Closer To Sin (11 page)

Sinclair sat up straighter, his senses responding to the tone in her voice. ‘What makes you think that?’

So, there was movement afoot, he thought, as Liliane quickly related the episode concerning the Hussar officer back at Deneux’s cottage. Blast the woman for not having said something earlier to him. He needed to get her to safety lest she be used as a pawn against him.

Beside him, Liliane was worrying her bottom lip. He looked away; he didn’t want to think of her as being vulnerable right now. ‘Don’t turn around again, but I need to know who you think is following us.’

He heard her release a shaky breath, saw the cloud of condensation blossom in the frigid air. ‘I’m pretty certain it’s the Lieutenant from the cottage, and he has two other men with him. I’ve been noticing them, off and on, for the last half hour—for the most part they’ve kept their distance from us …’ She lowered her voice to a murmur. ‘It’s just that we passed the turn-off to the last army encampment a couple of miles back and, instead of them turning in that direction like all the others did, they have stayed behind us. It doesn’t feel right.’

Damn it, if there was one code he lived by in the field, it was to trust his instincts, so if Liliane’s instincts told her things weren’t right, he wasn’t about to argue with her. ‘I think we might pick up the pace for a little bit,
mon fleur
. Just watch Satin’s footing, these roads are pretty muddy.’

‘But what if the Hussar party—’

‘You’re right to think that things aren’t quite what they seem. We should save this conversation for a more appropriate venue.’ Sinclair nudged his horse into a canter. ‘We need to get out of the open. I suggest you keep up with me.’

***

Liliane’s gut clenched and she started to shiver as a surge of adrenaline raced through her. She didn’t need to be told twice—she could still feel the weight of the Hussar officer’s cold appraisal as it slid over her body. She urged her horse into a faster pace, hurrying to keep stride with Sin before he left her behind all together. Around them the countryside had turned hostile, with the rain increasing and a cold wind sweeping in off the ocean.

At an s-bend in the road Sin abruptly wheeled his horse into the wind and set off ‘cross-country. Liliane looked around for the Hussars but they were obscured by fading light and a copse of trees. She gritted her teeth and bent down low over Satin as they raced their way towards the distant cliff tops.

At home she loved nothing more than galloping her horse along the cliffs, but she’d never been so reckless as to risk her mount or challenge the elements like this. Every breath of frigid air burnt her lungs and rain lashed at her face. Each drop felt like a slither of ice as it trickled down inside the folds of her cloak.

She swallowed a sigh of relief when ten minutes later Sin reined his horse in under a large tree. ‘Just stay still for a moment, I need to see whether they’re following us.’

Liliane huddled down into her cloak, thankful for the warm woollen dress and thick stockings that she wore beneath. They couldn’t keep riding in this manner with the light fading so quickly. It would only take one misstep or for a horse to stumble into a rabbit hole and they would be well and truly in trouble. ‘I don’t hear anything,’ she said after a couple of moments.

‘No, I think we’ve lost them for now. We should be about to intersect another road, leading into the next village.’ Sin gave her an encouraging smile. ‘We’ll be sitting in front of a warming fire before you know it.’

Liliane’s stomach growled loudly. It was embarrassing, but since leaving the inn this morning she’d really had nothing more than an apple she’d purloined from Claude’s cart and a bowl of soup. The thought of a roaring fire and a hot meal was vastly appealing. Relieved to be proceeding at a slower pace, she pulled the hood of her cloak up over her head.

She had to envy Sin’s navigation skills, she thought when, at the top of a rise, they found the small road, almost a country lane, that led to the next village. Not only that, but thankfully she could detect the smell of wood fires. The tightness across the back of her shoulders began to ease.

Peering into the darkness, she could vaguely make out the silhouette of buildings on the road just ahead and what must be the faint glow of their lights. As they got closer, she turned to Sin to point them out to him. ‘Thank goodness! Any further and I swear I’ll start to freeze to the saddle. If you look carefully, you will see the outline of a number of buildings just at the bottom of this road, where it turns towards the cliffs. Although,’ she added, ‘some of them are quite odd shaped. Don’t you think?’

