“I cannot.”
“A drink might do the trick. I have a decanter of whiskey here.”
“Is that an invitation to join you in your chambers for a drink, my lord?”
“I promise to be the soul of propriety.”
She made another low sound of disbelief. “You’ll make no attempts at seduction?”
“Of course I will, but I shall stop the instant you resist.”
“You wretch!” she gasped, then her sweet laughter pealed through the door.
“So you’ve said.” He padded over to the side table by his bed, grabbed the decanter, and went back to the door. Daniel took a healthy swallow. “If you open the door, I’ll pass you the brandy.”
The key twisted, and his heart thumped with anticipation. Still, he restrained himself, only smiling when the door barely opened and a slim hand pushed through. He placed the carafe in that hand and watched it draw back, the door closing again. Amusement rushed through him, and he lifted a brow when the door cracked again, and she held out the brandy. They did that several times, drinking in companiable silence, Daniel ruthlessly fighting the desperate hunger crawling through his veins for her.
“How are the girls?” he asked, leaning his head on the door.
Her sigh whispered through the oak. “Excited that Lizzie is getting married in a few weeks. Lizzie has asked if they…if they could reside with her and Mr. Hayle at their new home in Derbyshire. It is a lovely manor there, with more modern conveniences. Lizzie says they will also be able to better afford…caring for the girls, given the income Mr. Hayle has secured working as a barrister for a marquess and the dowry you provided.”
Her voice throbbed with suppressed emotions.
“You are saddened by this.”
She was unnaturally quiet, then she chuckled ruefully. “Would I not be selfish to be? Sarah and Anna deserve the best life has to offer. I am learning to trust my sister with some of my burdens. It is not my responsibility alone to love and care for our family.”
“But now you’ll be alone.”
Several beats passed, and when the door opened, he merely pressed the decanter in her hands. When she passed it back, it was empty.
“I’ll visit them often,” she finally whispered, then hiccupped. “Oh, dear.” Then a muffled giggle and an odd thumping sound.
“Georgianna?” When she made no reply, Daniel ventured through the connecting door to see her lying on her back on the lush carpets, staring at the ceiling. Her heavy tresses spilled over her shoulders in a stunningly beautiful fan. Usually she wore a buttoned-up dress that hugged lushly to her curves but was still drab and far too plain. Her hair would be tightly pinned into a bun at her nape that accented the graceful line of the shape of her neck, and if she thought that severity of style diminished her loveliness, it was impossible to dismiss from one’s awareness of her unique beauty.
Now she looked like a delicate, sensual creature of such ravishing loveliness, his mouth dried. He assisted her to stand, and when she wobbled against him, laughing, he swung her into his arms. Her small, sharp gasp brushed the skin of his throat. She yawned rather indelicately and snuggled closer into his chest. Daniel pressed a kiss to her forehead, wondering at the need that compelled him to do so.
“I miss the taste of you.” The words came from him before he had the presence of mind to censure his desire. Another pulse of silence that felt fraught with perilous tension coated the air.
Her long lashes fluttered on her cheeks, which had pinkened.
“Missing is all you shall do while I am in your employ, my lord,” she said tartly, a very decided twinkle in her eyes.
Georgianna was rather lovely in a mischievous sort of way with the tilt to her mouth and the dimples winking in and out of her cheeks.
“I have my skillet with me, husband. Under my pillows.”
Husband. He almost stumbled when she gripped the muscles of his forearms and squeezed. Did she even realize her fingers were trailing over his naked chest, her caress light, sensual, and so very tender? “Do you?”
Her lips curled upward like unfurling rose petals. “Yes, my weapon of choice to resist your ravishment.”
His wif…fuck, Miss Heyford was a delight foxed. Her reaction had filled him with humor, and something far more tender and elusive. There was something charming and quite unpredictable about Miss Georgianna Heyford. This fire had been hidden before because she had perhaps feared revealing too much of herself. Daniel gently placed her onto the bed, gritting his teeth when she slid her hands upward to wrap around his neck. In the darkness of the room, her golden gaze smoldered like a low-burning ember. She touched his jawline with a single finger, and it hooked a raw sensation inside his chest.
“I want to run…so far away from you, my lord, but I also want to run into your arms.”
It felt like the earth shook beneath him. Her words were an evocative whisper of heat that settled hot and heavy against his cock. Daniel felt like he was falling from dizzying heights, his damn head spinning, his heart shaking, even though he logically knew his legs were firmly planted and braced on the ground.
Why in God’s name do I feel so much for you?
