Back to You, page 9
Thomas looked down at me, studying my face. I don’t know what he saw, but the lines around his eyes deepened.
“If the lass says she’s Italian, then who are we to question her?” he rumbled, looking down at Nessa. Her hand glided familiarly up his chest. His brows raised when he caught me staring.
Heat spread through me in embarrassment. It was as if Thomas had read my thoughts and tried to extricate himself from Nessa’s grasp, but she set her claws in.
“I’ll take ye!” a man shouted at the bar, startling us. I almost forgot we had a large audience. “Gypsy or no, ye look like a good time!”
The room erupted in laughter from the men surrounding us, breaking the tension. Everyone began talking once more, losing some interest.
“Aye, me too!” another man cut in, slamming his drink on the bar. “Always wondered what an exotic girl like ye—”
“Now, now, gentlemen.” Nora raised her brows. “How much ye willing to pay for her?”
“Excuse me?” I spat. “I told you—”
“Ye’ll have to work some to make me money back,” Nora cut in.
Thomas growled something in Gaelic and stepped closer to Nora, simultaneously making her back up as he freed himself from Nessa. “Don’t test me, woman.”
For the first time since meeting Nora, fear crossed her thin features before quickly disappearing. “Nay, I want me money.”
Thomas cursed under his breath, digging in his pocket for something.
“What are you doing?” his friend asked, coming closer. “Is she really worth all this?”
Thomas shook his head, ignoring him. “Here,” he said, slamming some money on the bar counter.
“You can’t be serious?” his friend grumbled, grabbing Thomas’ arm to hold him back.
“Aye, comrádaí. Trust me.” Thomas turned back to Nora. “I believe that’ll give me one night with the lass. Then she’s to be free.”
Nora counted the money and pocketed it. “Aye, we’re done. Take Biddy’s room,” she said to me.
I began to back away, looking between her and Thomas. My stomach dropped, instantly making me queasy. How could this be happening? How could he—
Thomas came towards me slowly, treating me like a nervous animal. I bumped into a stool behind me and almost toppled over. He caught me, moving faster than I could think, and bent his mouth to my ear. “Trust me,” he whispered, sending shivers down my spine. “It’s either me or those lads over there. Which would ye like?” He pulled back and I found myself lost in rich fields of Ireland, the dark green irises shrinking as his pupils expanded, enhancing the golden rim around them.
My breath caught, and I could only shake my head as his eyes flicked between my own, trying to decipher my response. He backed away, giving me space. “It’s your choice.”
I looked at him, then Nora, then the door. There was no way I would make it out of here without someone grabbing me.
“I’ll pay double!” an Englishman yelled, slamming money onto the counter as well.
Thomas cursed under his breath, and I knew I had waited too long. His friend came to him, and they started arguing quietly. “I don’t have anymore,” Thomas rumbled louder than intended.
“Looks like you’re mine!” the man at the bar smiled, revealing a chipped tooth on his otherwise handsome face.
He merrily elbowed a man next to him, the whole room cheering him on. Then, with enough celebration to make my stomach turn, he brushed his brown hair back and put his hat back on. He came closer, and I backed towards the door. To my surprise, the man grabbed my waist gently and started pulling me towards the back stairs. He was just my height, but years of hard work had given him the strength of a much larger man.
“Don’t you worry, doll. I’ll treat you nice.” Strangely, I believed him. If it weren’t for being sold against my will, I’d think him a good guy. Maybe he was for this time, but I wasn’t planning on heading up those steps to find out.
“Wait!” Thomas snapped, slamming more coins onto the bar. What was with these damn men?
I turned quickly and found Thomas glaring at Nora, daring her to argue. His friend was staring at the ceiling, his hands in his pockets, exasperated. The only good thing about this situation was Nessa’s beet-red face. I wouldn’t have been surprised to see smoke coming out of her ears. The thought alone almost brought a smile to my lips.
“Can ye raise him?” Nora asked the man next to me.
