by Vivi Anna
Corina mumbled something as she continued up the steps. He resumed following her until they came out onto another landing. This one was smaller, cramped, the roof so low he had to crouch.
“Did you just say ‘Mother, knock it off’?”
Corina frowned. “No. That would be silly, wouldn’t it?”
He wasn’t too sure she was telling the truth. She looked everywhere but at him. She was twisting the ring around her finger again.
She gestured to the small rooms. “Now where?”
“Up.”
She glanced around. “There are no more floors. We’re at the top.”
“Not quite.”
Rhys moved to the small octagonal paneled window and punched the glass out with his elbow. Pieces of glass peppered his shoes. He slid off his jacket and placed it over the broken frame and jagged shards.
“I’ll go out first onto the ledge, then help you out.”
She put a hand on her hip and gave him an indignant look. “I’m not going out any window.”
“My dear Miss Stratton, if you don’t, that thug will find you and do many awful things to you. Trust me. Darin Hawthorne is not a man to be trifled with.”
“Maybe he’s not following us.”
The telltale sound of heavy footfalls echoed up the narrow staircase from which they’d just come.
Corina moved toward the window. “If this dress gets ripped...”
“I’ll buy you a new one. In fact, I’ll buy you an entire wardrobe.”
“Let’s just get on with it.”
Rhys carefully crawled through the window and, grabbing the frame, swung his leg over to the ledge. Slowly, he stood, conscious of the narrowed ledge and twenty-foot drop to the cold hard ground. Once steady, he reached in through the window and helped Corina out. She was featherlight, so it wasn’t difficult to pull her through. He hung onto her as she got her footing on the ledge. She clung to his arm while she looked around.
“Don’t look down,” Rhys said, but as soon as he said it, she did.
“Oh, good Lord.” She grabbed hold of his waistcoat, pressing her body into his.
In that instant, Rhys grew extremely aware of her. The pounding of her heart, the hot stream of her breath as it plumed against his throat, and the tantalizing scent of her hair. These things made his gut clench and his skin pebble with gooseflesh.
“I won’t let you fall.”
She didn’t say anything but pressed against him even more.
“But we have to move. We have to go up.” He gestured to the rise of the slate roof. “I’ll be right behind you.”
Releasing her hold on him, she turned and set one foot up on the slope. Then the other. She had to bend over to get a strong hold on the roof. One foot after the other, Corina scrambled up the side to the top of Lord Effington’s home.
Rhys was right behind her, fully aware of the exaggerated sway of her backside. Despite the layers of clothing over it, he had a distinct vision in his mind. The image made him quite uncomfortable, especially in his trousers.
Thankfully they made it to the ridged rooftop without incident. Rhys tried to shake the carnal images from his mind and rubbed at his nose, trying to eradicate her scent. Neither one worked all that well. It was a fine time to be having erotic thoughts about Corina. Must have been the adrenaline pumping through his veins.
“Now where?”
He pointed to the next building over. “Across there, then we can go down.”
She walked to the ledge and looked down, shaking her head. “Not possible.”
He joined her and looked down. The adjacent rooftop wasn’t completely adjacent. There was a five foot gap and four-foot drop between them.
“It’s a little jump. Nothing to it, really.”
“Nothing to it?” she glared at him. “You’re not the one in skirts and heels.”
“I’ll go first, then I’ll catch you.”
Rhys didn’t give her a chance to argue. Taking a few steps back, he ran at the ledge and leaped off. Arms pinwheeling, he landed hard on the other roof, the bits of rock under his shoes making him slip. He went down on one knee, the rocks biting into his flesh. At least nothing broke.
He stood and turned to see Corina gaping at him, a look of horror on her pale face. He gestured for her. “Now you.”
“I can’t.” She shook her head vehemently, while twisting her ring around and around.
“You can. You’re one of the strongest women I’ve ever met. Most women would have fainted by now. But not you. I bet if that brute was up here right now, you’d punch him in the face.”
“I want to punch you in the face.”
“You see? Tough as nails.”
That seemed to have put resolve in her bones, because she took a few steps back, then came full tilt, jumping off the ledge with gusto.
Arms out, Rhys caught her as promised, but they both tumbled to the rocks in the process. Corina landed heavily on his chest and knocked her chin against his. If he’d had any courage at all, he would’ve kissed her right there and then.
Chapter Nine
The impact of the fall pushed all the breath from her lungs, but it wasn’t the fall that prevented Corina from catching it again. It was Rhys’s eyes. They drew her in and captured her.
“Are you hurt?” he asked.
She just shook her head, unable at that moment to form a coherent sentence. Normally not senseless around attractive men, she couldn’t seem to keep her head around this one. Rhys had promised to catch her, and he had. He was a lot stronger than he looked, and that thought sent tiny fluttering shivers down her spine.
