Chapter 13
Shocked, Sage stared at him. Was he trying to gain her sympathy? She doubted it. “I saw you do it. You ran him through.”
Marcus shook his head, and waves of his blond hair swayed with the movement. “I didn’t mean to hurt him. I was turning, and he lunged for the book.” He gazed thoughtfully, remorsefully at the dirt ground. “I would have bound him and left him. I would have been long gone before he told anyone I took the book. He posed no threat.”
She played the scene over in her mind. Could it be as he said? Now, without the filter of hate and disbelief, she saw exactly what had happened. Brother Nicolas had jerked forward as Marcus whirled. Marcus hadn’t moved his arm forward for the death lunge. He hadn’t meant to run Nicolas through. It was as Marcus had said. Nicolas was old, and he presented no danger to him. Sage had crossed swords with Marcus. She knew how good he was. If he had meant to kill Brother Nicolas, he would have done it.
“It was a mistake,” he insisted. “I tracked Sterling to le Bezu. As I was moving to intercept him to take the book, I overheard you and Nicolas.”
Her mind whirled. “Sterling? You mean Christian?”
He nodded.
“Christian was at le Bezu?” What was going on? Why would both Christian and her father be at the chateau?
Marcus nodded. “I had meant to confront him and procure the book, but I heard you and Brother Nicolas decoding it.”
Guilt settled around Sage’s shoulders. They hadn’t been decoding the book. Brother Nicolas was teaching herhowto decode.
“Now I know you were being taught to solve the puzzle. I realize I was wrong.” Marcus looked up at her. “I never meant to hurt him.”
There was truth and anguish in his voice, and Sage felt a tug of sympathy.
He chuckled mockingly. “This probably taints the villainous image you have of me.”
She stepped closer to him. “Maybe a little,” she admitted. “But for the better.”
He shook his head. “He was old. We weren’t friends, but that didn’t mean I had to use force on him.”
His blue eyes were full of regret and something else. Something that called to her like a beacon. Her gaze swept his handsome, rugged face lined with agony, finally coming to rest on his tortured eyes. She placed a hand on his smooth cheek for comfort. She was not good at comforting, but it didn’t seem to matter. She wanted to touch him, to soothe him. Her gaze lingered on his lips. Such torment. Such remorse. She just wanted to...wanted to…
Without thinking, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, giving him a gentle kiss. His lips were warm and firm. Heat exploded through her, terrifying her.
She pulled back and dropped her hand from his skin. “I’m sorry. I—”
Marcus dropped the saddlebag and cupped her face, pulling her lips back to his.
Her curiosity was overwhelmed by the hunger in his kiss, leaving her powerless to do anything but respond. He moved his mouth expertly over hers, igniting a sudden fire in her stomach. She was swept away by the force of his need and her own. She responded eagerly, closing her eyes and answering his kiss. His lips were gentle as they caressed hers. She threaded her fingers through his hair.
He drew her tight against his hard body, wrapping his arms about her. He kissed her lips, his tongue moving delicately over them, coaxing her to open to his exploration.
Sage parted her lips with a soft sigh.
He thrust his tongue forward, sweeping it through her mouth.
Startled, she pulled back. Her lips tingled from his kiss. Willow had told her stories about kissing, but she had never experienced it before. She quickly stepped away from him, separating from the warmth of his body.
Marcus’s brow furrowed in confusion, and then, his mouth opened in surprise, realization dawning in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think—”
She quickly shook her head. “Don’t apologize. I started it.” She had been unprepared for the searing heat that he had ignited inside of her. She had been unprepared for the depth of the kiss, even though Willow had told her. She had just...wanted to know what he felt like, what his kiss would taste like, whathewould taste like.
“Then we both are at fault,” he admitted.
He was being kind. Embarrassed, she wondered if she had kissed wrong. She wasn’t sure since it was the first time that she had ever kissed a man. She searched for something comforting, something she was familiar with. “Can I have the book back?” she asked.
Marcus’s gaze swept her.
“Since we are working together,” she added.
