Page 56 of Stay with Me

“I’ll help you too.” She spoke with such confidence and longing that he wanted to promise her she could do anything she wished. Was it possible she could grow to care about him, that eventually they would have a solid and loving marriage?

“I would see you safe above all else.” Which was another reason he needed to leave. If word spread that he’d taken a wife, Simon might decide to capture and use Sybil as bait. Nicholas couldn’t abide the thought of what Simon might do to her in order to lure him in.

Maybe he’d been too rash in marrying her. Maybe she would have fared better without a connection to him. And yet, the connection was undeniable. He hadn’t been able to keep his attraction to her a secret from anyone.

“I have to prove Simon is a traitor. Until then, he remains a threat.”

“Tell me everything about Simon. I need to know every detail.”

He hadn’t planned on spending his wedding night discussing his evil older brother and his devious behavior. But Sybil was persistent, wanting to hear about Simon’s various wives, his methods of punishment that led to their deaths, Simon’s strengths and weaknesses, the number of guards he had as well as their loyalty.

As usual, she asked astute questions like she was gathering data to use against Simon. And as usual, one conversation led to another so that Nicholas found himself telling her more about his childhood and his training as a knight. He spoke of his timeas a page in the household of a kind neighboring lord and how that had helped to shape him into a man of honor. Without it, he feared he would have followed more closely in the footsteps of his brother and father.

Although Sybil was as good a listener as she’d claimed, he wanted to find out more about her too and pressed her to share more about her past, which led to more talk about Dawson and her mother. He could sense as he had previously that she cared for people deeply and had been wounded deeply as a result.

When hours had passed and she finally drifted to sleep, he closed his eyes too, contentment filling him. What he wouldn’t give to have many such nights in his life, lying beside his wife and whispering about their pains as well as their hopes for a better future.

~ 21 ~

Sybil stretched awake to find armstightening around her.

Instantly, she was alert. She assessed the situation as quickly as always, noting that she was still in the past with Nicholas, that his thick arms were the ones surrounding her and his hard chest like a shield protecting her. Within the confines of his body, she felt as if she could truly sleep in a way she hadn’t been able to in years. Both in the cave and now in the bed, she’d rested soundly, without any trouble from insomnia.

Perhaps without all the stress of her present-day life, she’d been able to fall asleep easier. Or maybe the quiet of the cottage had helped. As she’d lain in bed waiting for Nicholas, she’d been struck by absolute silence, which was so different from her flat, where she could hear the neighbor’s TV through her wall, the rumble of delivery lorries passing by, and the cranky stuttering of her old fridge.

The complete darkness had been intense, too, without the digital light from her alarm clock or the flash of a notice on her mobile or headlamps from a passing car.

Whatever the case, her sleep had been dreamless and peaceful, and now the light of day was slipping past the cracks in the doors and shutters enough that she could see the outline of Nicholas’s shoulder and a stretch of his neck and jaw.

How was it possible she was still here with him? She guessed a part of her had expected to awaken to find that she was back under the stairs in Reider Castle. Although it seemed like ages since she’d gone into the closet and ingested the holy water, ithad only been two days. Did that mean today was the first of June?

She could see how it would be easy to lose track of time in the past without the access to a calendar or news sources or work schedules. She had to admit, she rather liked the simplicity and could get used to a life without the constant hurry to get from one activity to the next.

She also hadn’t missed any modern conveniences—at least not yet. She’d only camped a time or two while growing up, and this rustic way of life felt partly like that. Maybe once she had to do her own laundry or make her own food, she’d feel differently. But for now, she wasn’t put out, not even by the lumpy straw mattress in the wooden box bed.

Her blanket had loosened enough that she easily drew out an arm. The chill of the room sent goose bumps over her skin, a glaring reminder of another difference in the past—no heater to kick on when the night temperature dropped. They would likely have to light a fire in the center hearth to chase away the chill.

As if sensing her coldness, Nicholas drew her closer, enveloping her with his warmth.

Maybe she wouldn’t need a fire after all.

The steady rise and fall of his chest told her he was still sleeping. Breathing in deeply of the air that seemed permanently laden with woodsmoke, she closed her eyes, a new but pleasurable satisfaction welling up inside. She had no place she had to be and nothing demanding her time. This was the only thing she needed or wanted—to be right here, lying beside Nicholas, wrapped in his arms. In fact, she could do this all day. Maybe she would...

His words from last night sifted back through her mind:“I do want you. And I will have you. But not this night.”

He wanted her. But he’d refrained, just as he’d promised. Somehow that restraint made him even more appealing.

She rested her head against his chest and breathed him in, the scent of leather and spices filling her senses. Since arriving in the village, he’d had someone put more salve on his back on a couple of occasions. And she guessed she was smelling the herbs that were part of the salve.

He smelled as good as he felt. And the sight of him...

She opened her eyes again, leaned back slightly, and let herself take him in. His lashes were long and dark, and a strand of his hair fell across his forehead. The scruff on his jaw only seemed to highlight the ruggedness of his face, lending him an aura of danger that drew her in.

She wanted to touch his face, wanted to feel his stubble, wanted to test whether his jaw was as rigid as it looked.

Did she dare?

Before she could overthink the situation, she lifted her hand and let herself graze him, lightly so she wouldn’t wake him. The outline of his jaw, his firmness, the nearness—it all sent a delicious tremor through her.

---