To Liliane’s astonishment, Sin let forth a virulent stream of cursing. She flinched and almost fell from the saddle as he lurched towards her and grabbed her reins, hauling her off the road and into the nearby copse of trees. Her heart was pounding. Darkness enshrouded them completely and she couldn’t stop the shivering that raked her from head to toe.

‘I’m afraid we may be out in the cold for a while longer. It seems the whole of Napoleon’s Grande Armée is spread from Calais to Boulogne. If it hadn’t been for your keen eyesight, we would have ridden straight into an army encampment. While not necessarily the worst thing that could happen, I suspect the authorities have been told to be alert for an English spy.’

Liliane nodded in immediate comprehension of the situation. ‘It certainly wouldn’t help our cause by riding in at this time of night.’ Her teeth chattered noisily. ‘What are our options?’

Sin reached over and enfolded her hands within his own. It was warm and comforting and his innate strength was just the reassurance she needed right now. As was his trust in her.

‘I think the best thing for now would be to find a barn or other suitable shelter and wait the night out there. It shouldn’t be too hard to find something.’

‘I’m fine with that. The sooner we get ourselves and these horses out of the cold, the better for all of us.’

Sinclair kicked open the door of an empty shepherd’s hut. The rain had long ago turned to sleet and by the way Liliane was shivering she had already lost a lot of body heat. He stood with her in his arms and peered into the deep gloom. It was little more than a fireplace surrounded by four walls with a tiny pallet wedged to one side, obviously used for emergency shelter only.

He set Liliane down on the pallet and dropped to his knees before the fireplace. Thank goodness someone had had the foresight to leave a store of wood stacked against the wall.

‘It looks like it’s going to be a cosy night. We’re going to have to bring the horses in with us to get them out of this weather.’

‘The more, the merrier.’ Her teeth were chattering so hard he could barely understand what she said. ‘With those beasts in here, the extra body heat will help to warm the hut a lot more quickly.’

Sinclair winced. ‘It’s not ideal, but it’s a far better alternative to letting them freeze to death outside.’ Satisfied the flames had taken hold, he returned outside and led the horses in one by one. He unsaddled each of them and placed the saddles on the ground at the end of the bed. Hopefully he’d be able to purchase the horses some feed first thing in the morning. At least they weren’t too wet, so they should dry out nicely being near the fire. Finally, Sinclair discarded his own many-caped greatcoat and hung it on a wall hook.

Liliane still sat huddled in the same position as he’d left her. She needed to get out of those wet clothes. ‘Come on,
mon fleur
, off with your gloves and cloak.’ He hauled her to her feet and deftly removed her outer garments and hung them on the hook beside his own.

She moved to the fire and stood with her hands outstretched before it. ‘Liliane,’ he coaxed, ‘you need to get out of these damp clothes before you catch a chill. Your valise is here, get changed into something warm and hang your riding habit by the fire. It’ll be dry by morning.’

With trembling fingers, she undid the fastening on her jacket, skirt and blouse and let them slide to the ground. Numbed to the bone, she stood before the fire, clad only in her chemise and short stays. She held her hands up and attempted to untie the laces down the front of her stays. ‘I really don’t think I can take this off.’ Her fingers were unable to close about the ribbons let alone draw them open.

Damn, her whole body was shaking uncontrollably. ‘Bloody hell.’ Sinclair dragged a hand through his hair. ‘Let me untie those for you.’

He moved closer and gently grabbed her wrists and pushed her hands to her sides. He clenched his jaw, determined to ignore the subtle rise and fall of her chest. With shaking fingers, he took hold of the laces and tried to loosen them. The blasted knot had tightened when it became wet. He tugged at the strings again, and froze. The backs of his hands brushed against the underside of her breasts and frissons of awareness streaked to his very fingertips.

He clenched his teeth tighter and set his mind to untying the knot but the subtle scent of roses only enticed him closer. He wanted to lean in, to nuzzle, to follow the fragrance to its source. He breathed in deeply and looked up at Liliane. Her head was turned slightly to the side, her eyes downcast. He would be convinced she was impervious to his ministrations if it wasn’t for the flush that travelled from her cheeks down to the valley of her cleavage.

