“No,” he said firmly. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”
“I do,” she insisted.
“You do not. You’re a virgin—”
“I won’t be for long, one way or the other. Why not enjoy it, with you?”
He grimaced. “No good can come of—”
“Can you look me in the eyes and tell me those kisses weren’t good?”
Of course they weren’t good. They were transcendental. A blessing, a curse, a thousand wishes coming true all at once. There would never be another kiss half as perfect. He was ruined forever.
And if Hudson had any hope of surviving the rest of his life employed beneath the same roof, he had to stop the madness right here and now. He couldn’t undo the kisses. Would die rather than change a single moment. But he couldn’t give in to anything more. He was destined to be her protector, her guardian angel, her bodyguard, her watchdog… but not her husband.
“Come,” he said roughly, pulling her to her feet. “That’s enough make-believe for one day.”
“If you change your mind,” she said quietly. “You know where to find me.”
Of course he did: all week long, she’d be inches away from him. Every night, sharing the same bed. His deepest fantasy, ready and willing to come to life. In the palm of his hand.
How the devil was he supposed to resist that?
Chapter 18
Hudson expected Lady Tabitha to argue about the abrupt end to their picnic, but to his surprise, she exited the river at once, and with good cheer. It was Hudson who suddenly wished to remain in the water.
The sight of her bending over to slip on her shoes, the sodden fabric of her gown clinging to every luscious curve… His throat went dry, and he gained a new appreciation for waist-high freezing water.
But he couldn’t tarry in the river forever. Hudson took a deep, bracing breath and hauled himself ashore, realizing with dread that his wet clothes would outline everything he wished to keep secret.
Then again, who was he bamming? Lady Tabitha knew he desired her. Five minutes ago, she’d been straddling his lap whilst Hudson gloried in her kisses. Any further proof would be redundant at this point.
Self-consciousness caused him to turn away all the same as he pulled on his boots.
“Ready to return to the inn?” he asked without glancing over his shoulder.
“I’ll race you,” she replied, and took off running.
Hudson let out a yelp of surprise, hopping forward on his one booted foot while trying to shove on the other boot in order to give chase.
By the time he caught up with her, she had almost reached the edge of the woods. He grabbed her from behind, causing her to squeal with laughter. Momentum carried them both forward, and Hudson narrowly avoided tumbling her to the ground. Upon the soft green grass, any number of exceptionally bad ideas could easily take place.
Luckily for them both, Lady Tabitha put on a burst of speed, and Hudson was forced to chase after her. They broke free from the woods together, arm-in-arm, looking like a pair of drowned rats and laughing like children.
When they arrived back at the inn, to say the proprietor was befuddled by their sodden appearance would be an understatement. The poor soul’s confusion only grew when Lady Tabitha blithely informed him that she and Mr. Snowfeather had been caught in the rain. The sun hadn’t stopped shining since the moment Hudson awoke in a bed next to Lady Tabitha.
He ordered a pair of hot baths and dragged her up the stairs to their rooms before the proprietor’s gaze could wander over any more of Hudson’s pretend wife’s wet form.
When the baths arrived, the two tubs barely fit side by side in the small parlor. Lady Tabitha raised her slender brows at him with interest. He scowled at her reprovingly and managed to drag a privacy screen between the two tubs.
“Spoilsport,” she murmured. Her eyes twinkled merrily.
“Bathe,” he ordered. “You need to get warm and dry.”
She held out her arms and did her best to look helpless. “I fear I’ve left my lady’s maid at home.”
God help him, Hudson was not strong enough for this. But she was right. If she’d needed help to don the gown when it was still clean and dry, peeling the wet fabric off her body definitely required another pair of hands.
