“Bennet,” Dorian said while unlacing the scarf from around his throat. “Was Miss Frampton any trouble?”
“None whatsoever,” the footman bowed.
“Thank you, and good night for when you and your men change the guard,” he replied while stepping inside as his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting.
A little relief came with the thought that Ellie was asleep, thus allowing him a fleeting delay to explain himself the next day. In the next short-lived moment, this relief vanished; Evelina was curled on the divan, with a book dangling precariously from her fingers.
The tome slipped from her fingers and thudded to the carpet. Sweeping the book up, he read,“Canterbury Tales. The fanciful sort, are you.”
She must have fallen asleep reading. Shucking his jacket and hat, he rested them on a nearby chair, and gently, he lifted her, then carefully, he tucked her against him so that her body was secure. His strong arms held her tightly as he strode down the hall; she weighed absolutely nothing.
Moonlight seeped through a crack in the velvet drapes, casting the surroundings in a silvery glow. The tester bed with a feather mattress was made and balancing her on one arm, he tugged the blankets down.
The room was fit for a queen with walls covered in grey silk and a soaring white ceiling where plaster swirls gamboled in the corners. He set her down on her bed.
Her lashes were dark fans against her cheeks, and an ivory counterpane was pulled up to her neck. She looked like a slumbering angel.
Evelina stirred, stretching sleepily, the foamy white satin wrapper moved tautly over her subtle curves. He was treated to a peek-a-boo view of a cherry nipple through the thin material of her nightgown.
Her lashes fluttered and her emerald eyes had a dreamy haze over them—before they sharpened. Her hand flung up and cracked across his jaw before she scuttled away, grabbing at her wrapper.
“You!” She squawked, her head flashing left to right. “What are you doing in here!”
Flexing his jaw, Dorian replied, “I’d hoped for a thank you. Or should I have left you on the divan so you could crick your neck?”
Her glare fell. “Oh. I—I thought something else.”
His lips curved. “Do not fear, lady prude. Your innocence is still intact.”
“Should I thank you?” She tipped her chin up. “I think a man with even a speck of honor to him should respect a lady’s privacy. Especially since you’ve stolen two kisses that you were not allowed to take.”
Cocking his brow, Dorian replied, “Is that right? I did not see you protesting any of my kisses. As a matter of fact, you clung to me as if you did not want them to end.”
Evelina had the temerity to glare at him while her face flamed. “That is not—that is not what happened! You took me by surprise.”
“Don’t lie,” he countered. “You wanted those kisses.”
“Your arrogance is unbelievable,” she huffed. “Do you consider yourself Adonis reborn?”
“Yes.”
She looked ready to have a conniption.
Stepping back, Dorian rubbed his smarting cheek, “I’ll let you sleep while I find some ice. For a slight Miss, you do pack a punch.”
“I’m sorry,” Ellie replied hotly. “But you deserved that.”
Rolling his neck, he said, “You’re not the first woman to slap me and you are not going to be the last.” He paused at the doorway, then asked, “What did you think your first kiss would be like?”
“Nothing… nothing like yours,” Evelina replied, ducking her head.
Holding back a smirk, he added, “Your technique was passable, but if you want to perfect it, my door is two corridors down.”
He slipped through the door moments before he heard a dull thud slam into the other side. She’d thrown a pillow at him. Laughing, Dorian left for his room and disrobed. It was still a perverse pleasure to irk Evelina even though it was a bit cruel.
Maybe I should give as much as I take…
CHAPTER 7
