As wrong as it was, he wanted more of her. To know her…therealher.
But does she want me?
ChapterFourteen
“Come in.”
Xenia’s heart beat a nervous pitter-patter as she obeyed her master’s summons. The sight of Lord Ethan standing by his desk weakened her knees. He’d returned to the manor an hour ago, and this was the first she’d seen of him since their scorching encounter last night.
Since he’d used her name in his fantasy.
“Put your hands on my thighs, Jane. You’re to keep them there until I tell you otherwise.”
His depraved command had twisted her insides with yearning. To be desired by her brooding-yet-protective master was the most potent of aphrodisiacs, and moreover, he’d tapped into her naughtiest fantasies: to surrender to a powerful lover and belong to him fully. To service him while he watched with a proud gaze that declared,You are mine.
Lord Ethan had said those exact words. Better yet, he hadgrowledthem.
Of course, he didn’t know thatsheknew of his feelings. Or that she wanted him just as badly. Last night, their passion had turned from make-believe to real, and she still couldn’t believe that she’d made herself climax in front of him. Or that he’d done so in front of her. After he departed, the lingering scent of his pleasure had filled her with satisfaction.
She had to face the truth: Lord Ethan Harrington was the lover she’d been waiting for.
She would give anything to have an affair with him…including undoing some of her deceptions. To that end, she’d lightened her use of hair dye, allowing some of her natural red to show through. Recalling that Ethan had expressed a preference for redheads during his first visit to Sirena, she hoped he would like the new shade and her looser, more flattering chignon. She’d also left off her face paints, allowing her real complexion to show, freckles and all.
“Good morning, Mrs. Wood.”
Lord Ethan met her halfway, and her breath hitched at his resplendence. He was in shirtsleeves, his sapphire-blue waistcoat accentuating his vivid eyes. Beneath his freshly shaven chin, his grey silk cravat was knotted with casual elegance, and his buff-colored trousers hugged his sinewy legs.
She wished she had something prettier to wear than her drab bombazine.
Stop being a wilting violet. You’ve never worn anything fashionable around him, and by some miracle, he wants you. Don’t make excuses...it’s now or never.
“Good morning, sir,” she said.
“You look different today.” He studied her, his head tilting.
“I, um, tried something different with my hair.”
“Ah. Well, the new style suits you. And the color is quite…becoming.”
The violet smolder in his gaze heated her cheeks. He did like redheads, after all. Her gaze darted behind him to his chair, and she flashed to the scenario they’d dreamed up together. Of him discovering her doing a naughty deed and delivering the delicious punishment she’d taken on her knees. Desire fluttered, warmth leaking from her core.
Focus. Say something, you ninny.
“I have something for you.”
She blinked because they’d said the words simultaneously. She realized that their postures mirrored one another, and they both had one hand behind their back.
“May I go first?” he asked.
Entranced by his tentative smile, she would have agreed to most anything. She nodded, and he revealed what he’d been hiding: a rectangular case made of black leather. The wordsC. W. Dixey & Sonwere embossed on the smooth surface.
“This is for you,” he said. “I picked it up while I was in London.”
Slipping her gift for him into her apron pocket, she took what he offered. Inside the velvet-lined box was a pair of polished gold spectacles. The frames were delicate, with a round feminine shape. In a separate compartment was a matching chain with intricate links and dark topaz beads. The set was finer than any jewelry she owned.
“This is for me?” She looked at up him in wonder.
“I owed you a pair of spectacles,” he said gruffly. “These ones are lighter; I ordered thinner lenses since you said you only need them for reading.”
