Page 65 of The Pirate and the Pagan
Shrewsbury grabbed the case from the coach.
“Leave it on the road and drive on,” Summer ordered.
Shrewsbury, almost bursting a blood vessel by now, raged at his wife, “This is all your fault!”
Summer called to him, “I’ll keep my mouth shut about your lady’s indiscretion, my lord Shrewsbury, but if I were you, I’d give her a damned good beating!”
Shrewsbury looked in disgust at his coachman. “You … drive north!” He slammed into the coach and it lurched off, leaving Summer with an irresistible desire to bend double with laughter.
When the carriage was out of sight, she picked up the case and put it in her saddlebags. She had done it! She felt invincible. Her blood surged wildly with the thrill the danger had brought. Damn, it was easy … like taking candy from a baby. She felt slightly intoxicated … light-headed … light-spirited, and very merry.
She stabled Ebony at Roseland and took the jewel case up to her bedroom. She slipped her rubies into her doublet and put the jewels she had won at Stowe into the case with the diamond necklace and what looked like sapphires. Unfortunately Anna Maria had still been wearing her emerald and jade necklace, but Summer was ecstatic over the fortune in jewels she had acquired. Of course when she sold them, she’d never be able to get full value, but it would go a long way in paying off a great deal of the mortgaged debt. She frowned … the time had all but run out. In fact tomorrow would be the day the debt fell due. Spider would have to take what money they had to London to pay part of the debt. He could ride into Plymouth and easily take passage on a ship going to Portsmouth or even London, for the King and court would be leaving for those ports after just one more day.
She made her way on foot back to Helford House. She had no trouble climbing up to her bedchamber balcony undetected, for the guests were just taking leave of their host on the opposite side of the house. She locked away her precious rubies then carefully removed her black garments and put them into the trunk in the wardrobe. She honestly believed at that moment her career as a highwayman was over.
Suddenly she heard her bedchamber door being tried and caught her breath in alarm. Thank heaven she had had the presence of mind to secure it before she had gone out. She stood naked, torn between searching her wardrobe for a bed gown and discovering who was outside her chamber door. To reassure herself that the door was still locked, she crept across the deep carpet without a sound and placed her ear against the panel.
“Summer”—Ruark’s voice brooked no refusal—“let me in.”
A feeling of déjà vu swept over her as she recalled standing naked behind his cabin door after the storm. She clenched her fists. She hadn’t let him in that night and she sure as hellfire wasn’t about to let him in tonight. She remained silent, willing him to leave, when to her horror she saw the key being pushed out of the lock, and a scraping metal sound came from the other side as she realized he was picking the lock. Lightning blast the man! She should have known it would take more than a lock to keep Helford at bay.
She ran to her wardrobe and quickly pulled a velvet robe over her nakedness and was standing in the center of the room with hands on hips when he opened the door and let himself in. Ruark wore only a robe and alarm bells went off in her head to keep him at arm’s length no matter what. “What do you want?” she demanded.
His eyes traveled the length of her slowly. Though they were enemies at this moment, he had to admit her allure. He could not love her, but he definitely wanted her … wanted to master her, ravish her, seduce her to the point where she would beg him to take her. His deep voice sent a shiver up her spine as he sounded concerned over her. “I heard you were unwell.”
“I never felt better.” She lifted her chin. “These people thrive on gossip.”
“Yes,” he said, slowly shortening the distance between them, “they are certainly gossiping about you.”
“Really?” she drawled. “And what pray are they saying?”
“One rumor had you gambling away your rubies,” he said evenly, watching her reaction to his words.
She flushed and her heart hammered in her chest as she realized the close call she had had. Triumphantly she unlocked her jewel case. Like a conjurer revealing a rabbit, she stood back to display her rubies. Her stubborn mouth and defiant eyes dared him to take them from her. Tonight, however, Helford was after another jewel.
“Another rumor which swept the hall when you retired said I had already gotten you with child.” With the lithe, quick movement of a panther his hands parted her bed gown and his eyes swept down over the lovely curve of her belly.
“Stop this, my lord. You cannot tell me our marriage is over and expect your rights at the same time,” she said with contempt, closing her bed gown over her nudity.
“Can’t I?” he asked silkily as his thumb moved to undo the belt of his robe and it swung apart. “I can do anything I please. I am still master of my own hall.”
She knew exactly how irresistible was his allure. For her own self-preservation she knew she must not allow him to break down her resistance. If he loved her and left her again, she would crave him for weeks. “I’ll fight you,” she vowed.
He laughed deep in his throat. Such a promise only spurred him to render her to complete submission. He reached out strong hands to take her by the shoulders, but she shrugged from her bed gown and, naked, ran to the other side of the curtained bed.
He threw the empty nightgown to the floor, deliberately took off his own robe, and began to stalk her. She knew he was dangerous, but danger always excited her and she knew she must keep her eyes from his magnificently muscled torso. She turned to flee, but his arm swooped down to catch her ankle, and as she tumbled to the carpet he was on top of her in a flash.
She raked her nails down his face, then down his chest.
“Stop it, Summer.” He pinioned her wrists to the floor and hung over her until his wide shoulders blotted out the whole room. As he bent to take her mouth she managed to free one hand and again she raked his flesh. “Damn, you little wildcat, do I have to tie your hands?”
“Leave me alone … damn you to hell,” she hissed as she took two handfuls of black hair and pulled savagely.
“That’s it!” he exploded. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
He lifted her to the bed, kicking and struggling, and ripped the cord from one of the bed curtains. He secured her wrists above her head and fastened the cord to one of the bedposts, closing his ears to the profanities she screamed at him. When she was breathless from cursing, he hung over her again, the green flame of his eyes almost burning her with his towering lust.
Though she had put up a magnificent defense, it was in vain. She lay pinned between his powerful thigh muscles and his hands were free to caress her body in all the places he knew exactly she couldn’t resist. Her breasts had ached so much for his love play that the moment his palms cupped and lifted them she moaned and remembered the feel of her nipples against the crisp, coarse hair of his chest. She prayed that he wouldn’t take them into his mouth, but her pupils dilated with pleasure as he first kissed, then tongued, and finally sucked until her twin peaks became diamond hard.
