Page 12 of A Talent for Temptation
He kissed her hair and temple and cheeks, but when his lips moved over her eyelids, he paused. “Why are you crying?”
She managed a watery smile. “Because it was perfect. And perfect things always make me cry.”
“Then I damned well should be crying buckets,” he rasped. “Because I’ve never met anyone more perfect than you.”
“Flatterer.” She smoothed her hands over his arms, then gave a start when she felt something wet on the bandage. “Oh no, you’re bleeding again! You may have burst open your stitches.”
He laughed. “I don’t care. It was well worth it.”
She pushed him away. “Come, I have to check your wound.”
His face fell. “Must you?”
She dragged on her shift, then hurried over to the chest. “Well, I’m not going to let you bleed to death after all my trouble to prevent you from doing so.”
“If it keeps you tending to me like a doting wife, I will happily endure some blood loss,” he murmured as he tugged his drawers on and went to stand beside her.
“I haven’t agreed to marry you,” she said as she unwound his bandage.
“You will.”
She fought a smile. “Rather sure of yourself, aren’t you?”
“I’m sure of you. I know you would never have given yourself to me if you hadn’t intended it to mean something more.”
Trying to figure out what to say to that, she checked his stitches. “They held, thank heaven. I guess the strenuous activity just caused them to bleed a bit.” Because ofher. Because he’d fought to protect her, and then had made love to her to boot. “Let me rewrap it and you’ll be fine.”
He read the consternation on her face. “If you think that, why are you frowning?”
She sighed as she bandaged him again. “I just hate that your association withmedid this to you.” Her heart caught in her throat. “Gregory never told me my task tonight was dangerous.”
A look of what appeared oddly like guilt crossed his face. “About that—”
“I never wanted you dragged into any of this, and now you have been, and I just feelawfulabout it.”
“It’s not your fault,” he bit out. “There’s something I should—”
A click at the door alerted them both that someone was trying to enter the room. Then, to Meriel’s horror, the key turned in the lock.
That was all the warning she had before Gregory burst into the room.
Four
As Meriel gave a cry and dashed to grab her gown, Quinn thought about diving for his trousers, but there was no point. Any idiot could tell what they’d been doing, and Fulkham was no idiot.
“What the devil is going on here?” Fulkham demanded, his gaze zeroing in on Quinn.
The disapproval in his tone got Quinn’s back up. Thanks to bloody Fulkham, Quinn had lost his chance to tell her the truth, which he’d just been about to do.
But he wasn’t about to admit to such idiocy in front of the man who had kept them apart all these months. “It’s none of your concern.”
The bastard slammed the door behind him. “Like hell it isn’t. She’s mysister-in-law, for God’s sake. You haveno rightto take advantage of her.”
“I’m not taking advantage of her, damn you! She’s my fiancée,” Quinn said, though she hadn’t yet agreed to marry him. Still, he couldn’t stand the idea of Fulkham believing he’d assaulted her.
Besides, she’d said she had no romantic feelings for Fulkham. It was time to see if Fulkham had any romantic feelings forher.
If he did, he masked them well. His gaze shot to Meriel. “Is this true? You’re going to marry this arse?”
