Once Upon a Valentine (18 page)

If this were a Disney movie, the two of them would start singing a showstopper about how they were really nice guys, just misunderstood.
But this sure ain’t a Disney movie.

“Hey, handsome, want a pint?” the serving girl asked.

It took Raine a second to realize she was speaking to him. Given his costume, he’d have figured only a blind person would call him handsome. Of course, next to the only other patrons in the place, he probably looked like George Clooney. But they
all
probably smelled like Porky Pig.

“Not yet,” he said.

She simpered and flounced away, heading behind the bar.
Good.
Nobody close enough to get hurt if furniture started flying. Well, other than him, of course.

Historian, this better be worth it.

Finally, he reached the giants’ table. They didn’t notice him at first. They were too busy discussing a large sheet of parchment on the table. It was yellowed, jagged and looked like a map.

Raine liked maps. Especially ones that led to interesting objects. So he couldn’t resist peering over the whole thing.

“Want your nosy nose cut off?” one of the men growled.

Trying to remember to be meek and subservient, he snatched the dirty cap off his head. “Begging your pardon,” he said. “Are you the ones offerin’ the reward?”

The smaller of the giganatrons shot up. “You saw the bitch?”

What Raine saw was
red,
but still managed to stay cool. If he punched the walking wall, he’d have to fight them both. While that might be satisfying, if he survived it, he probably wouldn’t be in much condition to protect Ashlynn from goon number three.

“I think I saw ’er down by the livery stable.”

The other man rose, too. “Alone?”

“Aye.”

The men exchanged a glance.

“My reward?” he asked, trying to sound needy.

“Wait here. If it’s her, you’ll get what’s coming to ya.”

Raine had seen enough movies to know
that
was never a good line to hear. If he really were here turning in some poor woman, he’d be booking it the minute these two turned their backs.

Oh, wait. He
was
going to be booking it the minute these two turned their backs.

They turned their backs. “Don’t go anywhere,” one said.

He watched as one man scooped up the map and shoved it into his pocket and the other unsheathed his knife. After they left, Raine counted to thirty, hoping Ashlynn would do as he’d told her—wait until they were out of sight before moving.

She came in when he hit thirty-one. Heading for the door, he walked past her, muttering, “I’ll be outside. If I see them coming back, I’ll signal, and you get out of here.”

“Understood.”

He walked outside and began scanning for the enemy. His thudding heartbeat counted off every second. Each thud provided another moment for her pursuers to return. But true to her word, Ashlynn was back out in a minute.

She flashed a smile, patting her bag as if it contained her long-lost kidney. Whatever she’d come for must now be safely tucked inside it with her other treasures. “Let’s go.”

He grabbed her hand and headed down the street. Having sent two of the guards in the opposite direction, he only prayed they’d gotten the third one. Especially because they had to pass right by the corner where they’d last seen him.

“How’d you get them to leave?” she asked.

“Sold you out.”

She chuckled. “Did they pay you?”

“Nah. They were too busy racing after you. I thought they were going to leave without their weapons or their treasure map.”

Ashlynn suddenly stopped in the middle of the marketplace. A man carrying a goat, who’d been walking behind her, almost ran into her, and his goat tried to nibble on Ashlynn’s dirty hair.

“Watch it, wench!”

Ashlynn ignored
that
guy calling her a wench, and stared up at Raine, whispering, “Treasure map?”

“Yeah.” Taking her arm, he added, “Can we talk about this after we get away from the bad guys who’ve put a price on your head?”

She nodded, but even through the dirt, he could see the color had left her cheeks. Ashlynn remained quiet as they hurried through town, then broke across the wide field toward the forest.

Though he knew he shouldn’t let it, his curiosity got the better of him. Halfway across the field, Raine risked a look back. Seeing all three of the thugs huddled together in the middle of the town square put an extra bit of spring in his step.

“God, please don’t let them look this way,” he muttered.

Luckily for them, the men didn’t. A few more strides and they reached the woods. Another few and the trees swallowed them up. “Whew,” he said. “We did it.”

She smiled a bright, happy smile that stopped his heart for a second. But they weren’t in the clear yet. They kept walking, needing to get as far away from the village as they could before the Hunters began looking for the farmer who’d given them the bad tip. Each step brought them closer to safety and, after an hour, he finally began to relax.

Eventually, even the need to gain some distance couldn’t prevent him from tugging at the ugly, filthy clothes he was wearing. He took off the cap and swung it away like a Frisbee, then the shirt, dropping it between one stride and the next.

“Wait,” she said, stopping. She unfastened the belt, letting his bundled clothes fall to the ground.

Raine grabbed his own shirt out of the pile while she shimmied out of the dress. He’d held his breath until he saw she’d worn her own clothes underneath. Smart—he wished he’d done the same thing so he could have had something between his skin and that shirt.

“I might have to burn these. The smell’s never going to come out,” she admitted, gazing down ruefully at her clothes, then at her sacred satchel. “Fortunately, I have spare clothes to wear.”

The magical mystery bag obviously had lots of pockets.

Saying nothing, Ashlynn kicked off the ugly clogs. Then she pulled her blouse free of her waistband and pushed the skirt down off her hips to the ground, revealing those amazing legs. Her blouse was long enough to cover her bottom…but she quickly took care of that problem, pulling it up and taking it off, too.

