His Enemy's Daughter by Terri Brisbin Page A

waited for an answer from her?
    He’d stopped washing, for she could hear no sound of water splashing or movements in the tub. Did he stare at her now? She swallowed once and then again, buther throat grew tight in nervousness. What did he look like naked if he looked so formidable across a field of battle?
    She shivered at the very thought of such a thing. He cleared his throat, reminding her that he was awaiting her response. Sybilla squared her shoulders and shook her head.
    â€˜Nay.’
    She heard him move then, the water sloshing and splashing as he must be standing and stepping out of the tub. Sybilla wrapped her arms around her and tried not to shake too much. His steps moved closer until she could feel the heat of his body near hers. But he’d given her an opportunity to speak her mind, so she decided to be bold, much bolder than she felt.
    â€˜I had planned to ask your leave to go to my cousin’s convent.’
    â€˜When were you planning to ask that, lady?’ he asked, his voice coming from just above her and to her right. She turned to face him and lifted her face.
    â€˜The day you attacked. I was going to relinquish my claim to these lands and retire to my cousin’s convent in order to save my people from harm.’ She shrugged. ‘You gave me no opportunity to do so.’
    The silence, broken only by his breathing, made her uneasy. Sybilla took a breath and released it, trying to calm the racing of her heart. Did he truly stand so close with nothing between them? She could smell the scent of the soap he’d used when she inhaled and could imagine him smoothing it over his skin. She shivered again.
    â€˜So, you wish to become a nun, then?’ he asked, his voice almost a whisper, teasing her ear with his breath.
    Oh, dear Lord in heaven, he was that close!
    She desperately wanted to move away, but dared not. Was he giving her the chance now that he’d not done before? Would he let her go?
    â€˜No, not a nun,’ she stuttered. ‘But I could live a contemplative life there.’ Her claim was a bold one and one that would be refuted by almost any person who knew her.
    Suddenly, he stood behind her, grasping her shoulders and drawing her back against him. His body was like a stone wall, all hard with no softness to be felt anywhere. Sybilla knew enough about how men and women joined in carnal knowledge to know what part of him pressed against her back now, but she tried not to think of that. Then he leaned down and whispered again.
    â€˜Would you give up all that you have, Lady Sybilla? Would you be able to obey and live quietly?’
    He moved one arm across her, holding her to him while he used the other to slip into her hair and move it to one side. His breath tickled her neck now and she tried to ease away. Instead it opened the whole of her neck to him. Exposed, held securely against him, she was vulnerable in a way she’d never felt before. She should be crying out in fear, but her body reacted most strangely—her breasts swelled under the weight of his arm, her skin tingled yet ached for something more and the place between her thighs grew moist and heated.
    â€˜Would you give up everything?’
    The touch of his tongue on her skin made her jump. Then he kissed the same spot. Over and over he placed his mouth on the sensitive place and kissed it. She could not help the gasp that escaped when his teeth nippedher skin, not enough to hurt but enough to send icy hot tremors through her whole body.
    Enough to make her come to her senses!
    â€˜And what, Lord Soren, do I give up?’ she asked, straightening her head and tugging free. ‘Lands and people that are no longer mine? A husband who came within seconds of killing me and now plans to use me only as a brood mare? A life lived blind, unable to see or do anything that gave me pleasure or satisfaction? What exactly do I stand to lose by entering the convent?’
    Time spun out between