With his hands still holding the ties, his eyes followed the line of the flush to the point where it spread across her cleavage. His stomach clenched. The dam linen chemise was almost transparent as it clung to the voluptuous curve of each breast. His desire heightened, urging him to trace those curves, to mould and caress their softness, to trail his tongue across their delicious bounty. Just one kiss to satiate his desire for her.

Liliane lifted her head and he heard her breath hitch. He met her gaze and saw the desire written there. Neither moved as the silence of the hut closed in around them. Lazily, Sinclair let his gaze roam across Liliane’s face, drinking in her finely arched brows, her sloe eyes rimmed with thick dark lashes and her mouth. God, what he would give to taste that luscious red mouth.

He abandoned the laces and curved his hands around her ribs, sliding them up until they rested at the base of her breasts. Her warmth was radiating through the damp fabric, and he could feel the beat of her heart accelerating beneath his hand. God help him, she should push him away right now. Slowly, he traced his thumbs up over the voluptuous rise, the smoothness of her linen chemise contrasting sharply with the soft mounds beneath his hands.

His eyes locked with hers and held. She was utterly mesmerising. Slowly, he rolled each nipple between his thumb and forefinger until they were hard and pebbled beneath his touch. Until Liliane’s breath broke free on the back of a whimper and she arched into his hands. ‘Sin—’ That one whispered sound reverberated through him, almost painful in its intensity.

His heart kicked hard against his chest as she dragged her tongue across her lips to leave a glistening trail of moisture in its wake. His cock was throbbing with a life of its own. ‘Shh, Liliane.’

He dipped his head and stroked his tongue across the seam of her lips, boldly following the path hers had taken. The taste was tantalising, but not nearly enough. He wanted more.

He stepped closer and hooked a finger along her jaw, pulling her nearer. The other hand remained on her breast, overflowing with its bounty as he softly kneaded and squeezed. He could see the little pulse beating at the base of her throat. He would kiss her there, just as soon as he was done with her mouth. ‘Ah,
mon fleur
, closer,’ He growled, deep and low, and angled his head to cover her mouth with his own.

He traced the luxurious fullness and then sucked her bottom lip between his own, biting gently. Her body was lush and pliant in his hands. He felt her gasp and then she was kissing him back. She tangled one hand into the crisp dark hair at the nape of his neck and cupped the other against his jaw. He took advantage of her offer and delved deeper to sample more of her. He tasted and explored until he had entangled her in a hot, open-mouthed exchange. She tasted exotic, sensual, aroused. He felt every sensory organ simultaneously engage. She was a siren in his arms and he was helpless to her call.

From behind him, a horse’s tail flicked up and brushed Sinclair across the back, breaking the spell. He snapped his head up and reality crashed upon him. Liliane stood before him, her eyes glazed, her mouth red and swollen and her hair tumbled about her shoulders. Sinclair lifted a large hand and caressed the side of her face, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Bloody hell, he’d been about to tumble her in some dirty old hut while she all but froze to death. ‘Liliane, forgive me. I—’

‘Sin,’ Her voice was breathless, bewitching. ‘You don’t need to—’

Abruptly, he reached down and withdrew a knife from the side of his boot and with a quick snick severed the long forgotten knot. ‘Sorry,
mon fleur
, there was no other way. You’ll just have to improvise next time you need to wear this.’ Just as abruptly he collected Liliane’s forgotten clothes from the floor and indicated towards her valise. ‘Find something in there to put on for now. I’ll hang these on the hook so that they will be dry by morning.’

***

Dazed, Liliane looked down at the severed laces and swallowed hard. The stays had spilled open and her breasts were clearly outlined beneath the sheer linen of her chemise. She could still feel the heat of Sin’s hands against her, moulding and stroking her. And God help her, her body was clamouring for more. She sucked in a deep breath and tried to calm the rapid beating of her heart. He’d tasted of spicy clove and the promise of intoxicating pleasure. But the carnal glide of his tongue across hers as he had greedily explored had heated her from the inside out and she wasn’t sure how she was going to temper the flames.

He may have apologised for kissing her, but she hadn’t misread the look in his eyes. Whatever madness had captured her, he had felt it too. Whether from chivalry or duty, he was determined to fight it though.