This close, I had a better look at his tanned face. He couldn’t be much older than I, but he had deep creases between his brows as he thought. “No, Madam. I’m afraid that was all of my coin.” He let go of my waist and stepped away. “Maybe next time, doll.” He tipped his hat at me and went back to the bar as the men pushed him back and forth, laughing at him.
Thomas was by me instantly, grabbing my arm and spinning me towards the stairs. I kept my head down, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone, and tried to drown all the lewd comments they threw at us. I’d never been through something so humiliating.
It wasn’t until we were at the foot of the stairs that I lifted my head, hearing a familiar voice.
“I’m so sorry,” Biddy cried, tears in her eyes. She grabbed my arm, pleading. “Ye got to believe me. I didn’t want to lie to ye. I tried to treat ye right, didn’t I? Madam Kelly said she only wanted ye for your singing.” My chest tightened at the tears rolling down her face.
“Of course,” I mumbled. “I know you didn’t mean me harm.” On impulse, I leaned in and hugged her, feeling Thomas’ hand gently let go of me.
“Thank ye,” she sniffed. Drying her eyes on a handkerchief she pulled out from between her breasts, she eyed Thomas and me and leaned into my ear. “I’ve never had him,” she admitted, causing heat to spread over my face and chest. “But I’ve heard a lot. Ye couldn’t be with a better man. Nessa steals him most times, but the other girls who’d had him say he’s nice and knows what he’s doin’.” She stepped back and winked at me. “Ye know most men don’t.”
I shook my head and tried to smile back. Too nervous to say anything else, I turned to the stairs, avoiding Thomas’ gaze as I passed him.
The creak of each stair seemed like a foreboding of the night ahead of me. By the time we reached the top, my whole body shook so bad that I had to hide my hands in my shift. Even the smooth beads of my rosary did little to calm me.
If I were to light the candle left on a small table, Thomas didn’t give me a chance. The minute it took for him to light it was enough to hear the unmistakable creaking from the room next to us and groans across the hall. I silently sent up thanks that the darkness hid my mortification.
Thomas’s hands remained steady as he held candle up to the light our way.
“Over here,” my voice trembled as I stared at his shadowed feet, unable to look at his face.
We reached Biddy’s door, but when I went to open it, my hands were sweaty and shaking so much I fumbled with the handle.
Thomas’ large hand eclipsed mine, gently moving it away. “Let me,” he said so softly that I looked up. He was looking at the door though and kept his head down even while he reached his arm out for me to go first.
The room was dark except for the red glow of the burning embers. I knew enough to put some logs on the fire.
“I’ll do it, lass,” Thomas said, placing the candle on the table. “Don’t trouble yourself.”
“I got it. I can do it,” I said, desperate to keep busy. I picked up one, but my arms were so weak with nerves I dropped it. “Fuck!” I cursed and covered my mouth; shocked I said that in front of him this time.
A choking noise came from Thomas.
“What?” I snapped.
“Nothing, lass.” He was laughing at me! “Just didn’t know ye had it in ye.”
“Will you stop calling me that?”
“And what shall I call ye?”
I waited a minute, trying to calm down. “Millie,” I whispered. “My name’s Emilia.”
He stood there, face shadowed as the red glow reflected off his clothes, staring in my direction. “Right,” he finally said, voice gravelly. “It’s a pleasure to me ye, Miss Millie. I don’t believe I formally introduced myself. I’m Thomas O’Connor.” He took off his hat and bowed.
“What exactly do you want from me?” My voice wavered. I started putting logs on the fire so I wouldn’t have to look at him.
Thomas picked up the poker and arranged it until a small flame flared. He was so close that I could smell a mixture of cigars and the fresh scent of the sea. I stepped back quickly, wanting to create distance between us.
“What do ye want?“ he asked, straightening.
“What do you mean?” I wrung my hands. Wouldn’t he just get it over with and put me out of my misery?
“Ye’ve never done this before, have ye?”
I threw my hands in the air, nearly at my snapping point. “What gave it away? Will you please just get this over with? I have more important matters to attend to. Just because you’re horny—”
He barked out a surprised laugh. “My ye have a mouth! Did ye mother teach ye how to talk to a man that way? Or did she teach ye how to do other things with it?”
