Page 33 of Once Upon a Reckless Rogue

“What will I wear while they are washed and dried?”

Tomas smiled at her, the intent clear in his eyes. She shook her head, wagging her finger at him. “Was the laundry your way of keeping me naked?”

“Where is your mind, Miss Diaz? I was thinking of sleeping only. I am exhausted.”

“That is not what you said before. What if I want to make love in this big bed? What if I want to keep you naked?”

Her words lit a fire in his belly, working its way lower to make his cock stir. The thought of them both naked all night long making love as many times as they wished was everything he could have dreamed of. “I would gladly oblige you.”

“And what if I just want to sleep?” she asked, but there was a hint of a smile at the side of her lovely lips.

He chuckled as more women came in with buckets of water. Elena really wanted a bath, but she also didn’t want to put the women to so much bother. Her guilt disappeared as soon as she sank into the warm water. All her aching muscles began to relax, and the heavenly smell of lavender soap calmed her as she scrubbed away the last few days.

Wrapped only in a sheet, Thomas and Elena sat down at a small table near the window to eat the feast that Carlos had sent up. Thomas was enjoying watching Elena swoon over every bite of food. They had lived on soup and other scant supplies for the last few months so these delights before them were heavenly.

“More wine, my lady?”

“How would an English lady respond to that, Thomas?”

“She would say, why yes, Captain, that would be delightful,” he said in English.

“Why yes, Cap-i-tain that would be delight-ful.”

Her attempt at English was a delight. “Well done.”

“We-ll dun?” she sounded out.

“Bien hecho,” he said in Spanish.

Her smile was one of genuine pride. So, he spent the next hour teaching her English words like please, thank you, yes, no, and hello.

Later, snuggled up in the bed, Elena’s head on his shoulder, she looked up at him and said, “How do you say, hazme el amor in English?

“Are you asking me to make love to you or do you really want to know how to say it?”

“Both,” she said, her hand moving down his chest and under the covers to take hold of him, gently stroking.

She was getting bolder by the day, and he was not complaining. “Make love to me,” he said, his voice a little strained.

“Yes, please.” Her pronunciation came out like a purr as her clever hand made him hard as a rock.

He growled and soon had her flat on her back, his lips on hers. Her hands wound around his neck as she laughed. He would make good use of this bed and be damned if they got no sleep. He would take her higher than Mount Teide again and again.

Making love to this woman was like a balm to his battered body and soul. When one has been near death, every moment was a blessing, and Elena Diaz was a blessing in the shape of a woman who willingly gave him her body. If only he had her heart. It was selfish, he knew, but what he felt for her was like nothing he had ever experienced. He needed her like she was milk of the poppy. How would he wean himself off her?

The next morning, he ducked downstairs to talk to Carlos. They sat out back and smoked while they discussed what had happened since he had left here months ago.

“Once I heard they had captured you I was sure I would never see you again. How on earth did you escape them?”

“Elena. She is a doctor. She saved me and helped me escape.”

“That girl is a doctor?”

“That woman is better than any doctor I’ve ever been to. There is nothing she does not know when it comes to healing people. Look what the bastards did to me!” He held up his hand with the missing digit. “And they broke my bloody arm, cracked nearly every rib I had, and more. Somehow, she was able to keep me from death and cheat the Frenchies out of my demise. I tell you I wish I had been able to see their faces when they discovered us gone.”

“That is quite a story, my friend. I am glad there was a happy ending. Are you going to take her back to England with you and marry her?”

He had not expected this question, and it must have shown on his face because Carlos laughed.