Hudson’s hands.
He clenched his jaw and prayed for fortitude as he set about his task. Every new inch of exposed skin seemed to add an additional inch to Hudson’s ever-growing erection that soon would not be contained by any trousers, no matter how tight.
He stayed firmly behind Lady Tabitha, willing her not to see how deeply she affected him—and willing himself to keep his hungry eyes far away from the front of her nude body. Just glimpsing her bare shoulders and delicate spine and lush derrière was more than enough to drive him mad with want.
He could barely keep his wits together long enough to fling himself on the other side of the privacy screen to undress for his own bath. Especially knowing Lady Tabitha was completely nude—and unabashedly willing—on the other side of that screen.
Hudson sank into the hot sudsy water, torn between slipping his hand around his cock to relieve the pressure… and the risk that Lady Tabitha might overhear some involuntary sound and realize exactly what he was doing.
Waiting until nightfall wouldn’t help, either. He could hardly masturbate with her in the same bed. He would simply have to grind his teeth and hold it together until the end of the week when some other man took her off his hands.
And then he could punch a hole in the closest wall and bang his head against his desk for putting himself in this situation to begin with.
“How’s your bath?” came a light, cheerful voice from the other side of the screen. “Do you even fit in the tub?”
Not all of him. Hudson sank down as low as he could. “Lady Tabitha—”
“Tabitha. I told you. Please drop the ‘lady’ nonsense.”
“You’re not Mrs. Snowfeather.”
“But I am Tabitha, and I’ve given you leave to address me as such. I never pegged you to be such a stick-in-the-mud for aristocratic manners, Mr. Frampton.”
He let out a sigh of defeat between clenched teeth and gave up. “Hudson.”
“Hudson,” she repeated in wonder.
He could hear her smile in her voice. She sounded as though she were tasting his name, savoring it like the finest of sweets.
Oh, how he wished they really were just Tabitha and Hudson, two random people absolutely unencumbered by anyone else’s wishes, free to seek love and happiness in each other’s arms if they so wished!
Instead, he was an extremely aroused, very grumpy man who should never have agreed to this cockamamie scheme. Even if it was turning out to be one of the best weeks of Hudson’s life. This was not his bride, or his holiday to have. He knew better. The real world would intrude on them both before they knew it.
He finished his bath in record time, drying and dressing himself as fast as he could before Tabitha needed his help donning a fresh day dress.
As before, she managed into her stays and shift by herself, but could not tie the back of her gown. Hudson performed the task as quickly as possible… which turned out to be very slowly indeed. It was hard to rush the process when he wanted to be as close to her as possible. She was so warm and soft, and smelled so fresh and clean. He would be happy to stand here and breathe in her essence, just like this, until their week together was through.
Tonight, when they climbed in bed together, he would remain firmly on his side of the mattress. But he wouldn’t sleep a wink. He couldn’t bear to. If these scant days were to be the only moments he shared with Tabitha before she belonged to someone else, Hudson wanted to savor every moment of it.
He would listen to her breathe and watch her sleep and wish like hell that these six days could last the rest of their lives.
Chapter 19
Tabitha awoke nestled into Hudson for the second morning in a row, but this time was different: instead of her face smashed against his wide back, her cheek lay atop his arm and her forehead rested against his chest. She had never felt so warm and cozy and… safe.
A woman could get used to mornings like this.
She held as still as possible, determined not to break the spell. His heart was steady as he slept, its rhythm strong and comforting. His large, muscular body emanated heat and strength, as if she were a kitten cuddling a sleeping lion.
He smelled phenomenal. It wasn’t a cologne, nor quite matched the soap from their baths. It was a scent all his own, subtle and masculine. Tabitha wanted to wrap it around her like a blanket. Carry it with her for comfort, long after he was gone, to remind her what it felt like to be safe, and happy, and at peace.
She tilted her chin forward until her mouth brushed his chest, in order to press her lips against his heartbeat in a secret kiss.
“You’re awake,” he murmured into her hair.
She felt the rumble of his voice against her lips and jerked her mouth away from his chest.
“You’re awake?” she managed, mortified at being caught kissing him when she thought he was asleep.