“We should probably move,” he said.
“Yes, that would be wise.” She prepared to push herself up when Rhys wrapped his arms around her and pulled her even tighter to his chest. “Mr. Davenport, I...”
“Shh. I hear him coming.”
Corina turned her head slightly and did indeed hear someone scrambling up the side of the roof as they had just done.
“What are we going to do?” she whispered.
“I have an idea.” He looked her right in the eyes. “Do you trust me?”
She nodded.
He spread his hands firmly across her back, anchoring her to him. “Hold very still.”
Her neck was stiff from holding it up, so she slowly let her head drop. Her face nuzzled the side of his neck. She closed her eyes against the onslaught of sensations bombarding her body and mind. Instinctively she wanted to pull away from this man, but she found she liked being pressed against him, feeling the heat of his body, breathing in the male scent on his skin.
When she felt his hot breath against the side of her face, her heart skipped a few beats. The wall she’d built around her crumbled a little. Enough that she wanted to beg him to run his fingers through her hair. To pull on the strands to hold her in place as he took her mouth with his. She desired that from the most primal spot, and it frightened her that she could possess such feelings. Especially for this man.
“Be careful, girl. Remember the plan.” Her mother’s warning sounded in her head.
Her body quaked and she was about to pull away when Rhys whispered against her ear. “Don’t move, you’ll break the spell.”
She breathed in deeply and tried to ignore the swell of heat deep in her belly. As she lay there on top of Rhys, she felt every second tick by. It was excruciating not to act on the wants of her body. It would be so easy
to move her head just slightly and claim his lips. She wondered if he’d push her away or take her to a deeper, hotter place. She fantasized that he wasn’t as cold as he seemed. That his passion burned like wildfire inside and it would take the right kind of woman to release it.
After what seemed like an eternity, Rhys finally released his hold. His body went lax underneath her. “He’s gone.”
Corina scrambled off him and pushed to her feet. Her hair had come unpinned and she dragged it off her face. She brushed at the dirt on her dress. She imagined she looked a right mess. Normally, she didn’t care but right at this moment it mattered to her. “What did you just do?”
Rhys brushed at his trousers and straightened his waistcoat. “I formed an illusion that we were covered in rocks. From a distance, no one would be able to see us.”
She smiled. “Clever.”
That seemed to please him. “Thank you. I have my moments.”
“Well, now that the excitement is over, can we go?” She brushed at her face. “I must look a wreck. I probably need a bath now.”
Rhys reached up and drew his thumb across her dirt-flecked cheek. He lingered a moment, dropping his hand to flex it against his leg. “Not so bad, considering.”
She ducked her head to hide the blossom of pleasure that spread across her face.
As they made their way back to the house, Corina tried not to think about Rhys’s gentle touch on her cheek. It proved difficult, though, since she could still feel the brush of his thumb on her skin. And that thought reminded her of his hesitant touch when he’d laced up her corset. By the time they arrived at the front door of Rhys’s home, sweat dotted the back of her neck, the tops of her breasts, and the small of her back.
The driver opened the door and she couldn’t get out of the coach fast enough. Once outside, she took in a few deep breaths.
“Is something troubling you?” Rhys asked, as he unlocked the front door.
“Besides being chased and jumping off a roof? No, nothing is troubling me,” she huffed angrily.
“I assure you this place is safe. Mrs. Chattoway installed a new security system last week.”
“Mrs. Chattoway, the seamstress?”
Rhys grinned. “Oh, she is much more than that, I assure you.” He beckoned her to follow him into the front room. “You see this? It’s an electrostatic generator.”
He pointed to a contraption sitting on a table near the windowsill. It consisted of two glass disks, one much larger than the other, set between two brass bars, and it was all connected by two leather bands. The smaller of the disks had a crank on it.
“When you turn this, it generates a strong electric current. Wires run along the windows, you see, and the door. Once I turn it on, anyone who comes through those ports will be electrocuted.” He tapped the machine warmly. “No one will be able to steal the map from this house.”
“Well, yes, the map. That is the most important part. That’s why I’m here, isn’t it? The only reason you’re even speaking with me.”
He just looked at her, his eyebrow raised as if waiting for the rest of her tirade.
She sighed. “I just need a bath and a change of clothing.” She gestured to the small rip in the sleeve of her dress.
“Of course. It’s been quite the evening.” He dipped his head. “I’ll have Bartlett bring up some hot water for you.”
“Thank you.” As she mounted the stairs to the second floor, she had the distinct feeling Rhys was watching her, but when she glanced back he was already gone.
The scalding hot water in the tub Bartlett had brought up for her looked too tempting. Corina desperately wanted to sink into it to soothe her tense muscles and calm her nerves but she had other matters to attend to.
