Page 54 of Raven's Rise
The thought soured his soul, displacing all the good feelings Angelet had just given him. Damn. Every time he thought he’d changed, he discovered he was the same heartless bastard he’d always been.
He’d have to get her somewhere safe as soon as possible, then get the hell away from her for her own good. And despite her seductive promise that next time he could touch her, Rafe knew that he’d already gone too far. He’d treated her as a woman, but Angelet was a lady. And despite what just happened between them, she was nothislady.
After a moment, he said, “I’ll take you to Wareham, and across to France, if we can find passage.”
Angelet’s eyes flew open. “What?”
“I said I’ll take you to Wareham.”
She gasped and tried to pull away. “I didn’t do this just to get you to agree to take me home!” But the way she looked made him suspicious.
“Wait. Did you agree to this because you thought I’d not take you home otherwise?” Rafe didn’t like the idea that she thought he could be tricked like that.
“No! Not quite.”
“Not quite?”
“It crossed my mind,” Angelet whispered. “And you didn’t say you’d take me before…this.”
“I didn’t say anything before becausebeforeall I could think about was you.”
“And now I’m off your mind?” She moved to get up.
“Stay, lovely.” He reached out to her, stopping her from scrambling off the bed. “You know that’s not true. And it’s not why I’m agreeing to take you.”
“It isn’t?” she asked, with narrowed eyes. But she remained on the bed, now sitting up to face him, her long hair drawn over one shoulder to partially cover her chest. She seemed remarkably comfortable in her nakedness.
“No.” Rafe struggled to explain what he assumed she would be overjoyed to hear. “The truth is that I’ve tried to think of any other safe place for you…and I can’t. You have a family, so you should be with them. I don’t care about the war, and I don’t care if it helps one side or hurts another. I’ve got no side. Not anymore.”
“But you once had a side,” she said, still not fully convinced. Lord, what was her objection? She was the one who offered to pay him to take her home!
“I served a lord who swore for King Stephen,” Rafe admitted. “So naturally I fought on Stephen’s side in the battles.”
“What changed?”
“I left that lord’s service.” He kept his voice cool. That was not a subject he wanted to discuss. “Since then, I’ve only fought for myself. And I only take orders when it suits me.”
“It suited you tonight?” Angelet asked, in a different voice.
He smiled at her. “Oh, yes. Even though it was not what I was expecting.”
“Was I too demanding?”
“You were perfect. And I think you enjoyed giving your demands.”
She looked thoughtful, then said, slowly, “Yes…but I wouldn’t want it to always be like that. Being in command is rather nerve-wracking.”
“Oh, that’s what was wracking your nerves?” He leaned forward and kissed her.
She kissed him back, her good humor evidently restored. “You know what I mean.”
“I do,” he agreed. “Honestly, I never did well with command. Even a few troops in a battle, scarcely enough for a squad…it was too much responsibility for me. My life now is much easier. No one expects anything from a free lance, bastard knight. I can do what I like. Feeding, fighting, and fucking.”
“You’ve never spoken so crudely before,” she said, though she didn't sound offended. What an unusual lady.
“You’re seeing my true nature,” Rafe said, imagining how fast she’d turn from him if she ever learned the whole truth about his unpleasant nature.
“Am I?” Angelet asked, unaware of his darker thoughts. “Or are you trying to convince me of that? That all you care about is feeding, fighting, and fucking?” The last word sounded strange in her soft voice.
