Desire Me (15 page)

It had been a foolish mistake, one he probably wouldn’t have made if he hadn’t been rushed. But her highness required so much
attention lately and he couldn’t afford to raise her suspicions about his behavior.

After Spencer had returned to London, though, the words of the dying guardian had run through his mind again and again. Nonsensical
words. Spoken like that of the Seer. Spencer had known that when it came time to take the Seer’s elixir, he would also have
to find the book—the book filled with all the visions and predictions of all the Seers. Spencer needed that book.

As soon as these buffoons were finished talking, he’d make his way back to Cornwall.

They were being followed. Or more precisely, Sabine was being followed. Max held firmly to Sabine’s hand as they closed the
door of their train car behind them. Standing precariously between one car and the next, they shifted from right to left as
the train chugged down the tracks.

“Be careful when you cross,” Max told her. The train curved to the right, and the coupler rocked in response. He stepped through
the opened section and reached the other side. The men were now in their train car heading straight for the door at Sabine’s
back. “Sabine, hurry.”

She looked back over her shoulder, then at Max. In one graceful movement, she leaped over the joint.

“Who are they?” she asked.

“The men from your shop.”

Quickly, he opened the door of the next car, and they shuffled inside. It was another first-class car, much as their own had
been, only this one was full of passengers.

“Pardon us,” Max said as he dragged Sabine behind him.

Again they found themselves between two cars. The men were not far behind them.

“We need to find somewhere to hide,” Sabine said. “Eventually we are going to run out of train.”

“I realize,” he said.

They found themselves in a dining car next. The rich aroma of shepherd’s pie filled the air.

“A table, my lord?” a plump woman asked. She wiped her hands on her white apron, then motioned to an empty table. “This is
one of our best,” she said with a smile.

“Perhaps in a bit,” he said.

The crisp breeze slapped his face as they once again stepped outside. He crossed the threshold, then held out his hand for
Sabine. Her foot slipped. She nearly fell, but he was able to catch her and pull her close.

“I’ve got you,” he said.

The door opened from the dining car. “Found you,” one of the men said with a sneer.

Max punched the man, knocking him backward. He and Sabine tore into the door just ahead of them, and they found themselves
in a luggage car. Trunks and cases surrounded them, making it difficult to maneuver.

“They’re right behind us,” Sabine said, her voice sharp with fear.

“I’m thinking.” Max dragged a particularly large trunk in front of the door to block it. It wouldn’t keep them out for long,
but it might give them a head start. Fortunately this door was solid, with no window to allow the men to watch their every
move.

“Max, in here,” Sabine said.

He turned and found her motioning to an armoire. She opened the doors. Dresses in every color imaginable filled the space.

The car door shook as the men tried to break in.

“You get inside the armoire, behind the rest of those dresses,” he told her. He handed her the pistol he kept tucked in the
back of his trouser waistband. “Use this if you need to.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’ll be right there with you. First I need to send our friends looking elsewhere for us.” He gave her a reassuring smile,
and then he made his way to the opposite door. He opened it slightly to make it appear that they’d gone out that door and
into the following car. Then he headed back for Sabine. He shoved trunks to block the path he took to prevent the men from
seeing where they hid.

The door slid partially open. “There’s something blocking it,” one of the men yelled.

Max hurried to the armoire, stepped inside, and pulled the doors shut. Immediately the air around him warmed and everything
went dark.

A hand grabbed his arm and tugged. He worked his way behind the lace-covered dresses to the back of the armoire where Sabine
hid. She clutched his hand. They stood side by side, hidden amid satin and velvet and silk.

The men broke through the blocked door.

“We’ll find them. They can’t hide forever on this train,” one man said.

Sabine held her breath. They both stood still.

The men moved through the luggage car, pushing trunks out of the way, presumably searching for a suitable hiding place for
Max and Sabine. Max could see nothing; he could only hear Sabine’s short breaths near his ear, feel her warmth as she huddled
next to him. Her breast pressed against his arm, and he longed to turn her, hold her against him. Desire rippled through his
legs.

The trunk outside the armoire shifted, scraping against the car floor. Max held firm to the armoire door. Gently, quietly,
he pushed the bolt from the inside so that it slid silently into place. He just hoped he’d be able to pull it back and that
they wouldn’t be stuck in here until the owners came to claim their clothing.

Someone tugged on the door, and it clattered against the frame. “This is locked,” the man said.

“They’re not in here,” another said. “Next car.”

The door moved again, then stilled.

The outer door to the car slid open, then closed. It was too soon to leave the armoire, though. While Max didn’t suspect those
men were clever enough to set a trap, he didn’t want to completely ignore the possibility.

“Are you all right?” he whispered close to Sabine’s ear.

She nodded. “Hot,” she murmured.

The air was tight, he couldn’t argue with that. “Just a few more minutes.”

“Then what?” she asked.

“I’ll think of something.”

Max didn’t know how long they hid within the confines of the armoire. Sabine’s breathing came in short
spurts. The limited
air was getting to both of them. He pulled at the latch, trying to unlock the cabinet, but the bolt would not move.

“What’s the matter?” she asked.

“The lock is stuck.”

“Are we locked inside here? For who knows how many more hours?” she asked.

“I’ll get it unlocked.”

“That’s right, you do have a knack for picking locks, don’t you?” she asked.

He would have sworn he’d heard humor in her voice. “I have, on occasion, had opportunity to unlatch a lock without a key.”
From his pocket, he withdrew a coin, then slid it up to the latch. It took some working, but he was able to slide the lock
over.

Slowly, he opened one door. Cooler air moved around them, and he took a deep breath. He peeked around the door, but caught
no sight of the men.

