The thug grinned. “I’ll take the wine and your purse and whatever rings your wife is hidin’ beneath them pretty gloves.”
Laughter was often an involuntary reaction. Although fear chilled her blood, the first titter escaped her lips and was quickly followed by a chuckle.
Bewildered, the rogue glanced behind before realising he was the subject of the joke. “Happen you should shut your mouth, else I might find something large to fill it.” He grabbed the stained crotch of his trousers, which made her laugh all the more.
Nicholas growled and moved to step forward.
“Wait.” She gripped his coat sleeve to stall him. “Forgive me,” she said, laughing at the miscreant. “If you knew what we had been through, you would find this amusing, too. You’re threatening a man wanted for murder.”
No doubt confident there was a code amongst villains, Nicholas played along. “I’m wanted for slitting a man’s throat, and I dislike ultimatums.”
“You’re forgetting some devil ran us off the road.” She faced the thug. “We might have died. So you see, your threat is insignificant in the scheme of things. And I should warn you. My husband has the skill to fight three men.” She gestured to Nicholas. “But please, feel free to try your luck.”
The vile man froze.
“I’m going to open my bedchamber door,” Nicholas said coldly. “If you’re still there when I turn around, be prepared to fight. If I’m to hang for one man’s death, I may as well hang for two.”
Placing the bottle on the floor, Nicholas took the iron key from his pocket and unlocked the bedchamber door.
Helen’s heart was in her throat.
The thug shuffled on the spot, his enormous fists hanging like ton weights at his sides. Was he about to charge at Nicholas or turn on his heel and run?
He did neither and stood staring like a dimwit.
“Get inside,” Nicholas whispered, opening the door and ushering her over the threshold. He snatched the wine bottle and glanced into the corridor before closing the door and locking them in. “It’s all right. He’s heading back to the taproom.”
Relieved, she placed the glass goblets and lamp on the table near the hearth. Candlelight cast a faint amber glow over a room that looked clean though smelled of damp wood. The bed was so small she knew Nicholas would object to sleeping beside her tonight.
She meant what she’d said hours earlier.
She meant to have him, to treasure these moments they had together, for no one could predict the future.
He crossed the room and placed the wine bottle on the table. “I imagine we’re both in need of a drink. I thought I’d have to fight the fiend and could have done with releasing some tension.”
“I thought so, too. My heart is still thundering in my chest.” She captured his hand and pressed it to her heaving bosom. “Can you feel it pounding? I cannot recall ever being so breathless.”
He gazed into her eyes and swallowed hard. “I can hear your silent communication, Helen, and I’m not sure what you have planned is a good idea.”
She offered a mischievous grin. “Don’t you want to make love to me? We’ve wasted years. Tell me we won’t waste another minute.”
He brushed the backs of his fingers gently over her cheek. “If I could guarantee I’d be a free man, I would be inside you in seconds.”
The first ripples of lust tightened her nipples.
“But here, now, you are free. This might be the defining moment of our lives, where we realise nothing matters but these precious times we spend together.”
“I’d sell my soul to have you. I’m hard thinking about us lying naked together in bed. But you may come to regret—”
“I won’t.” Determined in her cause, she settled her hands on his shoulders. “Your muscles are so stiff. Come to bed and let me ease your troubles.”
He laughed. “Is that a line you learnt from Miss Ware?”
“If you could hear my silent pleas, you would know I speak from the heart. I need to be close to you.” To feel his bare skin pressed against hers, to watch him lose himself in the pleasures of her body. “I want to give you the gift of my virtue. I want you to be the man who claims me. It’s you, Nicholas. It will always be you.”
In the brief silence, she prepared herself for disappointment.
“My heart is pounding, too,” he said, stealing her hand and placing it against the hard planes of his chest. “Can you feel it? I’ve never wanted anyone as much as I want you.” He drew her hand slowly down his chest to his groin. “I’m throbbing with the need to be inside you, love.”