Page 80 of Outrageous

The surprising action, combined with his injuries—bruises so horrid and dark and pervasive she could see them even by low light— sent him tumbling backward, and off the bed. He landed with a huge, dull thump that made the pictures on the wall clatter.

Eva flew out of bed and ran around to his side; he lay on his back, his eyes closed, motionless.

She dropped down beside him. “Godric? Godric!” She roughly shoved his shoulder and he opened his eyes. “Did you hurt your head? Are you stunned?”

His answer was to grab her waist and bodily lift her with an agonized groan. “Bloody hell,” he muttered under his breath as he positioned her so that she was straddling his body. They were both naked, so the feeling was quite singular.

“Are you hurt?” she asked again, forcing her mind away from the spot where they were touching.

“Yes. I’m in agony.”

She pursed her lips and was about to punch his shoulder when he caught her hand. “Ah-ah-ah, throwing me off the bed is quite enough abuse for tonight.” Eva shifted a little and he sucked in a harsh breath. “Yes, that’s much better.”

Her face heated when he gently pulsed his hips, the friction delicious. It was ridiculous to blush and feel self-conscious, considering how wantonly she’d behaved only a few minutes earlier.

“Why did you hurl me off the bed?”

She shrugged and he pushed his hips up against her; it was her turn to gasp.

“Come, Eva. I think that is the least you owe me—some sort of explanation. What did I do, yet again, to make you so angry?”

It was just so very mortifying.

He pushed his hips up again and again, his expression teasing. “I’ll torment you until you tell me.”

“If this is your idea of torment, you will have to do it for a very long time.”

He laughed. “Well, I’m afraid this is all I’ll be capable of doing for some time—an hour at the least.”

Eva suspected he was making a joke about something sexual, but she’d exposed her ignorance enough for one night.

“Speak,” he ordered.

“I know you said you didn’t want to do this.” She gestured to them.

He stopped his distracting pulsing and his smile slid away. “I didn’t want to do what?”

“You said you didn’t want me—this way.” Good God, was he going to force her to lay out the entire humiliating conversation?

“What? I would never have said that. Lord, how would such a thing have even come up in conversation?”

Eva ignored the elated leap in her stomach, and lower. “You said you’d not p-put a child in me.”

He grimaced. “Ah, yes, that.”

“Yes, that.”

“Just because I don’t want children doesn’t mean I don’t want this.” He thrusted suggestively.

“You mean—”

“Very much so,” he said before she had to explain. His hands slid around her wrists and held her, his thumbs stroking the soft underside. “You must be stark raving mad if—” He stopped, grimaced, and said, “Bloody hell. I didn’t mean—”

“I know you didn’t. It’s just a turn of phrase, Godric. I’m not so stupid that I don’t know that,” she said irritably. “What were you saying? I must be stark raving mad if what?”

“If you ever believed I didn’t want you like this,” he said, his words a smiling echo of hers. “You are an extremely desirable woman, Eva. And sometimes, just occasionally, mind—when you are not throwing me off beds or pointing pistols at me—I find that I like you very well, indeed.”

Eva was glad it was dark enough to hide what was surely an extremely red face. “Oh?”