A wave of warmth swept the room, announcing her mother’s presence. Her voice sounded in Corina’s head.
“Mr. Davenport is busy in the kitchen checking the locks on the back door. Now’s the time to do it.”
Quietly, Corina opened the washing room door and peered out into the hallway. It was empty. She crept out and slowly made her way down the stairs to the sitting room. She paused on the last step and waited.
“Hurry up. You’re wasting time.”
“Quit yer bossing. I’m going.”
She dashed across the foyer, down the corridor to the sitting room. The room was empty as her mother told her it would be. She moved to the table where the map was still spread out across it.
“Are you sure you want to take it? Stealing is a serious matter.”
“Yes. His needs are no greater than ours.”
Corina rolled it up and tucked it under her arm. Now she just had to return to her room, fold the map into one bag and get out of the house, then out of London.
“You’re not safe here, girl.”
“Is it Mr. Davenport? Is he coming back?”
“There’s danger in the house.”
Corina moved to the door and waited just inside, pressed against the wall. If Rhys caught her she’d just explain that she wanted to study the map closer, to find the right portal to open. A creak on the floor of the hall outside startled her and she held her breath, counted to five, waiting to hear another one. But it didn’t come. Relieved, she went to cross the threshold and smacked into a wall of hard, brutish male.
“Hello, luv.”
It was the same brute who’d chased them through Lord Effington’s house.
Corina was already backpedaling when he made a grab for her, except there was something wrong with his hands. They were blackened, and two of his fingers actually had smoke coming off them. Those fingers twisted in the sleeve of her dress. She batted at his hand to no avail then turned and kicked him as hard as she could between the legs. Grunting, he let go of her arm, affording her time to dash past him and down the hall toward the front door.
Her feet nearly tripped on the hem of her gown as she rounded the corner, just as Rhys was coming the opposite way. “Oh, Mr. Davenport!”
He gripped her by the arms to steady her. “What is it?” His eyes narrowed. “Why do you have the map, Miss Stratton?”
Out of breath, with her heart hammering so hard it hurt, she could barely form any words—instead she pointed behind her and squeaked, “Man. Big man.”
The man in question came down the hall, the vibration from his big boots rattling the pictures on the walls with each step.
Rhys pulled her by the hand toward the front door. “Come on.”
Before they could reach it, the intruder jumped and tackled Rhys to the floor, sending Corina into the wall. The impact hurt Rhys, she could tell by the grimace on his face. Rhys punched the goon in the temple and then the ear. It was enough that he was able to scramble to his feet.
“Go!” he yelled at her. “Get out!”
The goon was up on his feet now and charging at Rhys, his ham-fists ready to strike.
Corina looked around for something to hit the man with. She spied a pair of heavy brass candlesticks on the foyer table, the candles in them flickering in their holders. She grabbed one and threw it at the hulking man as he pummeled Rhys against the wall. The candlestick struck him on the shoulder. The candle flung off to the side. It got his attention and he turned to her.
“That wasn’t very nice, luv.” He took a step toward her. “You’ll pay for that. Mr. Hawt
horne said I could play with you for my reward.” He grinned.
Behind him, Rhys struggled to find balance. His lips were split, his eye turning black, and blood flecked his chin. Despite his obvious injuries, he pushed off the wall and came at the brute before he could reach Corina.
He landed a blow to the goon’s side, then wrapped an arm around his neck, forcing him back. The only problem was the brute was four inches taller than Rhys and easily sixty pounds heavier. What Rhys was doing just seemed to be making him angrier. He ran backward, ramming Rhys into the wall hard. He did it two more times. Although Rhys didn’t let go, his hold was definitely slipping. Corina had to do something.
She picked up the other candlestick and thwacked the brute in the forehead. His eyes blurred at that. So she smacked him again. This time his eyes rolled back in his sockets and he stumbled sideways to finally fall face-first onto the floor.
Rhys looked at him, then at her. “Nice work.”
“Thank you.” Corina coughed and rubbed her eyes. The room was filling up with smoke, and flames were licking up the side of the wall. One of the tapestries was on fire. So were the window curtains. The candles must’ve struck them when she’d tossed the first candlestick.
Rhys immediately pulled down the tapestry and beat at it, trying to snuff the flames. “Take the map and get out of the house,” he said as he stomped on the fire.
Corina spun around to go to the door, when she stopped and suddenly realized she wasn’t wearing her ring. It must’ve come off in the struggle with the intruder in the sitting room. She wouldn’t leave without it.
“My ring,” she said. “I need to get it.”
“Forget the ring and get out of here.” He coughed into his hand, the smoke was getting thicker.
The fire had increased. Both sets of curtains were now ablaze. Smoke filled the room, making it uncomfortable and hazy.
