“I know, but as I have already told you, I am happy to indulge you.” He deliberately smiled. “Besides, I have a penchant for sweet things myself.”
Her eyes flashed with amusement. “In that case, I do believe I am the one who will be indulging you.”
Somehow, her words encouraged the wickedest notions to manifest in his brain. A flare of heat followed as every muscle in his body grew tight. “If only,” he murmured, too low for her to hear. Perhaps this idea of his to pretend they were married had been unwise. He was a man, after all, about to spend the night with the loveliest woman he’d ever met – a woman he longed to kiss...touch...undress...
He raised his hand to call a waitress while acknowledging the danger he’d placed her in when he’d only wanted to keep her safe. But could he resist her until they arrived in Sheffield?
You bloody well have to or you’re no better than Mr. Smith.
Perhaps he was worse. Perhaps he ought to make an excuse, pretend they’d quarreled, and remain in the dining room for the night. But when they finished their cakes a while later and the time came for them to retire, he could not make himself walk away.
Scoundrel.
Perhaps, but not necessarily. Not as long as he slept in the chair.
#
“I’VE BEEN THINKING,” Leonora started as soon as they were back in their room. “It wouldn’t be right to make you sleep in the chair.”
“You’re not making me do anything,” Philip pointed out. “I am choosing to sleep there because it’s the right thing to do.”
“Yes. I know. But isn’t the point of an overnight stay to get some decent rest? Otherwise you might as well have continued on your way in the coach.”
“Not unless you came with me.” He met her gaze directly, the heat of it burning straight through her. She swallowed, still slightly undone by how gorgeous he looked without his greatcoat. The jacket he wore was perfectly tailored, lying flat against his chest, while his trousers were tapered in a way that accentuated the length and strength of his legs. “What sort of man would I be if I went on without my wife? And you need to sleep in a proper bed, so you can be ready to travel again in the morning.”
Leonora sighed. “I feel as though I’ve been a tremendous inconvenience for you already.”
“Not at all. Either way, you would have gotten this room even if you had stayed in it by yourself. I would have been in the hayloft with Mr. Smith, and frankly, I’d rather make do with the chair.”
“But...” Leonora bit her lip. So far he’d proven to be a gentleman, a fun and adventurous one too – one refusing to take advantage of her even though he had placed himself in the perfect position to do precisely that. “I see no reason why we cannot share the bed.”
He stared at her. “What?”
She pointed toward the piece of furniture. “You can sleep on top of the blanket if you like, while I sleep underneath.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Why? It is not as though we would be any closer to each other than we were in the coach.”
“That is not the point, Miss Compton.”
She frowned. “Are we reverting back to formality now?”
“I think it might be best.”
“Because I suggested we share the bed?”
His nostrils flared and his fingers curled inward, balling into a pair of fists. “Yes.”
Leonora held his gaze before turning away with a shrug. “Suit yourself then, but don’t complain in the morning when your limbs are too stiff and achy to move.”
He responded with a snort which she decided to ignore. He was just trying to be considerate, even though she felt he was being entirely too stubborn about the whole thing. