Smirking a little, she turned around.
Niles fumbled with his falls and kicked them off his legs. She barely gave him time to slip beneath the woolen blanket before turning around. Not that he was modest but, God dammit, she was his blasted employer!
He dropped back against the pillow, his breathing shallow.
Fine man of business he was turning out to be.
Eve worriedat her bottom lip. How had the man hiked all that distance with such an injury? She doubted he would have said anything if she hadn’t asked. He’d have slept in his damp clothing, most likely on a wooden bench, hoping to leave her none the wiser.
Men!
When she’d explained to the innkeeper’s wife that her… husband… had injured himself, the woman had offered her some tincture with opium. Eve had flatly refused. She’d not be any part of ruining her Mr. Waverly.
She was willing, however, to spoon whiskey down his gullet. He’d gone pale after disrobing, and she hated how shallow his breathing sounded.
She’d dribbled nearly half the bottle of whiskey into his mouth and enjoyed a few warming sips herself.
When had she last been alone with a naked man? She laughed at herself and took another swallow of the spicy liquid.
Feeling unusually bold, she trailed her hand from the base of his throat nearly to his navel.
She remembered that her husband had worn padding to simulate the physique that was all too real on this man.
There was nothing false about Niles Waverly’s masculinity. Was her mouth watering? Oh, for heaven’s sake, Eve!
Pale skin stretched taut across his chest. Even at rest, the skin on his arms hid sinewy chords, as did his abdomen.
She reluctantly drew back her hand and studied the stubble appearing on his chin and jaw. Dark circles etched beneath his eyes, but the rest of his face flushed with fever.
“I’m going to call for a physician.” She wobbled slightly as she rose to her feet.
“No, Eve.” Niles grasped hold of her arm and slanted a hooded glance in her direction. Drunken or pain ridden, she wasn’t sure which. “I’ve injured my ribs before. Nothing they can do. Now–Lie–down–Bissside–me... You–sleep–too…” His normally eloquent speech quite deteriorated.
There was not much room left on the small bed, but it appealed a great deal more comfortable than the floor.
He tugged at her with surprising strength, considering his condition.
“The candles,” she chastised him.
His hand relaxed, and Eve left his side to snuff them out.
No one would ever know that she’d slept in the same bed as her man of business. And really, the floor would be quite uncomfortable. Likely Niles himself would forget if she awoke early enough.
She took one last swallow of whiskey for courage before lowering herself onto the surprisingly soft mattress. Odd, that she found the mattress to be soft. Inn bedding usually left a great deal to be desired. Perhaps it was just that her body was so very, very tired.
She tucked a hand beneath her chin, and turned onto her side, careful not to make contact with the large but injured man on the bed beside her.
“Are you awake?” Being alone didn’t normally bother her. She’d been alone, but for her children, most of her life.
“Hrgmm,” Niles mumbled in answer.
Now that she was lying down, her mind came wide awake. With Rhoda married and the girls at school, she’d been alone but not...widowed.
“I won’t cry on you. I promise. I just. It’s just that.” She struggled to express what she was feeling. “I absolutely hated Jean Luc in the end. He was a horrid person, as you well know. But apparently I sat alone with myself too long this evening. Too much time for thinking. But now, having done so, I cannot help but feel as though something is missing in my life.” By this point, Eve figured she was mostly talking to herself.
What was missing in her life?
Her identity?
