exercise in the courtyard. She could understand why he insisted on a steaming bath around this time every day.

“I’m done bathing,” Gavin announced, as if she cared.

“So?”

“You took all the towels.”

“I did not!”

“Then why are they on the chair next to you?”

She straightened in the tub, the water splashing around her, and saw the two neatly folded towels right in front of her. “Noel must have put them there.”

“Even if that’s the case, I need one. Would you be so kind as to bring one to me?”

Narrowing her eyes, she stared at the screen, wishing that the blasted thing wasn’t there just so he could feel the heat of her glare. “You told her to put them there, didn’t you?”

He let out an exaggerated gasp. “I did no such thing! She’s your lady’s maid. Her orders are to obey you. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. Lucky for you, I happen to find it flattering.”

She heard him step out of the tub and her eyes grew wide. He wasn’t going to head over to the chair, was he? Because if he was… She glanced at her breasts. “Where are you going?” she demanded. Darn it, but she couldn’t hear his footsteps on the rug!

“I’m going to get a towel.”

“You can’t!” She wiggled lower in the tub and did what she could to conceal herself from his view. She held her breath and focused on any sounds that would reveal his present location in the room. But she didn’t hear anything.

“If you didn’t want me to come over here, then you should have instructed Noel to give me a towel,” he said from behind her.

She shrieked and jerked, temporarily revealing everything to him. Quickly covering herself back up as much as she could, she scowled at him. “You, sir, have no sense of decency.”

With a shrug, he walked around her and grinned. “I might be the king, but I never claimed to be a gentleman.” His gaze traced her body. “You have no need to hide yourself from me. I heartily approve of everything I see.”

“Have you no shame?” she muttered, her face as hot as it could get when she noted his erection.

“Nope.” He clasped his hands behind his back, his smile growing wider. “And I have no qualms about it.”

She rolled her eyes. “Wonderful.”

“You should be glad that your husband finds you so attractive. According to you, King Petros loathed to look upon his wife, which was why he sent her into exile. Would you really want me to do the same to you?”

“I only did that to make a point.”

“Oh? And what point would that be?”

She glanced at him and saw that though he was still dripping wet, he made no move to get the towel mere inches from him. “Shouldn’t you be drying off?”

“In good time. What I want to know is what you planned for King Petros. You did nothing with him in the story.”

“If I tell you, will you cover yourself up with a towel?” She forced her eyes on his, though a part of her wanted to look down. As much as she was loathe to admit it, she found the naked male body fascinating, and Gavin happened to be absolutely gorgeous. No doubt his years of exercise only heightened his male beauty. Gritting her teeth, she added, “I won’t tell you my plans for King Petros until you put a towel around your waist.”

He sighed and turned to the towel. “Very well.”

“And give me one too.”

“Aw, come on.”

“Do it!”

“You drive a hard bargain.” He gathered the towels.

When she realized he held it just out of her reach, she groaned. “Really?”

“If I hold this right over the tub, it might slip and fall in the water. Then it’ll be all wet.”

“I’m not getting up until you give me the towel.”

“Alright.” He set the towel back on the chair. Instead of wrapping his own towel around his waist as she’d requested, he used it to dry his hair.

“Turn around,” she said.

“Why?”

“You know why.”

He lowered his towel and knelt by the tub. Leaning toward her, he kissed her cheek. “Why are you fighting this attraction between us?”

A shiver of delight raced up her spine. She felt her resistance wavering. It was wrong for him to abduct her and hold her here against her will. But even so, she couldn’t deny he was far too likable for her own good.

Standing up, he wrapped the towel around his waist. “We can put aside a romantic moment for now. You managed to get my attention off of consummating our marriage.” With a glance at the towel which didn’t hide his erection, he offered her a wicked grin. “Well, at least to a point.”

“It’s amazing how important men think their penises are,” she quipped.

He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Not as important as where the penis goes, my dear.” Before she could respond, he added, “Will you tell me about King Petros while I get dressed? I promise to be good and do it where you can’t see me, unless you’d like to watch.”

She’d rather die than admit she wanted to see him naked. After all, a woman had a right to play hard to get if she wanted to. “Of course I don’t want to watch you get dressed.”

Despite her stern expression, he didn’t look convinced. But to his credit, he slipped out of her view. “So what is King Petro’s story?”

“I only introduced him in this book. He wasn’t a main character.”

“Then what was his purpose?”

“I’m not sure. I guess to make him a villain in the second book if I wrote one.”

“I see. Then what?” he asked. “My death paved the way for King Petros to become a main character?”

She rose from her tub and grabbed her towel. “Possibly. Without you around, I’d need another villain.”

“A villain?”

“Why else would I have King Petros exile his wife? Only a scoundrel does something that cruel.”

“I don’t know. I think sending a wife into exile is better than murdering a lot of people simply for the fun of it.”

She sighed and wrapped the towel around her body. “Are you dressed yet?”

“Almost, but don’t let that stop you from coming out of there. It’s easier to have a conversation with someone I can see.”

She couldn’t argue his point. Stepping past the dressing screen, she crossed her arms. “I didn’t have you kill all those people for the fun of it.”

As he finished buttoning his shirt, he glanced at her. “No?”

“No. You were hungry for power. You wanted to expand your kingdom and rule over the world. One kingdom wasn’t enough for you.”

“And what of King Petros? Is one kingdom enough for him?”

“I’m not sure.”

He retrieved his waistcoat and slipped it on. “How can you not be sure? You created him.”

“Yeah, well, I created you too and look how you turned out.”

Raising an eyebrow, he asked, “What do you mean by that?”

She wasn’t sure if she should admit it but figured she might as well. “I guess you’re not as bad as I made you out to be.”

This time when he smiled at her, there was no hint of the teasing he’d had before. Instead, it was the smile of delight. He strode over to her and kissed her. There was something different in the kiss, something softer than in the ones he’d given her before.

When he stepped away from her, he said, “Thank you.”

As he left the room, she touched her lips. It’d been a long time since a kiss had such an affect on her. Her heart raced with excitement and she couldn’t wait to see him again.

Gavin reread the missive King Petros had sent him.

I couldn’t help but notice everything I’ve worked hard to build over the past year has been wiped away in a single instant. I don’t know why or how you changed the course of the author’s story, but I demand you put things back to the way they were. Send the author back to where she belongs. If you don’t, I will. And you won’t like what I’ll do to you if I have to take matters into my own hands.