“I think we’re safe. For now.” He helped Sabine out of the armoire, then together they navigated the luggage car to go out
the way they’d come in, then back through the dining car and the other cars until they had reached their own.

“We can’t stay in here,” Sabine said. “We still have several hours on the trip.”

“This way.” They went out the opposite end of their car and into the one in front of it. It was a car that had twelve compartments,
including a sleeper. Max knocked on the wall next to the curtained area. The curtain moved, and a young man stepped forward.

“What?” he asked. Another boy, a few years younger, jumped down from the top cot.

“The car in front of this one is empty; I rented the
entire thing,” Max said. “My companion here is not feeling well and wishes
to lie down.” He pulled two notes out of his coat pocket. “Could we switch with you? Of course, I’d pay you for any inconvenience.”

The older boy smiled and turned back to look at his brother. They both nodded. He snatched the notes from Max’s hand, and
they grabbed their things and ran out without another word.

Max held the curtain open for Sabine, then closed it behind them once they were safely ensconced in the sleeping cabin.

“You think we’ll be safe in here?” she asked. She sank onto one of the lower bunks, leaning forward so she didn’t hit her
head on the top.

“There are more people in this car,” he said. “It’s unlikely they will search for us here.” Though he wasn’t completely certain
that was true, he wanted to give her some measure of comfort.

“They must have followed me here,” she said. Then she looked up, her eyes wide with terror. “My aunts. What if more men returned
to the shop? I know they’re safe at your home, but what of work? I didn’t even think…” Her voice faded as she dropped her
head into her hands.

He sat next to her. “I asked some friends to keep watch while we were gone,” he said. “Your aunts will be safe.”

She looked over at him. “I don’t know what to say.”

“I believe the customary response is thank you.”

But she said nothing. Instead she leaned forward and kissed him. More than likely, he shouldn’t take advantage of the situation.
She’d been through quite an ordeal. But he’d never been much of a gentleman, and damn, she felt good pressed against him.
So he threaded his fingers through the back of her silky soft hair and pulled her
closer. He deepened the kiss. She opened
her mouth to him, and their tongues touched.

Lust forged through him.

He tugged her hair to lay her back on the cot. The coils groaned beneath their weight. Still they kissed, their lips melded
together, their tongues intertwined. Her fingers dug into his arm, and she released small sounds of pleasure.

She drove him wild. Her touch, her taste, the feel of her beneath him.

He left her mouth and kissed the column of her throat, paying particular attention to that lovely spot he’d first noticed
the night they met. Her pulse leaped beneath his tongue. She moaned again.

Today she wore a simple travel gown of brown wool. It did nothing to enhance her curves, but as soon as he touched her, the
soft fabric left little between his body and hers. He slid his hand up her torso and cupped her breast. With no corset in
the way, he could freely feel the softness. Her nipple beaded between his fingers.

Sabine arched toward his touch.

He kissed her again. Her hand slid up his back, pressing him farther onto her. She wanted him. He reached down and moved a
hand up her leg, her skin smooth and soft beneath his palm.

His fingers traced behind her knee to the sensitive flesh of her thighs. Her teeth grabbed hold of his earlobe as his hand
explored beneath her skirts. When he brushed lightly across the apex of her legs, she released a primal groan of desire. His
own need poured through his veins and settled heavily in his groin.

Bloody hell, he wanted her.

He found his way up through the slit in her drawers.
Her flesh was hot and slick with her need, and she trembled when his
fingers brushed against her. She continued to moan softly. He continued his exploration.

He slipped one finger inside her; slowly he began his rhythm. Her pleasure mounted as he moved his finger within her. He found
the nub beneath her folds and stroked across it. Her mouth fell open, her eyes squeezed shut, and she arched toward him.

Closer and closer he brought her to the edge, then pulled back. She was fascinating to watch. Undoubtedly, she was the most
passionate woman he’d ever touched, and he longed to be inside her. His own desire was becoming increasingly difficult to
ignore. So he kissed her deeply, then leaned back as best he could to watch her climax.

His finger dipped in again as he flicked across her folds. She tightened around his finger as the pleasure shot through her.
“Yes,” she whispered. Her head pressed into the pillow behind her. “Yes.”

Quickly he unfastened his trousers and guided himself into her before her climax subsided. She sucked in her breath and opened
her eyes. He found himself lost in their amber depths as he pushed himself deeper into her. Oh, God, she felt good. Hot and
tight and so slick.

Her climax started again, and her walls squeezed around his shaft as he increased the depth of his thrusts. And then as his
own release rocked through his body, he released a primal moan and collapsed atop her.

Sabine listened to Max’s even breathing as he lay next to her on the small cot. She could still feel the effects of their
lovemaking on her body. Her flesh seemed to quiver every time she closed her eyes and remembered the sensations of their coupling.

She had thought she could indulge with Max. Have a brief affair, then go back to her life as it was before she’d met him.
But this… His arm snaked around her waist and pulled her to him. She closed her eyes, loving the feel of his warm breath on
her bare neck. Lying here with him only made her think of what it would be like to live like this every day. To wake up in
the arms of a man you loved.

Of course, she didn’t love Max. She barely knew him. Still, something powerful had happened between them today. Something
she’d never experienced before. Perhaps she could pretend that Max wasn’t the sort of man she could fall in love with. But
hadn’t today proven otherwise?

And what of the fact that he was English and she Atlantean? That mattered. Certainly some Atlanteans had left their villages
and conformed to the English ways. But she was the daughter of a guardian; that should matter.

She needed to keep her wits about her, because she risked her heart as well as all her family’s secrets.