be the worst, a deep welt above it which looked only freshly healed.
“What are you doing up here at this hour, Nye? They’re surely still drinking the bar dry?”
“Dottie’s taken over the bar,” he said briefly, collapsing back onto the pillows.
“Dottie?”
“The brunette came with Jones, the promoter. She’s run several bars in her time. She knows what she’s doing, and she won’t stick her fingers in the strong box.
“Well, you look terrible,” she said, remembering she was still cross with him from earlier. She shifted over to make room for him as he was already crowding her with his much larger body.
He gave a crack of laughter. “And you’re all heart,” he said, reaching over and snatching the book from her hand.
“Nye-!”
He threw it across the room. “Get over here,” he said seizing her under the arms and dragging her body across his. Mina froze a moment and then started to struggle.
“Ow!” he objected. “Keep still. Or I’ll give you something to squirm about.”
“Get off me, you brute!” she huffed, even though she stilled her limbs out of consideration for his injuries.
He gave a grunt and relaxed back against the pillows again, dragging the cap from her head and tossing it over the side of the bed so her hair spilled down over his shoulder.
Mina squeezed her eyes shut. It was extremely undignified spread-eagled in this fashion! She felt her face warm at the feel of all his hard muscle. All he was wearing was a pair of long underwear. “This can’t possibly be comfortable for you—” she started reasonably.
“It is, so shut your yapping and go to sleep.”
“You rude beast!” She braced her arms on either side of him to lever herself off, but his hands seized her immediately keeping her in place. One at the top of her thigh and one at her waist.
“All I want to do is sleep,” he growled. “But if you want to make it into something more, then I’ll happily oblige.”
To her alarm she felt something stirring against her thigh. “No,” she burst out, for the inn was full to the rafters.
“Then give me what I want.”
She pondered this a moment and forced herself to relax back against his hard body.
He gave another groan and shifted against her.
“Nye, you said—”
“Everything hurts,” he explained curtly.
Which didn’t explain his erection she thought with annoyance, but she was too much of a lady to point that out. Which the brute was probably counting on, she thought, gritting her teeth. Fine! If he could ignore it, so could she. She moved her head, resting her cheek against his shoulder and tried not to jump when his hand came to rest familiarly on her rump.
“Nye,” she frowned.
“Don’t suppose I could persuade you to take this damnable nightgown off?”
“Certainly not!” she huffed indignantly.
He sighed, cursing under his breath. Then his hand moved, she heard a rustle and when it slid back it was against her bare skin.
“Nye!”
“Just give me this,” he muttered. “I’m in agony.”
“It’s your own fault, if you will partake in such brutal sports” she tutted. “I have no sympathy for you.”
“You’re a hard woman,” he said, and she jumped when his thumb stroked over her backside in an idle caress. “But you do have a nice arse,” he added thickly.
“You are the most aggravating man, Will Nye!”
“And extremely nice breasts,” he added appreciatively.
“Stop it!”
“If you had any Christian charity, you’d take this bloody thing off and let me feel them bare against my chest.”
She gasped. “You’re an utter disgrace!” she said angrily, raising her head from his shoulder. She couldn’t really make out his face in the dark, but she could have sworn she could see his eyes gleaming beneath her. And he was definitely hard against her thigh now. “You said all you wanted to do was sleep!” she pointed out.
“I do,” he groaned. “But now I need a quick tumble to take the edge off.”
“Well there are plenty of whores around, so I suggest you go and find one!” she retorted angrily with a directness that shocked even her. Of course, if he had done any such thing, she was uncomfortably aware she would have hit the roof. What was going on with her these days? She struggled to rise up off him, but it was futile.
“I don’t want one of them,” he said huskily and suddenly his hands were at her neckline, roughly yanking the thin cotton until a loud rent was heard.
“Nye!” she gasped feeling the cool night air against her bare