Page 9 of Company of Thieves
“One involving sexual congress?” he asked cautiously.
“No!” She glanced around again, and said quietly, “I want you to teach me.”
He blinked three times, his mind now wholly filled with thoughts of the most erotic nature. He had a great many things he’d like to teach her, but he wasn’t a stupid man. He was ready to wager that if he informed her that he was more than willing to teach her many and varied sexual acts, she’d slap him again. “Teach you what?” he asked instead.
“How to fight.”
He wasn’t expecting that. He considered Akbar’s character, and decided that teaching this fiery, if dusty, woman to fight would be the last thing that he would expect, as well. “Why?” he felt it perfectly in character to ask.
“It’s a long story,” she said airily, waving away the question. “I’ll tell you about it later, when we negotiate. Is your camp near here? Being strung between those hell beasts for almost an hour has made me feel like a piece of jerky.”
He thought of blinking a few more times just in case it helped his somewhat muddled thought processes along, but decided that Prince Akbar would limit the number of times he blinked per day, and instead simply grabbed Hallie’s arm and led her toward his horse.
“Just ... uh ... just how much is this going to cost me?” she asked, suddenly sounding hesitant. “I have money. My brother gave it to me, and he said it was kind of a lot, so I shouldn’t just fritter it away, but honestly, what’s the point in holding on to money if you want to use it for something important?”
He opened his mouth, closed it, and then, with a little shake of his head, opened it again. “I do not take payment from women in coin,” was what his mouth finally managed to get out.
“No?” She looked suspicious. “If that was a not-so-subtle hint that you expect me to do the sheet tango with you just to learn how to use a sword, and shoot those gun things you guys have, and maybe some daggers, because the more I think about it, the more I think I’d do better as a stealthy, sneaky rogue than a right-out-in-the-front warrior, well then, you better think again.”
“Sheet tango.” He took a deep breath. His Inner Akbar was annoyed at the same time he was amused. “I tire of asking you to explain words that you are deliberately using to confuse me, but in this case I will do so. But it is the last time!”
“Sex!” she all but yelled at him, causing him to stop their process toward the horses. “I’m talking about sex, you big oaf!”
He felt mildly startled. “Are we back to that? You said you were not a camp follower, and yet now you are discussing acts of a carnal nature. I appreciate your offer of unpaid sexual congress, but not only do I prefer to be acquainted with the women who grace my bed, but also I make it a policy that I be the one doing the inviting.” That former point wasn’t necessarily true, since he hadn’t known who Hallie was when he was thinking of all the things he wanted to do to her, but he felt that he needed to bring his mind back under control.
“I don’t want to sleep with you!” she yelled.
“You just asked me to take you to a sheet tango,” he pointed out. His men, all of whom were clustered around them, nodded their heads.
“You did. We all heard you,” Zand said helpfully.
“I did not! And who are you?” she asked him.
He made a bow. “I am Zand, son of Abdul, and Prince Akbar’s lieutenant.”
“Right,” Hallie said, clearly making an effort to control her temper. Alan gave his cheek one last rub, hoping she did so. “This conversation has gone into the realm of downright maddening, so I’m going to move on. I would like you to teach me, that’s all. Just teach. No funny stuff. How much is it going to cost me to do that?”
“I believe that we will leave negotiations until a later time. Right now, I am anxious to return to my camp,” he said, deciding that the best course of action would be to take Hallie back to her brother and Octavia. His camp was no place for a woman of her character, class, and temperament. Plus there was the fact that he couldn’t stop thinking extremely lascivious things about her. “You may accompany me so long as you do not try to get into my bed without invitation, and also that you cease striking me.”
“I wasn’t trying to get into your bed, your pants, or any other part of you!” she yelled again, her arms flailing around in a manner that had him fighting a smile. Prince Akbar seldom smiled. “I just want to learn how to be a badass like you!”
Several of his men gasped in horror at her language. Alan struggled to contain the smile that curled the corners of his mouth.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, grow up,” she told the shocked faces of his men. “Honestly, you wouldn’t think men who have the reputation of being callous and brutal and marauding would be so shocked by the wordass.”
They gasped again. Alan gave up and let the smile have its way. Carefully, he took her arm and led her the rest of the way over to where the horses waited. “You will forgive my men for having such delicate sensibilities, I’m sure. We will return to my camp now. You may ride with me.”
“I mean, it’s not like no one here hasn’t seen an ass before—what?”
She stopped when he mounted Sampson and held out his hand for her. “I am late. Come.”
“Ride with you?” she asked, her gaze skittering over the horse before returning to him. “Uh ... thanks, but I don’t think so.”
“We’ve wasted enough time with you shocking my men.” He waggled his hand impatiently, very much looking forward to having her pressed up against him. “Cease delaying me.”
“No thanks,” she said, backing up until she stepped on the feet of one of the four scouts, who had followed immediately behind her. “I’ll walk, if you don’t mind.”
“I do mind. I’m already delayed due to the revolutionaries, and I don’t intend on wasting any more time.” He gestured toward her, offering his hand again, fast losing his remaining patience. He was a tolerant man when it came to women, especially those in a vulnerable position, but this one was pushing him past his limits. “Let us be on our way.”
