Cinders and Ashes by Rebecca King Page A

a
wince as her cold, stiff muscles protested. She was shocked to find
him standing so close. Her cheeks flushed fiery red, as she took in
his near naked state, poorly covered by the thin blanket wrapped
haphazardly around his lean hips. It was the first time she had
seen him upright.
    From her
lowly position on the floor, he was a huge tower of masculinity.
The broad expanse of his well-muscled chest was tantalisingly
close. Curling her fists into tight balls against the temptation,
she turned her face away, twisting around to look towards the cold,
empty grate beside her.
    “ You asked for it,” Sebastian warned, seconds before his large
hands swept beneath her arms and she was swept to her
feet.
    “ What are you doing?” she croaked with alarm, when she was
unceremoniously dragged upwards.
    Sebastian moaned softly. Instinctively, she knew his low
groan wasn’t one of attraction. He began to sway and his hands
tightened almost painfully on her ribs as he fought the wave of
pain that engulfed him.
    “ Now look what you have done,” she grumbled, wedging her
shoulder under his arm to stop him falling to the floor. She was
struck again by the sheer size and strength of him. The corded
muscles across his stomach rippled as he struggled to remain
upright.
    “ Me?” Sebastian gasped, fighting the blackness that threatened
to engulf him. “It was your fault,” he accused, with a dark scowl
on his handsome face.
    “ My fault?” Amelia gasped. Her senses reeled as she craned her
neck to look up at him. “What did I do?” She was about to remind
him that she had been soundly asleep before he had rudely awoken
her, only for him to beat her to it.
    “ You were asleep on the bloody floor again,” he grumbled. He
shouldn’t be using coarse language in front of a lady, even an
impoverished one. But the sight of her in such dire circumstance
irked his temper. He had to fight to withhold the words he really
wanted to use.
    Amelia
harrumphed, and shook her head. “I can’t sleep in the chair, I told
you.” She scowled up at him, trying to ignore just how much his
masculine presence disturbed her.
    “ It goes against everything I am, to see you lying upon the
floor. You have my word of honour as a gentleman, that I pose no
threat to you Amelia. Please, for my sanity, get some sleep on the
bed.”
    Sebastian’s fingers tingled with the urge to slide into the
frothing mass of riotous curls that cascaded in silken glory past
her shoulders. He ached to discover for himself if it really was as
soft as it appeared, and shifted restlessly as his body immediately
began to respond to her closeness. She didn’t seem to be too
shocked at his lack of clothing, but nonetheless he had no
intention of showing her just how attracted to her he really was.
Not until she was ready.
    Despite
the physical reaction to being so close to her, Sebastian couldn’t
resist the urge to touch her, and tenderly trailed a blunt
fingertip down her alabaster cheek. The smudges under her eyes were
darker than ever before. Faint lines around her mouth, and redness
clouding her eyes, highlighted just how exhausted she really
was.
    “ You cannot sleep on the floor Amelia,” Sebastian persisted
softly, sensing her reluctance. “It is positively dangerous to your
health. Trust me, I beg of you.” He motioned down his tempting
length, now propped against the table. “Look, I barely made it over
to the table. I promise that I pose you no threat.”
    He
mentally sent a prayer heavenwards for that small fib. In reality,
he didn’t pose any threat to her physical wellbeing. Not really. If
she was agreeable to everything he had planned for her; for them;
then she would be very happy with her future
arrangements.
    As it
was, in their current situation, she would probably not be
agreeable to what he was about to suggest. Nonetheless the warrior
within him refused to back down from a fight. The gentleman within
him refused to allow her to return to the