The slap rang out across the room. Thomas froze, and the air around us seemed to stand still as the fire flickered across his face, revealing emotions I couldn’t discern. My chest heaved up and down while I waited for his response.
“I’m sorry,” he said, completely surprising me. He sat down in the chair and leaned his head back. “Places like this tend to make men forget there are still ladies hereabouts. I shouldn’t have said that to ye.”
While I tried to gain control of my emotions, I stepped from one foot to the other. My feet began to throb from standing so long.
“Why don’t ye sit, lass?” He eyed me. “I’m not going to hurt ye. Why do ye think I bought ye from the other men? I knew ye didn’t want to be with them. And ye don’t want to be with me neither. Ye have the night to relax. Sleep. Worry about everything else tomorrow.”
I paused, not quite sure if I’d heard right. He couldn’t have spent all that money on me without wanting something. When he remained silent, my voice cracked. “Really?”
“Really.”
Relieved tears swelled in my eyes, and I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “Thank you, thank you so much.”
Thomas leaned back in the chair and straightened his long legs out in front of him, placing his hat over his eyes. I wondered if he was going to sleep or giving me some privacy.
I wiped away my tears, grateful he couldn’t see me, and began to take off my shoes. I didn’t have many clothes on, so I lay on the edge of the bed, still not wanting to touch the sheets.
“Do ye always sleep like that?” His voice broke the silence, making me nearly fall off the bed.
“What?” I hissed.
“Sorry,” he chuckled. His amusement made me want to throw something at him. “I didn’t mean to startle ye. I just couldn’t help but notice ye were about to fall off the bed there. And do ye always wear your stockings to bed?”
It was true; I took off the thigh-high-tights and corset last night, sleeping in only my shift with Biddy. “No,” I admitted. “I just…”
He nodded and put his hat back over his face. “Do what ye want. I won’t bother ye.”
When I sat up, the bed squeaked, causing him to smile.
I refrained from growling my annoyance and failed to ignore how my heart sped up at his smile. “And no funny business, okay?” I said while I began taking off my stockings. “I just want to get comfortable and sleep.”
His smile widened. “Of course, Miss Millie.”
“Stop calling me that,” I grumbled.
“Ye don’t want me calling ye ‘lass.’ Now ‘Miss Millie’ either? What shall I call ye then?” He lifted his hat as I had my shift hiked up, removing my other stocking.
“No peeking!” I squealed.
He covered his face quickly, chuckling under his breath. “Sorry.”
“You said you wouldn’t peek,” I huffed, trying to stop myself from smiling. “Just Emilia or Millie is fine. You don’t need to say, ‘Miss.’”
“Well, Millie. Ye have some nice legs there. Do they go with a last name?”
“You, sir, are no gentleman!” I said, throwing my stocking to the side.
Thomas rubbed his nose, hiding another grin, and shrugged. He was enjoying this way too much. “I never claimed to be one.”
I opened my mouth, ready to protest, but realized he was right.
Instead, my mouth snapped shut as I tried to think of an answer to his question. The truth was, I had already given my last name a lot of thought. I was going to pick a random one. Still, another kept slithering into my consciousness, attempting to reveal a truth I wasn’t ready for.
I loosened my stays and lay back down. “Moretti. Emilia Moretti.”
“Mmm, good name, Emilia Moretti.”
“Why did you do it?” I asked the ceiling.
“Do what?”
I turned my head and studied him, wondering what went on in his head. I swore I could see the shine of his eyes under his hat. “Buy a night with me when you don’t even know me?”
A long pause had me holding my breath. Through the flickering shadows, I knew we were staring at each other. Thomas adjusted the hat lower on his face.
“Goodnight, Moretti,” was my only answer, leaving me to my own assumptions.
The faint crackle of the fire did little to cover up the noises in the rooms surrounding us. I was too tired the night before to fret, but cutting my performance short this night allowed my mind to wander to what was happening beyond those walls. An awkward situation made worse because of the man sitting across from me.
