Silence Breaking (Storm and Silence 4)

I squeezed her hand. ‘Dream your dreams. Sometimes, dreams come true.’

*~*~**~*~*

What an evening! Yawning, I slowly made my way through the candle-lit corridors of Battlewood towards my room. Tomorrow would be a big day, and it was already late. If I wanted to be awake for my riding lesson tomorrow, I had better get a good night’s slee-

A hand shot out from a bedroom door and closed around my arm.

‘Hey! What the-?’

Before I could utter another word, I was jerked into the dark room and pushed up against the wall. My hoopskirt groaned and protested as it was flattened against the wood. A dark figure loomed above me, and in the little moonlight filtering in through the windows I could just make out a pair of eyes boring into me. Cold eyes. Sea-coloured eyes.

I slapped a hand against his chest.

‘Has anyone ever told you that your manners leave a lot to be desired?’

‘Yes. You. On multiple occasions.’

‘Well, aren’t I observant? You should give me a raise.’

He lifted one hand. Slowly, torturously slowly, he dragged a single finger down the side of my face. I couldn’t help a shiver running down my spine. ‘Indeed, Miss Linton?’

‘Oh yes, indeed, Sir.’

‘I don’t give raises.’ With deadly dangerous gentleness, his hand cupped my face. ‘Especially not to people who fraternise with the enemy.’

‘Enemy?’ I gave him an innocent look - which dissolved under the icy glare he shot at me in return. I scowled. ‘Captain Carter is not the enemy.’

‘To me he is.’

‘Since when?’

‘Since now!’

‘Why?’

His hand on my cheek tightened its grip, and he bent down, bruising my lips with a fierce kiss. ‘You’re a semi-intelligent female. Try to guess.’

I didn’t need to. I already knew.

‘I’m going to say this only once.’ His words were barely audible. But still, they echoed in the dark room like the peals of an iron bell. ‘Don’t go!’

I lifted an eyebrow. ‘I’m not going anywhere, Sir.’ Lifting a hand to touch his face, I gently caressed that hard, immovable jaw of his. ‘Strange as it may seem, I feel very comfortable here and now.’

Swooping down, he claimed my mouth with another hard kiss. After only a moment, he broke away and once more speared me with his icy eyes. ‘You and I both know I am not talking about here and now. Don’t go riding tomorrow!’

It wasn’t a request. It was an order.

I sighed. Really, he should have known me better by now.

‘Mr Ambrose, Sir?’

‘Yes?’

‘You can take your order and stick it where the sun doesn’t shine.’

His eyes burned with cold fire. ‘Oh, I can, can I?’

‘Yes, Sir.’