He turned from the accusation in her gaze. “I owe you no explanations, Helen. I can bed whomever I wish.”
She sucked in her breath at the cold strike of pain. She held his gaze, the crushing truth of that statement hitting her with finality. He owed her nothing. The only bond between them existed in her heart.
She stood squarely in front of him, forcing him to look at her one more time. “Except me.”
His eyes met hers. “Except you.”
And with that, he turned on his heel and left.
Helen let him go, resisting the urge to go after him. She knew he wouldn’t change his mind right now. He was too angry. Too determined.
He wanted her, but he was intent on resisting her. Why was he being so stubborn? Why was he trying to hard so make her give up?
Her eyes widened. Was that it? Did he want her to give up? Was this some kind of test to see if she was as feckless and inconstant as before?
Helen straightened her spine, shaking off the discouragement of moments before. She wouldn’t give up. She would fight for him for as long as it took. If seducing him didn’t work, she would wear him down in other ways. She could be stubborn, too.
But how to prove it when he was leaving, and she would remain at—
She stopped, remembering something the king had said earlier. A smile crept up her features. “What am I going to do without you?”
Perhaps they didn’t need to find out.
Fourteen
“Absolutely not.”
The king lifted a brow at Magnus’s bold pronouncement.
Magnus gritted his teeth and amended, “I mean, I do not believe that is a good idea, Sire. Our delay at Dunrobin means we will have much ground to cover and many places to visit. It will not be a pace for ladies.” Especiallythatlady. “Besides, you do not appear to be in any need of a healer. I thought you declared yourself healthier than you’ve felt in years?”
The king smiled. “All due to Lady Helen. That peasant diet of hers is unpalatable, but it is not without effect. She has graciously offered to continue serving as my healer on our progress.”
Graciously I’ll bet—the devious little termagant. Magnus could kill her. When the king had asked him to come to his chamber after breaking his fast to discuss their journey, he hadn’t anticipated having to fend off another one of Helen’s ploys. He was still in a rage after the trick she’d pulled last night. When he thought of some of the things he’d said to her…
A sickly heat crawled up his face. He would never have talked that way if he’d known it was Helen. Hell, he would never have done any of it, if he’d known it was Helen.
When he thought of how he’d touched her…
Damn it, he couldn’tstopthinking about how he’d touched her. He could still feel the lush weight of her breast in his hand, still taste her honey-sweet skin on his lips, and still hear the echo of those frantic little pants in his ear as he’d stroked her. She’d been so soft and wet, her body warm and ready for him. All he could think about was slipping inside that tight little glove and…
Devil take the little temptress, he’d been seconds away from taking her from behind like a rabid dog!
Pulling back when his body had been primed to the point of pain had taken every ounce of his strength. Then she’d pushed harder when she’d covered him with her hand. The feel of her dainty fingers wrapped around his cock had set off every primal instinct in his body. He’d been a hair’s breadth from giving in to his body’s demands. From giving in to her.
Jesus.
Shame bit at him. How could he not have known it was her? The room had been dark and heavy with the scent of ale. He’d been drunk. But he hadn’t beenthatdrunk. He should have known. Perhaps he had. Perhaps on some unconscious level he’d known it all along.
The ramifications of that were too wretched to contemplate. He’d thought he was free of her, but what if he could never be free?
And now that he’d touched her, felt her body respond to him, it was even worse. She was in his blood. He’d unleashed his passion and there was no pulling it back.
Damn her, this was all her fault. And now she was trying to insinuate herself further into this living hell of his consciousness by attaching herself to their progress. A fresh wave of anger hit. “If you would like someone to accompany us, your grace, I can send for the royal physician in Edinburgh.”
The king’s gaze hardened. “I don’t want the royal physician, I want Lady Helen. None of the concoctions that Lord Oliver forced down my throat did a tenth of the good that Lady Helen has done.”
Magnus could hear the king’s heels digging in and knew he’d better switch tactics. Perhaps an appeal to his chivalrous nature? “I will ensure that Lady Helen’s instructions are seen to. It is not necessary to put her in danger. We might be at peace, but the roads are still no place for a lady.”
