Wild Heart (23 page)

Over and over, he contemplated the facts. He knew his cousin was there that night in India. He knew Henry’s father had been involved, and he knew they wanted a map. But how could he prove it all? There were so many people involved, and he didn’t know who he could trust anymore. Ella turned her face so her breath was warm against his neck. That wasn’t true. He trusted Ella. Damn it all, he did, and she was the person he should trust the least.

“What secrets do you hold, Ella?” he asked softly. She didn’t even flinch.

Leo sighed and focused on the scenery. Eventually they’d get somewhere. Whether that place would be their downfall or safety, there was no way of knowing. Softly, the other horse followed behind him, trusting his direction. Hours ago the horses had been frantic, and then suddenly they’d stopped. He’d never seen animals so docile and quiet and all within a short moment. It was downright unnerving. Why did he have the unsettling feeling that Ella had something do with their reversal of attitude?

The dark outline of a two-story building emerged from the night, and Leo urged his mount forward. Pulling the horse to a stop, he slid from the animal. Ella’s weak form tumbled into his arms. His worry grew, and he hurried up the stone path.

“Where are we?” she mumbled, barely lifting her head.

“I’m not sure.” He knocked, relieved she at least had the strength to speak.

No one answered.

Ella slid down his body and wavered on her feet. He steadied her, keeping his arm around her waist until he was sure she would remain standing. Pressing her hand to her head, she scanned their surroundings, but otherwise stood strong.

Leo knocked again. “I don’t believe anyone is home.” He jumped off the stoop and brushed aside foxglove to get to the window.

“What are you doing?” she asked, stumbling after him.

“Finding a way inside.”

“But…but you can’t just force your way in.”

He went to the next window and pushed. The panes gave way, and he grinned. “After you.”

“Leo, we can’t.” She looked around with wide eyes.

“We need to get off the road and out of sight for awhile.”

Ella’s shoulders slumped. “Very well.”

He placed his hands at her waist and lifted her through the window. With a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure they weren’t being watched, he jumped in after her.

“Sit,” he ordered, pointing to a chair in the corner of the room. She obeyed without complaint, and his worry grew. Something was most certainly wrong with her. “I’m going to survey the place, make sure no one is home.”

She nodded, but didn’t bother to look at him as he left. What in the hell had happened to her? Surely her reaction wasn’t from the shooting? His body was stiff, his mind on edge. In the jungle he’d learned to obey his instincts. He knew something wasn’t right.

Focusing on the house, he made his way up the stairs. Four bedrooms lined the hall, while a parlor, dining room, and kitchen were on the ground floor, all unoccupied. He went back downstairs and found Ella asleep once more. He lifted her, and she stirred.

“What is it? Where are we going?”

“You are going to bed.”

“Oh,” she murmured weakly.

He carried her to the first bedroom and laid her upon the mattress. The sheets smelled fresh and clean, and that increased his worry. Someone had recently washed the linens, which meant someone was recently here or would be soon. But right now, all that mattered was Ella.

Leo sat on the edge of the bed. “Ella,” he said softly.

She turned her head toward him, but he couldn’t read her expression in the dark room and he didn’t dare light a lantern to court suspicious neighbors.

“When I was grappling with the horses, something peculiar happened.”

“Hmm?” she murmured.

“They stopped, the horses. And I hadn’t even touched the reins yet.”

“We were lucky, then.”

He brushed back her hair. “Do you think so?”

She nodded.

“What aren’t you telling me, Ella?”

She didn’t answer, and by the soft rise and fall of her chest, he knew she slept.

Ella came awake with a start. In her mind lingered the memory of Leo. She’d dreamt of yesterday’s carriage ride, the way he’d touched her, the way her body had reacted. And now her heart raced in her chest, and the area between her thighs ached fiercely. She groaned and rolled over on her side. Even in the dark she knew she was somewhere unfamiliar. Automatically, she stiffened.

Her wide gaze scanned the room, and the memories rushed back in a wave of nausea. The highwaymen, the shooting…she gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. She’d shot someone. She turned, seeking the comfort of the one person who could ease her fears.

