To be sure, I wanted very much to be that food. Curled up against the pillow, my body ached for him. Every part of me wanted to be his in every possible way. Having him so close, watching me like a sharp-eyed predator...it was all I could do not to jump off the bed and go to him. Tight lines etched his handsome face, and it took no effort to discern his thoughts. I swallowed back a whimper and focused on my tea instead.
We needed to talk, except that I had no idea where to even begin. No doubt he would readily admit to frustrated desire as evidenced by the splotches of color that still stained his cheeks. But what about the wildness I’d felt raging inside of him? Was this the difference he’d alluded to earlier? If so, he had seriously misspoken when using the term “only” to describe it. Much like saying the king was only part of the monarchy. Or a tiger was only a cat.
For the life of me, I couldn’t recall ever feeling anything so powerfully savage before. At least never in another human being. The one vague similarity came from the time I’d healed a bull’s broken leg. The process had nearly gotten me gored, and though it had ended well for all involved, I’d been shaken by the creature’s primal aggression.
As for Henry, from our very first kiss I’d sensed a certain degree of wildness in him, just safely subdued beneath the gentleman. But today was so much more—almost like he had experienced an awakening of sorts.
What could it be?
One possibility was residual stress from the swordfight. Seven to one would get anyone’s blood pumping, and for the vast majority of men, the uneven odds would have pushed their instincts to basic survival. The theory seemed plausible, until I factored in Henry’s cavalier smile and flippant remarks about never being in danger.
If not leftover stress, then what?
What else could explain the intense savagery I felt swirling around alongside the civilized man? And even more worrisome, why hadn’t I been frightened to the point of cowering? Or frightened a little bit, for that matter? If anything, this darker, more primitive side of Henry had served as tinder to my already heated passion, turning me quite literally into a wild thing. If Henry hadn’t found the will to stop, our final destination would have been straight to the floor, without a scrap of cloth between us.
And that wasn’t the worst of it. I pressed a surreptitious fist to my chest over a small burning sensation lodged just beneath the sternum. After Henry had broken the kiss, a part of the whirling chaos had stayed behind. It reminded me of a piece of hot coal, closely banked for the time being, though one small breath would bring it roaring back to life. And once the sparks started flying, I held no delusions of being saved by some maidenly will that would steer me clear of trouble. Any will I had at the moment would run the shortest path to the strongest currents and deepest waters. In order to behave, physical contact had to be limited. Perhaps even discontinued altogether, or it would be the bathing chamber all over again—
“I want us to be married.” The abruptness of Henry’s deep voice brought me back to the present.
Still, it took several seconds for his meaning to fully register. “So do I, once we’re done in Wexford.”
“No, Selah. I want us married by tonight.”
My mouth fell open, and I stared at him in disbelief. “Tonight?” I managed.
“I can have a magistrate here within the hour.”
An hour! Was he mad? “Try to be serious. We’ve no time for that, as you well know.”
“Upon my soul, I’ve never been more so.”
One look at his face, and I knew he spoke true. “Oh, Henry,” I sighed. “If I had my way, we’d be wed this very moment. But we can’t. Not today.”
Leaning forward, he propped an elbow on his knee. “Do you love me, Selah?”
“How can you ask such a question? Of course I love you.” I pressed a hand above my left breast. “My heart belongs to you. It beats in your chest as much as my own.”
He returned the gesture. “As does mine, which is why we should marry tonight.”
Yes, we should...”No.”
“Tomorrow then.”
My expression turned incredulous at his persistence. “In case you’ve forgotten, we came to Ireland for reasons other than a honeymoon.” A twinge of guilt poked at my ribs from the time we had already wasted. “How can you be sure Deri and Nora aren’t hiding somewhere in Wexford?”
“Because I’ve spent two days searching and have guaranteed a large reward for any word of their whereabouts. I promise, as of this afternoon, no one has seen hide nor hair of them.”
“I see.” Lips pressed together, I returned the teacup to the tray beside me.
“It’s also how I became acquainted with your brother,” Henry continued. “He heard me asking around for you and demanded to know my interest. Needless to say, he took the news of our betrothal poorly.”
“So it would seem.”
“Which is one of the reasons I want to marry tonight. I am fed up with being told that we are ill suited. The king, my father, your brother, everyone has an opinion.”