She rolled her eyes and chuckled, shocking him into silence.
“Captain Noir, please dinna tell me ye are about to humble yourself and offer marriage to me?”
He couldn’t speak, only stared.
“Ye can if ye wish, but know that I will deny ye. I am betrothed already and he is sure to find us upon the open sea for my wedding date is set to be very soon, and rain holy hell down upon ye.”
“Do ye love this man?”
She crinkled up her face and snorted. “Does any woman ever love the man her parents have chosen for her to marry because it will strengthen both families’ place in the realm and their coffers?”
“Nay,” he said flatly, his lips thinning.
“I sense from your response that perhaps ye were at one time betrothed?” She shifted on the bed, the sheet sneaking down to expose the tops of her breasts.
Why did that bit of flesh entice him more than seeing her nude had? He could imagine every inch of her breasts. Imagine pulling the sheet away with his teeth to nip at her tender flesh.
He snapped his gaze back to hers. “I was once. But ’twas long ago and in another lifetime.”
“Truly?” Her eyes narrowed as she tried to read him.
The little imp. “On my honor.”
At that, she laughed aloud. “Captain, ye have no honor. Ye’re a pirate set to steal ladies from their beds and plunder their riches.”
At her choice of words, he too chuckled. He didn’t know why but a piece of the steel he’d surrounded himself with to protect his identity opened. This woman was able to wrench a hole in his armor. “’Tis true of me now but I havena always been Captain Wraith Noir, lass. Everyone has secrets.”
“Tell me yours.”
Her gentle demand was alluring. Made him want to open up to her, to tell her his secrets, confidences that had never passed his lips. Get hold of yourself, man! He was about to spill his entire life story in her lap when he should be enticing her to enjoy what they were soon to experience so they could both escape alive.
“If I told ye, they wouldna be secrets anymore.”
“So mysterious ye are, Noir. Ye know nearly everything about me, and yet I know nothing about ye.”
“’Tis not about the knowing. Besides, I know naught of ye.”
She grunted skeptically. “Then what is it about?”
She had him there. How to answer her? Wraith sighed deeply. He was no good at this wooing thing. The women he cavorted with came to him, hopped on his lap and demanded a ride.
He grinned at her and winked. “’Tis about…” He found her fingers and entwined them with his. “This. The sharing. The sealing of one’s fate. ’Tis about opening up the most private part of yourself and allowing another to explore it. ’Tis about my soul touching yours in that one moment when earth shatters and disappears, and we travel up into the stars, melding as one being. That moment when nothing else matters but the person in your arms.”
“Ye make it sound so… Wonderful.”
“It can be.”
She swallowed, her throat bobbing as she did so, and the weariness in her eyes had not yet fully melted away.
“I promise, lass, that when we finish, I will take ye away from here. And I willna touch ye again, unless ye ask me to.”
At that promise, there was a tiny melting in her gaze. “How do I know ye mean what ye say?”
“I ask ye to trust me, but I know ye have no reason to.”
“Aye.”
Wraith brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles gently. “I’m sorry for taking ye away from your home.”
“Why?”
God’s bones, this was difficult. There were a number of reasons why, but most of them didn’t make sense even to him, so how was he supposed to make sense of them to her?
“Because, for one thing, we wouldna be in this situation.” He smiled wryly. “But for another, I admit a touch of worry over your betrothed and the supposed holy hell I am to be subjected to.”
“Ah, aye, ye will be sorry for it.”
“My men are not supposed to take ladies.”
“Someone made a mistake then?”
“Aye. And I will see them punished for it.”
“Ye would do that? For me?”
“Aye.”
“Might I impart some advice, Captain Noir?”
“Ye can try.”
She wrinkled her nose. “If your men knew ye were so willing to punish them over me, a mere slip of a lass, they might not respect ye as much as a pirate of your station deserves.”
“A pirate of my station? Have ye heard of me afore now?”
She smiled brilliantly, and for a moment, it might have been that they were not here on this bed, but in another place. “Nay,” she laughed. “But I do know pirates are supposed to be ruthless.”
Wraith ran his knuckles gently up her arm. “I am only ruthless when it comes to battle, lass, and generous when it comes to the lassies.”
He wasn’t sure which part of what he said exactly made her smile, made the fear slowly ebb, but he was exceedingly happy to see.
“What would ye consider generous?” There was a twinkle in her eye. “Swaths of gold silk, or sharing your best champagne?”
Wraith grinned at her choice of pleasures. “Both, lass, and a satisfied smile to go with them.”
“What would make a lass smile like that?” A spark in her eye showed she had an idea, even if only introduced in the last few hours to it.
He wasn’t certain, what had changed, but knew she was nearly ready. Her muscles had relaxed, her eyes widened, curiously.
“Do ye want me to show ye? Before they return?”
“Aye,” she whispered. Her lips glistened where she licked them.
Wraith could stand it no longer. He didn’t care if one hour had been reached or not. He was going to kiss her. He was going to make her want him and he was doing it now. To hell with the queen. The way to make this performance a success was to go at their own pace, to make Faryn comfortable, and he knew that would be anything but the case if they were surrounded by everyone.
Besides, he had a feeling that Orelia would like very much to walk in on their lovemaking, to be a voyeur.
He leaned forward, one arm bracing beside Faryn to hold him up, and brushed his lips over hers, feeling the warmth of her breath on his mouth as she sighed. She leaned her head up into him, not fighting his kiss at all, and he pressed his lips more firmly on hers. He stayed like that for a moment, breathing in her womanly essence, reveling in the sensation of such a sweet kiss. Taking a deep male satisfaction in that this was probably her first.
He nibbled her lower lip. Licked the crease between her lips. Slanted his mouth over hers, nuzzling and encouraging her to kiss him back. Her lips parted and her soft, warm tongue shyly came out to touch his. He let her explore his lips with her tongue as he had before touching his own tongue to hers.