He nodded and gave her a playful kiss. “My practical muse. That being the case, I’ll leave you to enjoy your bath.”
“You are not coming in?”
His smirk was wicked as he promised. “I’ll come in a little while. I have to see about those sheaths. Lock the door after I leave.”
With a wink, he closed the door behind him. She locked it, then placed a hand over her chest to calm her rioting heart.
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOUonly got one?” Liam asked his servant after the young man returned with the requested item.
“There were no more to be had, milord,” Mathias replied, eyes wide.
“In this entire city?”
“Most apothecary establishments were already closed. I finally found one cantankerous old apothecary who was closing shop for the day and persuaded him to stay open long enough to sell me the sheath. Wasn’t easy either. If you could have seen his expression of disgust as we completed the transaction... But I guess his greed overcame his scruples. Still, he kept muttering the whole time about depravity and sin. He said he only had one left, and he never planned to restock them again. Mentionedan exorbitant price and told me I could take it or leave it.” The servant shrugged. “I figured you’d want me to pay the price and bring you the item as soon as possible, rather than keep searching with no guarantee of finding another open shop. If you want, I could go back out and try to find more.”
The explanation made sense, and yes, Mathias’s judgment was sound.
“No, thank you. That’s fine, Mathias. You did good. Go have some dinner while I take a bath and then you can order a bath for yourself and make use of my room, as I don’t plan on staying there tonight. Good night.”
With that, he turned and marched towards his room to enjoy his bath. He shouldn’t complain. He would rather have one than none. Wouldn’t be nearly enough, he was sure, but perhaps tonight needn’t be the end of their affair. He was of the mind to stay in London for a while. And if he hoped to use Thalia as a model for his sculpture, he would have to keep seeing her. Maybe he could make a more long-term arrangement with his delightful muse.
With a snort, he entered his room and began undressing for his bath. He was in a fine state. He hadn’t even bedded the woman once, and he was already planning a longer arrangement? Not to mention that she was the sister of his brother’s bride. The potential for complications was great. But damn it all to hell; he knew that one night with her wouldn’t be enough to slake the lust she awakened in him.
CHAPTER 11
THALIA STAYED IN THEglorious-smelling bath until the water turned tepid. Not only was the aroma of the bath salts delicious, but the soap provided by the inn was also a delicate rose fragrance that intoxicated the senses. She had never enjoyed such a decadent, luxurious bath.
As she dried herself with the nice soft towel, she looked at the extra shift she had packed for this trip. It was a plain, serviceable white linen garment with no embellishments of any kind. What would the marquess think of it? Of course, there was no way she could have expected this evening when she set out after her sister this morning, but still. Maybe she should forgo the shift and wait for the marquess completely naked in bed?
The image tantalized her for a second, but she wasn’t brave enough, or comfortable enough, with her body to await the marquess in the nude.
She was reaching for the shift, which she had draped over the back of a chair by the bath, when a key rattled in the lock and the door swiveled open. She gave a little shriek of surprise as she ineffectively tried to cover her nakedness with the towel.
The marquess walked in, dressed only in a shirt and trousers. His gaze grew intense and focused on her body as he slowly and deliberately locked the door behind him without taking his eyes off her.
“Drop the towel,” his deep voice uttered with uncompromising command.
“No! What are you doing here? I’m not ready yet,” she hissed, tugging and pulling on the towel, attempting to cover as much of her body as she could.
He didn’t stop his advance towards her, his eyes roaming the contours of her body. When he stood in front of her, he put one finger under her chin and lifted her face towards him. The intensity of the desire in his eyes thrilled and scared her at the same time. She licked her lips. His nostrils flared and his gaze focused on her mouth.
“You look ready for me. And I’m more than ready. Drop the towel, Thalia,” he repeated while his thumb caressed her lower lip.
A little whimper escaped her at the caress, but her arms clutched the towel more fiercely than ever. “I can’t.”
“Sure you can. It’s easy enough. Just release it.”
“But then you’ll see me naked,” she hissed.
His eyes darkened, and his voice lowered another octave. “That’s the idea.”
“My body is overabundant,” she said, looking down, her face flaming in shame at having to confess.
God, this man was gorgeous. He was a mountain of muscle and a face like a Greek god. How would he feel when he uncovered her doughy roundness?
“Yes, it is,” he rasped. His voice sounded strangled, pained. Was he going to back out? She would die.
“S-so you see. It is better if you leave so I can put on a shift. And we should dim the lights,” she added desperately.
