‘I promise I’ll be on my best behaviour,’ he said slowly. ‘I won’t say or do anything annoying.’
She laughed softly. ‘Let’s not tempt fate!’
Looking down at her, Laszlo smiled crookedly. ‘How reassuringly superstitious of you,’ he said softly. ‘My sweet Romany wife.’
She gazed at him, hypnotised by the soft darkness of his eyes and the even softer darkness of his voice. And then her heart twisted inside, for Laszlo’s words were not a promise for the future but a simple statement of fact.
Trying to ignore the tangle of emotions her thoughts provoked, she glanced at one of the clocks—surely sense demanded she should leave before she said something she’d regret?
‘I should go and find your grandfather, but he usually has a nap about now.’ She bit her lip. ‘I don’t know what to do...’
Laszlo frowned. ‘Maybe I can help with that.’
Sliding his fingers through her hair, Laszlo pulled her towards him, his expression thoughtful.
‘Let’s see...’ Turning her hand over, he stroked the centre of her palm and then, lifting her hand, slowly ran his tongue along the lifeline until she squirmed against him. ‘Hmm...’ he murmured softly. ‘Your skin’s so smooth it’s difficult to read the future. But...’
His gleaming golden gaze rested on her face, making her feel hot and tingly all over.
‘I can see that there’s a tall, dark, handsome man in your life.’
Prudence wriggled free and shook her head, trying not to laugh. ‘Really? I wouldn’t say Jakob is tall.’
He grinned at her. ‘The man I’m talking about is definitely not a lawyer. He’s just as smart, but he’s witty and cool and sexy...’
He laughed softly as, heart pounding, she tugged her hand away. ‘And bordering on the delusional?’ she said quickly.
She wanted him so much. And when he held her close like this, his body so warm and hard against hers, everything inside her seemed to unravel and fly apart.
Hoping fervently that her feelings weren’t showing on her face, she took a deep breath and lifted her chin. ‘Or maybe you just need your eyes tested?’
He smiled—a long, curling smile that whipped at her senses.
‘Quite probably. No doubt my eyes have been damaged by years of living in this gloomy castle.’ He pressed his body against hers. ‘Maybe I should keep you where I can see you,’ he murmured possessively.
And then his hand tightened in her hair and, dropping a fierce kiss onto her lips, he pulled her into his arms.
CHAPTER EIGHT
FROM THE WINDOW of his bedroom Laszlo stared out at
the cloudless blue sky and scowled. Rising early, he had gone for a walk before breakfast in the fields that surrounded the estate. Usually he enjoyed the silence and the crisp, early air—but not today. For once he had found it hard to take pleasure in the peace and beauty. Instead his thoughts had been dogged by scenes from last night. And now yesterday’s conversation with Prudence was playing on repeat inside his head, so that rather than slip back into bed beside her, he’d returned to the castle.
His chest grew tight. Feeling distinctly uncomfortable, he closed the window. But there was no way he could shut out the unpalatable truth. He had treated her badly. And a weaker person—the person he’d so arrogantly assumed Prudence to be—would have been crushed.
Only she hadn’t been crushed. And she hadn’t given up either. In spite of her youth and inexperience, and in the face of his evident and repeated reluctance to talk about anything, she had still tried to make it work. His mouth tightened. And it was still the same story now. When fate had thrown them together he had used his power and position to punish her, but even then she hadn’t walked away. She’d just climbed over the wall and refused to leave.
He suddenly grinned. He loved it that she was so bloody-minded. And beautiful. And brave. She was everything he’d wanted in a wife. And then his smile faded. Why was he using words like wife and love? He didn’t love Prudence, and soon she wouldn’t even be his wife. In fact, soon she wouldn’t even be in the country. With a growl of frustration he clenched his hands. Everything seemed to have backfired. Letting Prudence back into his life and into his bed seemed to be having quite the opposite effect to the one he’d imagined.
For a start, sleeping with Prudence didn’t actually seem to be killing his desire for her. If anything he wanted her more. In fact, he couldn’t imagine a time when he wouldn’t roll over in bed to find her lying next to him.
Worse, the anger he had felt when he’d found her in his study seemed to have faded to be replaced by a sort of nervous anticipation. He gritted his teeth. If he hadn’t known better, he might have said that he had some sort of feelings for her.
A muscle flickered along his jaw. Only of course that would be ridiculous. His ‘feelings’ were just a trick of the senses. As Prudence had so rightly pointed out yesterday, the only time they ever felt comfortable being open and honest with one another was during sex, and no doubt his emotions were just the after-effects of intimacy. Add to that his guilt at having treated her so shabbily and it was no wonder he was feeling confused.
He let out a breath, pleased to have found a rational explanation for his discomfort. Glancing out of the window, he could just see the roof of the vardo and, whistling softly, he turned towards the door.
* * *