She’d donned a prim white wrapper, he assumed over a nightshift—a terrible waste of effort, as he’d be removing both shortly.
She hadn’t attempted to tame her wild mane of dark curly hair. It was delightfully mussed and fell nearly to her waist. Imagining fisting his hand in all that glory had his cock thickening. “Mm, there you are,” he drawled, his voice sleep scratchy.
She squeaked in alarm, jerking and jostling the items on the tray so they rattled and clinked and caused the candle to totter and its flame to sputter briefly. “You’re awake,” she breathed.
“Not exactly. Why are you?” Although, based on what she carried, he could hazard a guess. He eased himself into a sitting position, leaning against the headboard, and allowed the bed covers to tumble to his hips.
Georgina stared, luscious lips parting.
He went fully erect. However, now that he was mostly awake, it occurred to him, he and his wife needed to have a small chat.
“What have you there?” His question seemed to break her from her trance.
She started toward his side of the bed. “You were restless in your sleep, and it woke me.”
“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.” He scrubbed a hand over his jaw and eyed the pot of tea growing ever nearer.
“I wasn’t complaining. I only meant, it occurred to me, what with one thing and another, you’d missed your evening dose, and perhaps that was causing you to have bad dreams.”
He could tell her the nightmares he had now were nothing compared to those he’d had while ingesting the foul concoction. But then she’d know he hadn’t taken a single dose since the day he’d arrived.
“You…er…prepared it yourself? You needn’t have gone to the trouble. Surely, one missed dose won’t kill me.”
She set the tray on the foot of the mattress then eyed his bare chest in a slow, thorough appraisal. His demure wife had a definite carnalstreak. He was indeed a lucky man.
Finally she shook her head as if to clear it and picked up the candlestick, moving to set it atop the chest of drawers.
Teddy took the opportunity to lift the teapot lid and sniff the contents. In an instant he knew this was not the noxious concoction he abhorred.
“I would have made it, but I was not sure exactly where to find your tisane in the kitchens. I had to ring the bell to wake poor Mr. Danvers. He seemed to know precisely why I’d rung, because he answered the call with the prepared tea tray in hand.”
Good ole Danvers. What he lacked in social skills he made up for in usefulness and brains. “I see. I take it you’d like me to drink the stuff, now.” Best not to sound too eager.
He leaned toward her side, careful not to dislodge the damned tray, and flipped the bedcovers back, then patted the mattress. “Come back to bed, wife.”
She moved to the wall peg, slipped out of her wrapper and hung it on the peg, then returned to ease herself onto the bed.
He poured himself a cup of tea—the last thing he wanted right now—and eyed Georgina. Demure nightshift or no, he could still make out her delicious, feminine curves.
“I appreciate you going to the trouble, Georgina, but I really think I could cut back at this point. I seem to be making steady progress and—”
“Teddy, you promised,” she interjected. “And as I said, your sleep did seem disturbed.”
“Oh?” At some point he’d have to get her to rescind her ordinance.
The golden candlelight across from them illuminated her face enough for him to note her slanting him a look of concern. “You mentioned Drake. I remember you doing so on the night you arrived. On both occasions, you sounded upset.”
“I don’t recall any dream about your brother.” But he had awokenfrom a very strange dream, hadn’t he? One involving Georgina and Lady Catherine.
Come on, darling. Take us out and I’ll let you do that thing you did last time.
He had a sinking suspicionthat thingwas something naughty one didn’t do with one’s mate’s intended.
He must have made a face because she inched closer to him, her expression intent. “What is it? Have you remembered something else?”
He took a last sip of tea then set the cup in its saucer with a click. “I’m not sure. I dreamt…I don’t think you would appreciate hearing of it, to be honest, pet.”
She folded her arms over her chest, her eyes suddenly wary.