Whoa. And whoa.
And whoa.

She wore what would probably be considered modest underwear—no Victoria’s Secret stuff here, more like Wal-Mart three-pack specials. But oh, God, did she wear it well. The plain, cotton boy’s-shorts-type panties were obscenely sexy, hugging her hips and making a thing of art out of her ass. And the simple white bra covered everything it was supposed to, yet still revealed the most luscious curves he’d ever seen in his life.

She was perfect, every inch of her, from top to bottom. And even though her face and arms were dirty and her hair a tangled mess, he wanted her with a hunger that bordered on desperation. Adventure, danger, excitement—they always revved his engines. Having shared the adventure with her, a woman unlike any he’d ever known, just upped the ante. And now, the sight of her perfect, nearly naked body had slammed the pedal down and gotten his every juice flowing.

“Raine?”

He stared into her face, helpless to hide what he’d been thinking. And saw an answering gleam that told him he wasn’t alone in this. She felt it, too. Maybe she, too, had been feeling it for a long time.

This wasn’t the time, or the place. But something in him refused to keep walking without giving in to it, just a little.

Without a word, he opened the flask at his hip, poured some water onto his shirt, then approached her. She said nothing, just lifted her face to him as he used the wet fabric to wipe away the grime. Gradually, he uncovered the beautiful features below—those high cheeks, delicately curved brows, that succulent mouth.

His touch lingered, the brush of her soft skin against his fingers as sensual as anything he’d ever felt.

That unblinking stare as she watched him revealed what she was feeling. So did the soft stroke of her hand against his bare stomach. He didn’t even know if she was aware of it, but she’d reached out to touch him as he washed her face. Her hand glided across his abs with a lightness that drove him slightly mad.

He slowly lowered his hand. She took the flask and the shirt. Wetting another spot, she reached up to repay the favor. Or just draw out the erotic tension. He couldn’t be sure which.

She washed him as deliberately as he’d washed her. Each touch sent the tension up, especially when she brushed a wet fingertip across his lips. Raine couldn’t recall whether there had been any dirt there, but frankly, he didn’t care.

He groaned, nipping lightly at her finger.

“Raine?”

One word. Just his name, and a question at that. But he understood.

He bent to her and brushed his lips against hers. A breath, then their mouths came together, warm and sultry, lips parting, tongues tangling. Maybe it was because of the sense of adventure or the beautiful morning or just the incredible attraction they’d been feeling since day one—his day one being much longer ago than hers—but the kiss was perfect. Hot and hungry, new and exciting.

He dropped his hands to Ashlynn’s hips and tugged her close, loving that soft skin. He needed to feel her nearly naked body pressed against him like he needed sunshine and adventure and the very air in his lungs. Unable to stop himself, he slid his hands down, beneath the seam of her panties, tracing a path on the perfect curves of her ass, tugging her up a little higher so she could better fit the hard angles of his body.

She gasped against his lips, obviously feeling his rock-hard cock pressing against her thighs, and the temperature went up a hundred degrees. The slow build went into warp drive, the intensity ratcheting up as if they’d been building up to this with an hour’s worth of kisses.

Her arms snaked around his neck and she tugged him even closer, tilting her head, thrusting her tongue ever deeper into his mouth. As if unable to help herself, she raised a leg, wrapping it around his and angling more intimately against his groin. Raine lifted her by the waist, groaning in satisfaction as she wrapped both legs around his hips, letting him hold her.

The kiss deepened, and the hunger mounted. He knew it was crazy, knew they weren’t far enough from the village—two days’ walk probably wouldn’t be far enough. But he couldn’t stop, and she didn’t seem inclined to make him.

“Please,” she groaned.

“You’re sure?”

“Oh, yes.”

Hearing the feminine certainty in her voice, he gave up any thoughts of resisting. All his doubts evaporated, his control snapped. He backed her up against the nearest tree, bracing her so he could free one hand.

There was lots he wanted to do with that hand. He started by tugging one bra strap down, freeing her breast to the morning air and his covetous attention.
Beautiful.
He plumped it, stroked her hard little nipple, watched her shiver in delight as he played her body like an instrument.

Knowing he’d get back to this point when they had more time, he reached down, tearing her panties away with one hard jerk. Ashlynn moaned, tangling her fingers in his hair, rubbing herself against him as if desperate for his most intimate touch. Even through his jeans he could feel the heat of her; she was so wet he could smell the intoxicating sweetness of her arousal.

Raine wanted to do so much, so damn much. He longed to taste her breasts, suckle her until she cried, but the intensity of it was killing him. Mostly, he just wanted to give her what she most seemed to want—a wild, frenzied coupling up against a tree.

He plunged his tongue in her mouth, even as he slid his hand between her legs and tested the wetness there.

Drenched. Ready. Hot.
Oh, God, yes.

“Please,” she whimpered, pressing against his hand, wanting more. He didn’t hesitate, plunging a finger into her tight channel, and was rewarded with a cry of delight. He found her clit with his thumb, toying with it even as he gave her another finger and stroked hard, fast, deep.