He slid off the bed.“For now, let me clean you off so you can be presentable again.”He crossed to the washstand to dip a cloth into the basin of water.
They cleaned up and helped each other get dressed.He watched her with hooded eyes as she pinned her hair back up.“Don’t look at me like that, or we will never make it out of this room,” she said to his reflection in the mirror.She shoved one more pin into her hair, then swiveled on her seat to face him.Lord, he was so handsome.Dark sultry eyes and broad shoulders.He stepped forward to reach for her just as a knock sounded at the door.The doorknob jiggled.
“Mama, are you in there?”
She stood and crossed to the door to turn the lock.When she opened it, Robert barreled inside.“Mrs.Todd says I should get ready for bed.Did you know there were mashed potatoes for supper tonight?”He stopped short when he spotted Matthew.“Oh, hullo, Mr.Reeves.Mashed potatoes are my favorite.What are you doing here?”
“I’ve just come to ask your mum if she wanted to come see the show tonight.”
Robert glanced over at her.“Do you?”
“Um, yes.Stella wanted me to hear her sing,” she replied.She glanced out to the corridor where Mrs.Todd stood with her eyebrows raised.“I will put you to bed, and Mrs.Todd will be right next door if you need anything.”
“I wish I could go see Stella sing.She is so very nice and so is her kitten.I wish I could have a kitten.Do you think Stella likes mashed potatoes?”
Matthew laughed and ruffled his hand on Robert’s head.“Yes, I believe she does.In fact, I shall go see if she has remembered to get her supper before I go downstairs.I’ll see you tomorrow, Robert.”
The causal gesture was so fatherly that it made her heart squeeze tight.Then Matthew sauntered out, but not before pausing to place a kiss on her cheek and give her a wink.Elizabeth caught the widening of Mrs.Todd’s eyes.There was no censure there, just curiosity.Good Lord, don’t overthink it.Elizabeth turned to her son.“Come, Robert, do you want to read the book about the mice family again tonight?”
“Yes!”
*
In the weehours of the morning, she half woke as the mattress dipped and Matthew’s big, warm body slid under the covers next to her.He pulled her tight against his chest.She fell back asleep with his spicy scent filling her dreams.In the morning, he followed through with his promise to wake her with his tongue.He licked down her neck, and his breath ghosted over her clavicle.She came fully awake when he sucked one of her nipples into his mouth.Spearing her fingers into his hair, she arched against him.
He looked up at her with a wicked gleam in his eyes.Then, he slid further down the bed, settling himself between her thighs.His beard brushed along her sensitive skin, and she sighed in pleasure as he licked a slow stripe up her sex.“Matthew,” she murmured.
“Hmm?”His voice vibrated against her clit.She rolled her hips, chasing the sensation.
It didn’t seem to matter what she had meant to say; Matthew knew exactly what she needed.He feasted on her, licking and sucking her pearl until she was writhing and moaning uncontrollably.It felt so good, so decadent to have him moaning in tandem.“Fuck, my girl, you taste so good.I can’t get enough of your delicious pussy.”
His sweet, filthy words sent her over the edge.Her orgasm burst through her in a breathless wave of pleasure.And still, he kept lapping at her until she pushed his head away.“Too much…can’t take any more,” she managed to get out.
He chuckled.“Oh, I have so many ideas.It will take a lifetime to explore all the ways to make you moan in pleasure.”He bit down on the flesh of her inner thigh, making her yelp.“But for now, I’ll stop.”
She propped herself on her elbows so she could admire Matthew as he sat back on his haunches between her spread legs.His hair was sticking up in all directions because of how she had gripped it; his beard was covered in her wetness, and his grin wide.She lowered her gaze to take in the glory that was his taut body, lean but strong, the muscles in his arms and chest well-defined.Those muscles tapered down his abdomen to the thick length of his erection, jutting out hard between his thighs and beaded with fluid at the tip.She licked her lips.
Scooting up to sit against the headboard, she crooked a finger.“Come here, naughty boy.You are not the only one that has ideas.”
But before he could do as she instructed, a heavy knock sounded at the door.She startled, but Matthew laughed.“That would be the hot water I ordered for this morning.It must be eleven.”
Elizabeth scrambled off the bed.“Eleven?The whole morning is gone.”Robert would have been up for hours already.She pushed her hair off her face.She was a mess, lying around like a hedonist when there were things that needed to be done.
Matthew rolled off the bed and crossed to a wardrobe where he donned a pair of silky pajama pants and a matching banyan.“Don’t fret about Robert; Mrs.Todd will watch him.”He came over and cupped her face.“There is nothing you must do today except take a nice, long bath.”
Another knock at the door reminded her that she was still entirely naked.Matthew turned her and gave her backside a tap.“Go behind the screen.”
She hurried to do what he said as Matthew strode across the room to answer the door.
“Water’s ready, boss.”She heard Ben’s voice.Then there was a clanging of metal buckets and footsteps.
Another robe hung on a hook on the wall behind her, and she quickly donned it.The blue satin hung down all the way to her feet.She tied the belt tight around her waist.There was the sound of another door opening and then a scraping and a loud bang.Curious, she peeked her head around the screen.
Ben was straightening an enormous copper tub.He glanced up and spotted her.“Mornin’, Miz Harper.We’ll have your bath ready in a jiff.”
She knew her cheeks must be pink.There was no propriety in this place.But hell and damnation, she didn’t know if she even cared.She stepped out from behind the screen.“I told you to call me Elizabeth.”
“Yes, ma’am, you did.”Ben grinned at Matthew’s low growl.“But I value my job, so I think I’ll stick with ‘Miz Harper.’Fill it up, boys.”He instructed the line of boys that each carried two buckets.When they had all filed back out, Matthew closed the door and turned the lock.He walked back to her and tugged loose the belt of her robe.
