Free Of Noble Birth by Brenda Novak Page B

to give me a massage, or do you share our father’s distaste
for my deformity?”
    Alexandra glanced away,
embarrassed to have been caught gaping at him. “I was just
wondering how I was going to get you off the bed should you fall
asleep on it,” she lied.
    “You wouldn’t get me off.
You’d run away. That’s why I won’t fall asleep.”
    Alexandra smiled in spite
of herself. He thought he had guessed her plan. Perhaps she could
surprise him.
    Climbing onto the bed, she
positioned herself on her knees for maximum strength, then began to
smooth out the corded muscles in Nathaniel’s back and neck. An
occasional sigh told her she was successful in her desire to relax
him, and to her surprise, she soon found herself enjoying her work.
Nathaniel’s physical attributes were exceptional, from his thick
black hair to his cleft chin. And there was something sensual about
the way he smelled—all dust and sweat, leather and
horses.
    As Alexandra’s hands
glided over his warm skin, she wondered about the vendetta between
Nathaniel and the Duke of Greystone. Why did Nathaniel hate his
father so badly? Why would he risk a hangman’s noose to capture his
sister? And what would he do when he finally learned that she was
not Lady Anne?
    Alexandra dismissed the
last question as irrelevant. She wouldn’t be around to find out.
She’d be well on her way to London and to the safety of her
aunt.
    Nathaniel’s eyes closed,
and Alexandra felt the tension leave his body. She doubted he was
asleep, but she only needed to dull his reaction by a fraction of a
second. Keeping one hand working the muscles on each side of his
spine, she reached back for the stiletto he kept in his right
boot.
    Groaning softly when her
fingers touched a particularly tender spot, Nathaniel shifted as if
to make himself more comfortable. Alexandra almost had the knife.
Gently lifting the leg of his pant, she quickly grasped the handle
and pulled. The stiletto slid easily from its place, but
Nathaniel’s reflexes were quicker than her own. He had her on her
back, pinned beneath him, before she could threaten him in any
way.
    “It would seem my massage
is being cut short, so to speak.” He grinned, squeezing her hand
until she dropped the knife. “Too bad. It felt good while it
lasted, perhaps proving that even you have a few redeeming talents.
Now I shall enjoy a good night’s rest while you languish on the
floor.”
    “You had no intention of
giving me the bed. You were only using it to bait me.”
    “Let’s just say that I
have now learned what I needed to know. At least I won’t feel
guilty while you sit on the floor, tied like a dog to the
post.”
    Alexandra tried to free
her hands from his punishing grip. She wanted to wipe that enraging
smirk off his face. “I’ll scream if you bring that rope near
me.”
    “Then I’ll gag you. For
someone who hates a hood, you’re willing to risk much.”
    “You’re a cad.”
    “Which is far better than
a fool, and a fool I’d be to let you get the better of
me.”
    His eyes glittered like
sun glinting off a blue sea, and Alexandra realized that Nathaniel
might be many things, but a fool he was not. He had the senses of a
cat, and the athletic prowess to match.
    “Let me up,” she said.
“You’re hurting me.”
    “Certainly.” Kicking the
knife far away from her reach, Nathaniel let her go. “No doubt
you’re ready to retire, now that sleeping arrangements have been
made.”
    Almost before Alexandra
knew her own mind, her hand lashed out and slapped Nathaniel’s
jeering face. They both rocked back, surprised when her palm hit
its target with such force. A red welt appeared almost
instantly.
    “I’m glad you’re so eager
to deserve whatever treatment you receive,” he said, grabbing her
by the arm and dragging her to the foot of the bed. “I was going to
leave you enough rope to lie down, but with your peculiar brand of
wisdom, you’d only hang yourself with it.”
    “No!” Unwilling