Susanna sank down into the bath. The water seeped into her weary bones warming her from the inside out. The shy maid from downstairs had brought up soap and towels and stoked a fire to a roaring blaze before leaving her to bathe and Susanna lathered her hair with the rosemary-scented soap. She wrinkled her nose; it wasn’t her preferred scent but beggars can’t be choosers.
Hawksridge both infuriated and puzzled her. The man would be a hermit if it weren’t for his perceived duties to the role of marquess. She always had fun poking at him when she found him standing stiffly in some corner. But when he finally relaxed, he could be downright charming. He had kissed her last Christmas at Belhaven, and she’d gotten a glimpse of the passion that simmered far below his polished surface.
Today, the heat of being curled up against his body on the horse had stirred all sorts of wicked feelings. How hot would his skin feel under her hands? Did he have hair across his chest? Would his backside be taut and firm? Susanna let out a groan and slid down under the water. She held her breath and let the water muffle the sounds of the room and the street beyond. Perhaps it could muffle her naughty thoughts as well.
*
Miles knocked onthe door to number twelve. There was no answer. He knocked a bit louder. Still not even a rustle of movement or a call out to wait a minute. He frowned at the door. What if she had fallen trying to get in or out of the bath? With no servant to help she could have slipped on the wet floor, fallen and hit her head. She could be lying unconscious unable to hear his knocking. He reached for the doorknob and paused, torn whether he should enter. She could just be asleep. Either way, he had to know she was unharmed. He twisted the knob and pushed the door open a crack.
“Susanna, are you all right?” No answer.
He stepped all the way into the room and shut the door behind him with a snap. The sound of sloshing water came from behind a screen set in the front of the fireplace.
“Who’s there?” Susanna called out.
Dear Lord, she was still in the bath. He froze, his thoughts stuttered to a full stop at the idea that Susanna was naked in the bath only ten feet away. He cleared his throat. “It’s me.”
“Miles! What are you doing in here? Do you make it a habit of entering a lady’s room without knocking?”
He stiffened at her barb. Of course, he didn’t. He was a bloody gentleman. “Do you make it a habit of not locking your door? And I did knock, twice.”
A splash accompanied her huff of indignation. “So, you just barge in? I know that we are sharing this room but I’m quite exposed. Please leave.”
He should leave, but his feet were rooted to the ground. Water splashed as the shadow behind the screen stood up. With one slim arm it reached for a towel and then the shadow turned to wrap the towel around itself and Miles got an eyeful of her curves in silhouette. Susanna stepped out of the tub and the tantalizing profile disappeared. He could feel her glare through the linen screen.
“Miles, get out. Better yet, go home. Thank you for saving me today but now I am safely in the care of the Hadleys. You can go back to Brooksdale and your precious holiday.”
“No. I’m not going anywhere. We are going to get some rest and then we are going to travel back to Marbury tomorrow.”
Susanna’s shadow raised one arm, a pointed finger jutted into the air. “We are doing no such thing. I am going to travel with the Hadleys to Weymouth Bay. I am going to find James Marlow and convince him to come back and reunite with the love of his life.”
Miles ran a hand through his already unruly hair. He blew out a long breath. “Why are you so stubborn? Marlow is likely nowhere near Weymouth Bay. And even if he is there, why would he listen to you?”
Susanna’s head popped around the corner of the screen. Her hair dripped on the floor and the curve of one bare shoulder came into view. He sucked in a sharp breath as his gaze swept over the sprinkling of freckles there.
“I am very persuasive. And he will be there, I just know it.” Her grin turned practically feral. She disappeared behind the screen and he heard the towel drop to the floor with a wet plop. Her lithe shadow moved to the other end of the screened area and she pulled a piece of clothing over her head affording him another tantalizing view of her silhouette.
Miles crossed his arms and snorted. “You just know.”
She appeared a moment later covered in a long-sleeved nightgown, its frilly hem skirted the tops of her bare feet. He couldn’t tear his eyes from her toes. Small and square, the nails trimmed neatly, they were the most adorable toes he had ever seen. He cleared his throat. “I…um, I ordered some food. It should be delivered to the room shortly.”
Susanna crossed to a side table, picked up a comb, and began running the ivory teeth through her hair. The riot of curls fell in a damp tangle all the way to her rear end. The sight felt strangely intimate. He had never seen her hair unbound.
“Miles, I don’t want to fight. I’m too tired. Let’s argue in the morning. Thank you for ordering food.” She reached back to comb the back of her head. The comb hit a tangle and she grimaced. She tried to pull the comb out but it tugged on the hair, stuck in a tangle.
“Here, let me help.” He moved behind her and gently moved her hand away. He managed to remove the comb and then tackled the knot in her hair. “Am I hurting you?”
“No. Thank you. My hair is impossibly thick. Jenni has the worst time trying to tame it.”
Miles used his fingers to comb through the last of the tangle. “You smell different.” The moment the words slipped out he regretted it. His cheeks heated and he was glad he stood behind her.
Susanna shrugged. “It was the soap they had. I don’t care for the scent of rosemary, but I also don’t care for being dirty.”
Even though he was finished untangling her hair he couldn’t seem to move away; painfully aware that only one layer of clothing lay between her smooth alabaster skin and his hands. His cock stiffened at the thought of pulling the nightgown up and off and exploring every inch of her skin with his lips. Susanna’s chest rose and fell with a sharp intake of breath. Miles took a large step back.
She whirled around to face him. Her cheeks flushed pink. Was it from the warmth of the fire or from his proximity? He shook his head. “This is entirely inappropriate.”
“Entirely.” She stared up at him, then cocked her head to one side. She had that gleam in her eye that always meant she was teasing out something inside that sharp mind, whether it was her next move in a game of chess or her next step in one of her crazy plans. Whatever it was meant trouble.
