“You’re welcome to examine the rest of me as well,” he said.
His halfhearted attempt at levity alleviated some of her panic. Allowed her to breathe again.
“Whose blood is it?”
“Lady Auberville’s,” he said flatly.
“Winnifred Auberville?” The image of the kind, grandmotherly lady popped into Fi’s head. She’d recently been introduced to them by the Hartefords. “Why would…”
“My friend and I were coming home, and we happened upon the Aubervilles. They had been attacked, their carriage held up by the Sherwood Band.” Hawk’s jaw tautened. “Auberville chose to resist. In the crossfire, his driver and Lady Auberville were shot. The driver’s wound wasn’t life-threatening, but the same could not be said of Lady Auberville’s. I tried to help her…but it was too late.”
Horror swamped Fi. “Oh, Hawk.”
“I escorted Auberville home. They’d been married for fifty years, he said. Six children. I summoned his heir…didn’t think he should be alone. He was in shock.”
Hearing her husband’s toneless words, the frozen look in his eyes, Fi realized that poor Lord Auberville wasn’t the only one in a state.
“How awful it must have been,” she said quietly. “To witness such a tragedy.”
“It was a tragedy that could have been prevented.” Hawk’s jaw looked hard enough to slice diamonds. “I should have done something to prevent it. Should have stopped…”
“Stopped a gang of violent criminals?” Fi placed a hand on his damp shoulder, felt his quivering tension. “What could you have done? That is the police’s job, not yours.”
Hawk sent her a silent, brooding look.
“We will deal with this together in the morning,” she said soothingly. “Let’s get you out of the bath and into bed.”
As she turned to fetch a towel, he grabbed her arm. His tight grip soaked through the sleeve of her robe.
“Hawk, you’re getting me wet,” she protested.
He pulled her closer, forcing her to lean over the tub.
“Do you know what my first thought was when I found the Aubervilles?”
Ensnared by his glittering gaze, she shook her head.
“What if it had been you?”
It took her a moment to register what he meant. And the howl of pain in his voice.
“Oh, darling. I’m here and perfectly safe—”
“After Caroline died, I vowed not to put myself through such pain again. Truth be told, I did not think I had anything left in me to give.” Raw emotion tautened his features. “But then I met you. And you…you changed everything. You made me feel again, hope again,liveagain.”
Her heart trembled at the intensity of his gaze. Of his words.
“Losing Caroline was hard. If I lostyou?” His chest heaved, his voice low and ragged. “I would not bloody survive it.”
His admission melted the protective shell around her heart.
“I love you, Hawk.” The moment she said the words, she knew them to be true. “And you’re not going to lose me.”
Wonder blazed in his eyes. “God, I love you, Fiona. With everything that I am.”
Joy expanded her chest. He yanked her to him, kissing her with a desperate passion that made her spirit soar. Then he rose, exiting the tub, and she squealed, instinctively retreating from the spray of water when he shook himself like a rain-soaked wolf.
Water sluiced from his sinewy frame, his pull upon her senses primal and undeniable. Desire pulsed through her as she took in the hair-whorled planes of his chest, the stack of muscles beneath. He was also fully, magnificently aroused. His cock swayed heavily between his corded thighs as he stalked toward her.
