A mistress of disguise, to be sure.
But which one was the real Aillenn?
Later.He would find out later.For now, as every fiber of his being was filled with the current of love’s lightning, he wanted only this.More of this.
Eve wanted more.
More.
More what?
She didn’t know.But her greed felt insatiable.Now that she’d tasted desire, her appetite was whetted for something deeper, more intimate, all-consuming.
She clutched at his shirt, pulling him closer.Yearning.Seeking.
He parted her lips with his own, delving into the warm hollows of her mouth with his tongue.
She gasped.Aye.This was what she craved.
She let her tongue tangle with his.A frisson of lust coursed through her body, awakening every nerve.When he groaned, the sound called to something primitive and feral inside her.
Her breasts swelled against him.Her nipples grazed with sensuous delight against the linen of her leine.Low in her belly, betwixt her thighs, she felt a taut need.A hunger.A demand.
In another moment, she might have explored that demand.
But there was a sudden scratching at the door.
Chapter 10
The interruption was as shocking as pouring cold water on molten metal.In a panic, Eve broke free and scuttled backwards.
Glancing at Adam, she saw he looked exactly like she felt.Breathless.Ravenous.Stunned.
Catching her breath, she managed to croak out, “Who is it?”
“Your bath, m’lady,” a man replied.
Adam pushed off of the door, but she noticed he reached down to adjust the bulge below his belt.
She blushed, knowing that must be for her.Then she blinked the smoke from her eyes, tossed her head, straightened her gown, and answered the door.
A sour-faced gentleman came in, followed by three beardless youths.
They staggered in, carrying large pails of cold water on yokes across their scrawny shoulders.Copious linens were draped around their necks.They carefully navigated the distance from the door to the tub.Their faces were sweaty.Their brows were pinched in concentration.They were obviously overburdened and weary from climbing the winding stairs.
Eve’s first instinct was to help them.
But she was Lady Aillenn now.And a proper lady would do nothing of the sort.Aillenn was accustomed to having servants at her beck and call, doing her bidding, no matter how difficult.
Meanwhile, the sour-faced man settled a great cauldron of water onto the fire for heating.
The youths dropped the bath linens onto the bed.Then they poured water from the pails into the tub, managing to spill only a drop here and there.All but the last lad.His pail caught on the tub’s wooden edge and tipped.Water sloshed outside the tub, down the dais, and spread across the floor.
“Finlay!”the man snarled.
The youth panicked and dropped the pail, spilling more water.
The sour-faced man charged forward in rage and seized Finlay by the front of his leine.While Eve looked on in frozen horror, he threw the poor lad against the wall.