I fidgeted on the bed, growing more bothered at each creak and groan. My legs pushed together, trying to relieve the pressure building deep within my core. Thomas’ steady breathing eased my nerves somewhat, even as I wondered how he could be so unbothered. Instead, I focused on the fact that he was the man I needed to find Shay, and a feeling of relief washed over me. He could help me. Everything would be fine.
That was easier thought than done. My attention focused on each hitch of his breath. Something ignited inside me—a flame flickering to life, threatening to blaze. I started to wonder if his breathing was faster than before. Surely, he couldn’t be as affected as me. He must have been used to this sort of thing.
My mind spun as my eyes roamed down his long, lean body. The sleeves of his shirt tightened across his biceps, defining them so that I had to swallow past the lump in my throat. I licked my lips as my gaze roamed over his vest and how it didn’t even come close to concealing his broad chest. The man was built like some Celtic god I didn’t know but would willingly serve diligently on my knees.
I held back a groan and made myself stare at the ceiling, refusing to indulge in any more fantasies, and wondered where they even came from.
Some time had passed, and Thomas uncrossed and re-crossed his legs, adjusting his shoulders on the back of the chair. He looked so uncomfortable that guilt extinguished my desire. He did save me from having to sleep with another man. The least I could do was offer him a bed to sleep on. Right? But that would mean he would be very close to me on the twin-sized mattress.
My traitorous eyes betrayed me again and scoured his magnificent body, making my pulse quicken as I questioned how old he was. Thomas was ruggedly attractive, and my cheeks flushed while I imagined those rough hands on my skin.
“Are ye going to sleep, or are ye going to stare at me all night?”
Heat spread across my chest and up to my roots, humiliated at being caught. “How can you even see me?” My voice wavered, giving some of my thoughts away; I silently cursed myself for speaking.
“I can feel ye.”
“Feel me?” I squeaked.
He smiled and lifted his hat. “Aye.”
I made a disgusted noise and turned my face towards the ceiling. “And to think I was going to let you sleep next to me.”
That had him slowly sitting up, pulling his body together as if his muscles strained. “I don’t know if that’s wise.” A clenched jaw replaced his grin as he stared into the fire.
“I just meant to sleep,” I whispered nervously. “You looked uncomfortable, and I’m grateful for your help tonight. You don’t deserve to sleep in that chair.”
“I’ve slept in worse.”
His tone’s lack of emotion and flatness had my skin prickling with concern. I barely knew anything about his man, and I felt he hid a world of plights from me.
“Come,” I said and patted the bed, more confident now. Thomas’s face turned to me, eyes ablaze with the flames. “Lie down, and I promise I won’t try to have my way with you.”
He raised his brow.
“Joke.” I smiled. “Just a joke. Apparently, not very funny.”
Thomas unfurled from the chair, his immense form seeming to take up the entire room. My eyes followed as he rounded the bed, incapable of tearing my gaze from this terrifying man. Then, slowly, as if time had stilled, Thomas sat. A loud squeak rented the room as the bed sank, and I had to hold onto the edge, so I did not roll-on top of him.
He had his back to me for a few unbearable minutes, and then, when I opened my mouth to speak, he began to take off his shoes and lie down. A massive shoulder bumped mine, neither of us able to move over. My breath stilled in my chest, and I had to repress the sudden, outrageous urge to grab his hand.
“Thank ye,” he grumbled.
“I hope you didn’t lose much money on me tonight,” I admitted. The thought had been nagging at me for a while.
“Don’t worry, lass.”
“But did you say you had no more?” I turned my head to him and studied the side of his face and the dark whiskers coming in. “Where did you get the rest?”
He stared at the ceiling for some time before shaking his head. His eyes roamed my face. They searched my eyes as if seeing the depths of my soul, before they grazed my nose and caressed my lips like a soft whisper.
I shivered, never overcome with such emotion by a simple gaze before. It felt as if Thomas was pulling me apart layer by layer, until he cracked me open and devoured everything that I was.
