Without hesitation, he immediately fired back, “That’s an interesting assessment of our situation. Would you care to elaborate?”
She was beginning to realise why he was so successful. He wasn’t just ruthless, he was merciless.
“I…” she began, her mind trying to find a lie he’d actually believe, “well…”
He smiled but instead of being ruthless or belittling, it was magnetic and her stomach lurched pleasantly.
He settled into his stance and crossed his arms on his chest.
“Take all the time you need,” he offered magnanimously. “I’m sure you’ll think of something.”
In an instant, she did.
“We don’t suit,” she informed him, tossing her hair mutinously because he was beginning to make her mad.
His brows lifted. “And how’s that?”
“You are… well… you.”
“Indeed I am.” His smile returned, deeper, more electric and her stomach pitched then melted with warmth.
“And I’m me!” she snapped when she saw that he was very close to laughing at her. “We’re from entirely different worlds, have different viewpoints. You’re probably a… a… Tory!” she burst out, making the word “Tory” sound like the words “axe murderer”.
“Actually I am,” he admitted without apology.
She threw her hands up. “That in itself makes us impossible,” she announced dramatically.
He shook his head. “You’re forgetting a few very crucial things.”
She didn’t want to know so she didn’t ask. She started to slide away from him to put more space between them but she, of course, had nowhere to go but it gave her something to do.
He didn’t wait for her request to elucidate. “There is the fact that we’re spectacular in bed together.”
“I –” she started to lie.
He chuckled and she could have thrown something at him. “If you tell me you’ve had better, you’re lying. I know you haven’t and neither have I.”
She stopped creeping around the chairs and stared at him in wonder. She could not imagine she was the best Colin had ever had and the very thought made her stomach do a cartwheel of happiness. Then she shook off the result of what that titbit did to her stomach and she said, “That isn’t enough.”
“No?” he asked as she began creeping again. “Then, sweetheart, you force me to play my trump, so I’ll have to remind you that you’re in love with me.”
She halted.
Bloody hell.
Bloody, bloody hell.
She was stupid, definitely stupid, stupid, stupid. She’d led him straight to throwing that in her face and she had no retort. She couldn’t exactly force him to declare his love for her, especially if there was no love to declare.
So she did the only thing she could do, she kept silent.
Colin didn’t. “That fact makes you mine and I don’t let go of what’s mine.”
She noted he didn’t mention love but possession. Her heart ground to dust as the tears pricked her eyes. She told herself not to cry but she felt the wetness balancing on her lower lids and then sliding down her cheeks.
“You don’t own me,” she said quietly.
“Yes I do, sweetheart, and you know I do.” His tone was gentle and she found it far more difficult to handle than the game they’d been playing. “Why were you packing?” he asked softly.
She could no longer bear up so she gave in.
“I don’t want you to die,” she whispered, her voice broken and small. “If I leave, they’ll let you alone and I’d rather have you alive without me than dead…”She lost her train of thought but soldiered on. “Than just plain dead,” she finished lamely.
It was then he leapt out of his casual stance and, with another surprised yelp, she backed away, all the way to the wall. She slammed against it and before she could flee in another direction, his hard body was pressed against her.
“Colin, I have to go,” she begged, staring at his throat.
“You’re not going.” His voice was uncompromising.
“I have to!” she cried and his hands came up to either side of her face, forcing it to tilt back to see his.
“Darling, I’m going to ask you this once and you have to answer me and then stick by your answer no matter what happens in the coming weeks.” His voice was both sweet and grave and her eyes riveted on his beautiful face. “Do you trust me?”
She gawped. “Of course I trust you. I mean, how could you even think…?”
She stopped when she felt the tension ease out of him and realised what he was asking and how, exactly, what she had been doing appeared to him.
She closed her eyes and all the fight left her.
“I’m an idiot,” she whispered.
“Yes,” he agreed, “but you’re my idiot.” His voice was full of humour, her eyes flew open and all the fight came back into her.
“You think I’m an idiot?” she snapped.
“You’re just spoiling for a fight, aren’t you?” His eyes were dancing and she let out a huffy breath.
“Well, pardon me. No one gave me the etiquette book on how to behave when you’re the reincarnated soul of one of a pair of dead lovers, you’re living under a five hundred year old curse and have lunatics with knives and tranquilliser guns chasing after you with deadly intent. Perhaps I’m not thinking too clearly. Perhaps I’m just a wee bit stressed.”
His hands slid from her jaw to lift her hair at the back of her head and as he did this Sibyl noted his eyes were so intense, they were liquid.
Then, his gaze on her mouth, he murmured, “I know a much better way to deal with stress.”
“I’m sure you do,” she noted crisply, “you know everything.”
Colin’s head dipped and he smiled against her lips and there he whispered, “Just remember that.”
Then he kissed her.
Then he helped her work out her stress, succeeding spectacularly.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Settling In
The next week and a half with Sibyl was eventfully uneventful.
Although they had no attempts on their lives, Colin found his turned upside down.
Lacybourne was an enormous manor house that, since he’d moved in, had always seemed empty, even when he was occupying it. Now, every corner seemed filled with Sibyl, her pets, her mother, his mother and anyone else the trio deemed fit to add to the mix.
Sibyl had taken the news of a bodyguard watching after her very well. Colin inadvertently hit on the perfect way to break news that she may not like and avoid her formidable temper in the process.
After her rather endearing yet entirely unacceptable bid to save his life by leaving him, he’d punished her. For anyone else but Colin Morgan, inflicting punishment for such a selfless act would seem a strange reaction. However, he didn’t particularly like how he felt when he’d walked to their bedroom with the purpose of making love to her only to find her packing a suitcase. Therefore, when he’d finally subdued her impulsive, hilarious and ill-conceived flight and taken her to bed, he’d spent a good deal of time using most of the weapons in his rather honed sexual arsenal to drive her mad with desire.
When he had her wrists imprisoned over her head and after he’d lavished a goodly amount of attention on her lovely, responsive breasts, he surged over her. Thinking, finally, she was going to get what she’d been begging him to give her for at least fifteen minutes, she opened her legs to receive him.
“By the way,” he muttered against her mouth and felt her hips tilt upward in invitation, at this act, his control slipped and he finished through gritted teeth, “I’ve hired a bodyguard for you. Starting tomorrow morning, he’ll be with you every minute when I’m not.”