Leo lounged in a chair near a massive fireplace. His legs were stretched out and crossed at the ankles, his hands folded over his flat stomach and his eyes closed. The moonlight bathed his face in a glow that softened the harsh planes and made him look almost boyish. Was she dreaming? Trapped in some beautiful fantasy where only she and Leo existed?

The rise and fall of his chest told her he slept deeply. A lock of hair had fallen across his forehead, and she had the silly desire to brush it back, to run her fingers through his hair. A chill breeze billowed the curtains and sent the musty smell of rain into the room. She slipped her legs over the bed and padded across the floor. He’d catch cold, and they both needed to be in the best health possible. She snatched up a quilt that lay folded upon a trunk.

Holding the blanket close to her chest, she studied the way his thick lashes fanned across his cheekbones. His lips parted slightly, and his brows wrinkled as if he dreamt something he didn’t particularly care for. Ella’s heart clenched for the boy who’d seen his parents murdered and for the man plagued with nightmares. Hadn’t he said as much to her in the folly? Always nightmares. Gently, she spread the blanket across this lap. And then, because she couldn’t help herself, she reached out and slipped her fingers into the hair at his forehead.

Leo’s eyes opened to reveal cold, glowing orbs. Before she could guess his intentions, his fingers wrapped tightly around her wrist and jerked her toward him. Ella landed on his lap with a gasp. He blinked, and just as quickly as he lashed out, his body relaxed.

“Ella,” he whispered and released his grip.

She swallowed hard and resisted the urge to rub her wrist.

“Merda,
did I hurt you?”

She shook her head. “I thought…I thought you might be cold.”

“I mistook you for someone else. In the jungle I—”

“You don’t have to explain,” she whispered.

His palm, large and reassuring, rested on the small of her back and burned through her dress. He stared into her eyes, and she found she couldn’t move.

“Are you better?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yes, of course, I’m fine now.” She looked at her lap and cleared her throat. “You don’t have to…”

“What?”

“You can sleep in the bed with me,” she whispered.

She felt his body tighten, but his face betrayed no emotion.

“Are you positive?”

She knew what he asked her, the meaning behind the words. She knew what this could lead to. Instead of fear, excitement flooded her body. She nodded, knowing she wanted him by her side, knowing this could be her last time to have him completely before he left for Italy or something worse happened.

Leo stood, holding her close to his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed the side of her face to his heart, taking comfort in the strong beat. They reached the bed, and he laid her down gently onto the soft, feather tick. He tugged off his shirt, and she was eager to see his body, even if only by moonlight. What she wouldn’t give to have a fire or lantern burning…to see every sinewy muscle.

Here in this place where they knew no one and no one knew where they were, all that mattered was being together. Touching, tasting, exploring. There was no one to stop them. No one to limit the amount of time she could explore his body. And, oh, how she wanted to explore his body. With his trousers still on, he lay beside her and pulled her close. Ella snuggled her face into his neck, breathing in his scent and taking comfort in the warmth of his bare skin.

“Why do you sleep on the floor?”

He was silent.

“That first day I entered your room you were on the floor.”

He brushed her hair back from her face in a gentle manner that belied his strength. “I find English beds too soft, after sleeping on the floor and cots. Will you be able to sleep now?” He was obviously changing the subject. “With someone next to you?”

“Yes. At the orphanage we were always doubled up in beds.” But this wasn’t the orphanage, and Leo was most decidedly male.

His teeth flashed white as he grinned. “Are you saying I’m just like one of your mates?”

She fought her smile. “Yes, of course.”

Suddenly, she found herself on her back with Leo looming over her and his desire heating her core. She could feel his emotions, and it felt right, like she’d come home.

“Well then, I shall change your mind.” His body pressed hard against hers while his lips crushed to her mouth.

Ella sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck. His kiss was demanding and sensual, and sent heat straight to the pit of her belly. Dear Lord, he wanted her with an intensity that frightened and thrilled her at the same time.

Just as she’d started to respond, he pulled back and slipped off the bed. She reached out for him. “Leo…”

He tossed aside his trousers. Her heart jumped into her throat. Before she could get a good look, he was beside her again, completely and utterly naked.

