The delicious sensation of his touch nearly made her gasp, but against all instinct she forced herself to pull away after a moment of that guilt-ridden bliss. At the same time she issued a command that somehow ended up sounding more like a husky plea. “Pray tell, what do you think you’re doing?”
His mouth quirked up in that seductive half smile again, sending a new wave of curling warmth through her. It was followed, however, by mortification, as he lifted the hand that had touched her so gently to reveal the smudge of soot he had removed from her cheek with his thumb.
“Oh…”
Any ash that might have remained on her face was surely obscured by the flaming red that filled it, if the heat she felt rising was any indication of the hue of her skin.
“You should be more careful.” Damien’s voice sounded slightly hoarse, and Alissende knew a flare of satisfaction in thinking that perhaps he wasn’t quite as unaffected as he seemed to be. “You are not dressed properly for the task of setting a fire, and soot cannot easily be removed once it invades the fine texture of silk.”
“I did not realize that you were so knowledgeable regarding women’s fashion,” she answered flippantly, in a desperate attempt to distance herself from him in some way.
Damien’s reaction was almost imperceptible, but she saw nevertheless that her tiny barb had sunk home. She couldn’t help feeling a bit repentant at having taunted him so, though when he replied, any lingering remorse vanished.
“I learned much of various fabrics, their qualities and worth when I lived and traveled through the Holy Land and later, Cyprus,” he murmured, his expression sharper now. “But anything I know about the intricacies of a woman’s clothing—the feel of a silk gown when one is unfastening it, for example—I learned directly from you, lady.”
The comment stung at the same time that it unleashed a powerful swell of something else, something that bound her to him in a way that she knew she would never feel with another man. But it did not matter. They were here by reason of a cold, practical arrangement, and there was no room for sugary sentiment in the mix.
Alissende cast him a dark look and tried to step around him, intending to leave before she said anything to make this situation worse. But he shifted his body, blocking her passage and causing her to speak with him again, this time in vexation.
“Come, sir, and let me pass.”
“Nay. We must discuss something before you flee again.”
“I amnotfleeing—and I can think of naught else that needs to be said. You made yourself quite clear in the solar,” she replied, still smarting from all that had transpired this day.
“Ah, but this is in regards to what you said only a few moments ago, when you told me that you came here to ready ‘my’ chamber.”
“Aye.” Alissende frowned. “And I spoke the truth. Now that I have accomplished that task, I intend to call a serving lad to complete the last minor preparations. You may settle your belongings here and be secure by nightfall.”
He made a sound of exasperation in his throat. “There—you have just done it again.”
“Done what?”
“You keep speaking as if I will occupy this chamber alone. I trust you are aware that such an arrangement will not suit.”
That set off a wild jangling inside her, and she studied him, readying herself for battle. “Of course it will suit. I am accustomed to sleeping in one of the guest chambers, and I intend to continue doing so for the term of our agreement.”
He stood there before her, unmoved; a golden warrior, tall, powerful, and stunningly handsome in his stubbornness. Another tingle of warning slipped up her spine, along with the fear that she might not find means to resist him if he demanded this of her. It compelled her to add, “You cannot expect otherwise, Damien, for it is you who insisted upon celibacy within the bounds of this temporary union.”
“I did—and that shall be honored,” he answered roughly, keeping her trapped in the intense blue currents of his gaze. “However, we must occupy the same chamber to uphold the appearance of being husband and wife, regardless of it.”
Alissende felt a sense of terror grip her, and the barely controlled passions that had been roiling in her breast flared to life again. Oh, God, he was being cruel to insist upon this. Cruel to demand that she share a chamber with him after all they had been to each other so long ago. She would not allow it. “Why?” she demanded, almost choking on the word.
Damien exhaled sharply and glanced away for a moment before he swung his gaze back to her. “You have been at court far more recently than I, Alissende. Has it changed that much then, in the years I was away?”
“It is as it has always been,” she answered reluctantly.
“Then you know as well as I that gossip is like life’s blood to them.”
“Perhaps. But I do not see what that has to do with where I choose to sleep of an evening.”
“You cannot overlook that we will be journeying to King Edward’s court before long,” Damien contended, “and so will those of your servants who accompany us. Do you think for a moment that even thehintof any scandal that occurs between us here will not reach the ears of the noble lords and ladies there—including Hugh de Valles or even the king himself?”
She could not refute what he was saying, yet each word rang like a death knell on her heart. The aching inside her swelled until it was almost unbearable, and she found herself needing to look away from him as he continued his very logically stated argument. “If I am to properly protect you, lady, none must suspect that there is aught between us but the usual familiarity of a newly married man and his wife.”
Still she could not bring herself to speak in reply or to look at him.
He grabbed her hand then, startling her as he called her gaze back to him, and she saw that his eyes burned with emotion. “By God, Alissende, if you will lead me into sin with this agreement we have struck, then you must be willing to do what is necessary to see it through! We must occupy the same chamber at night, whether here, at court, or anywhere else we may need to travel. We have no other choice.”
