Lady Lilias and the Devil in Plaid - Julie Johnstone Page 0,84

it would do no good to yell. The house was utterly empty of servants. And by its exquisite furnishings, she didn’t think that had to do with a lack of funds, which meant Kilgore had sent everyone away to isolate himself.

“Mrs. Artemis,” Levine called as the bedchamber door creaked open and he appeared in the threshold. “I’m here for you. Are you ready for me?”

“You make me sick,” she cried out, frantic now and yanking on her wrists so hard that tears sprang to her eyes.

Levine moved into the room, stripping off his clothing as he went. He threw his overcoat to the floor and yanked off his neckcloth. Lilias’s stomach clenched. She was going to be sick, but by heaven, if it was the last thing she did, she’d keep the contents of her stomach down until she could lose them all over Levine.

He tugged off his boots, loosened his breeches, and offered her a sick, twisted grin. “You are far too overdressed, my dear. Let me help you.”

The bed dipped with his weight, and she screamed with all her fear and frustration, kicking out at him. He let out a strange laugh, catching her ankles deftly and yanking her legs apart. As she squeezed her eyes shut for the worst, a near inhuman roar filled the bedchamber. Her eyes flew open just in time to see Nash striding through the room like an angry god bent on destruction. He was upon Levine before the man could react, and he went flying backward—Nash having thrown him—and crashed into a set of chairs by the window. Then Nash turned, his massive shoulders heaving, and swallowed the distance between him and his prey.

Lilias could not see to the other side of the room, but she heard the thunk of Nash’s fist against the man’s body, bone crunching, and moans of pain. “Nash!” she screamed. “Nash! Stop it. Stop it! He’s not worth the guilt if you kill him! I’m here. I need you!”

Silence fell, then a moment of shuffling, followed by more groans from Levine. Heavy footsteps came toward her, and Nash appeared, agony twisting his face. He towered over her for a moment, then a string of curse words she’d never heard flowed from his mouth as he made quick work undoing her binds.

“Lilias,” he said, his voice a cry of regret and need. He gathered her into his protective arms, bringing her to his chest and cradling her. “Lilias, my Lilias,” he said, then kissed her nose, her chin, her cheeks. He cupped her face and looked at her, his visage a mix of undeniable love and pain. Lilias’s heart pounded as he stared at her. “Did he—”

“No!” she said, her voice breaking on a sob. “Is he dead? Did you—”

“No. He’s tied up.”

“Go on and kill me!” Levine bellowed.

Instead of answering, Nash scooped her off the bed and carried her away from Levine and into the hall. He set her on her feet, his gaze holding hers. “We’ll deal with him soon enough.”

She could not stop the smile from creeping onto her face and the hope filling her heart as he pressed her against his full, solid length. “We?”

“Lilias.” His deep voice broke on her name. “God, I want to kiss you.”

She wanted that so bad she could have wept with the desire. “What of your betrothal?” she asked, her body still trembling with what had happened, and her head aching from the hit Levine had given her.

“There is no betrothal,” Nash replied, running the pad of his thumb over her lips as if he were memorizing the shape of them. “My mother lied to you. I’ll deal with her later, too. Right now you come first. We come first. Are you all right?”

She nodded. “We?” she asked again, clinging to him for support.

“We,” he repeated, his voice a slide of velvet over her. “It has always been you and me. You are the only one for me, though I do not deserve you. You don’t even know all my sins. I—”

“Shh,” she whispered, rising on her tiptoes, her body sliding along his—hard flesh to her softness. She found her intended mark and brushed her lips to his. “I know them. I know of you not pulling back in the race with Owen, and you already told me of your brother and Helen. I know your heart, too. You never set out to intentionally hurt either of them, Nash.” She met his eyes. “I know your sins, and