Lowering his head close to her ear, he whispered, “Do you know how often I have dreamt of this? Of holding you in my arms, with no distractions, no interruptions?”

His mouth reclaimed hers, and he reached up to undo the buttons of her bodice. Then, ever so slowly, his fingers skimmed her tingling flesh, and he lowered the bodice from her body.

“I told you, Ella, outside the carriage, that this wasn’t over. Did you think I’d forget? Did you think I could possibly sleep with you next to me…your warm, soft body begging to be touched.” His lips moved to her collarbone. He reached up and undid the buttons of her corset. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the material aside and pulled down her shift, exposing her breasts to the cool night air that stirred through the windows. Leo’s warm hands cupped the mounds, and her nipples immediately hardened.

“Perfect,” he whispered, and she knew he meant what he said.

His mouth covered her breasts, sucking…licking until she squirmed underneath him, biting her lip to keep from crying out. Pressed between her legs, his shaft pulsed hard and hot like the desire that swept from his body and swirled with her own. He pulled away, sliding down and grazing her stomach with his lips.

Ella could do nothing more than shiver and slip her fingers into his silky locks. Lower still, he moved and took the remaining clothes from her body. With only her stockings in place, he trailed his fingers up her legs. His warm breath singed the skin of her lower belly, and a deep need pulsed from him…a hunger for her. She was naked, and he was studying her body, every inch of her body, places no other person had seen. And he wanted more—suddenly she grew nervous.

“L…Leo,” she gasped. “What are you doing?”

“Tasting you,” he replied, right before he pressed his mouth to her thigh.

Ella moaned, closing her eyes. His touch was heaven, and at the same time, it was torture, for she’d never experienced such intense pleasure. It was all almost too much. His tongue moved up her leg, and her fingers curled around his hair.

“Leo, I don’t—” His warm breath brushed against her soft curls right before his tongue darted out and touched her very heat. “Leo!” she cried out, her back arching.

But his desire flared and she was as lost as he. Over and over his tongue slipped into her folds, stroking, sucking until waves of pleasure crashed through her body. She clutched at his hair and whimpered, unable to move, to push him away, to cease the tormenting waves of heat that consumed her.

“Leo, please stop,” she finally gasped, unable to take the crash of emotions any longer.

She should have been embarrassed…but dear Lord, with his tongue working its magic, she could think of nothing but wanting more. And then it was too late. The ache inside her intensified. Lightning burst through her body, exploding into a thousand stars. What had she allowed him to do? Surely that was not proper…surely…

He moved up her stomach, his lips pressing to her sensitive skin and making her muscles quiver. Her fingers slid into his hair, gripping the strands as he pressed his lips to her breast. Dear God, he would kill her. He needed to stop and soon…or she would die.

“I’m supposed to be pleasing you,” she gasped.

“Do you know how good you smell? How incredible you taste?”

The words sent a thrill of heat through her body, and she wanted to taste him and explore his body the way he’d explored hers.

“Leo,” she said softly as he pressed his lips to her neck.

“Hmm.” He moved to her mouth, his tongue slipping between her lips. When he finally tore his mouth away, she could barely think.

“Leo, I want…I want to please you.”

He pulled back, his gaze locked on hers. “Ella, you already do.” He lowered his head to kiss her again, but she turned her face away.

“Please, let me explore you. I want to.”

He rolled onto his back, and she was able to study him…naked…hard…gleaming in the moonlight that filtered in through the window. Like a statue, a work of art, her downfall. Her Leo.

Ella swallowed hard and pushed herself up. Tentatively, she reached out and slipped her fingers through the crisp hair on his chest. His muscles jumped, and he closed his eyes as a moan escaped his lips. His rush of pleasure made her warm. She felt beautiful, powerful, and completely in control.

Ella leaned over and kissed his lips…softly, then moved to his jawline, feeling the scruff there. Lower, she moved down his neck, to his chest. Before she could question her sanity, her tongue darted out and she licked his nipple. She heard his intake of breath, and a shot of pure pleasure struck her,
his
pleasure. She moved lower, her tongue flicking out and tasting his salty skin. Slowly, she followed the trail of hair that led to his manhood, stiff and pulsing for attention.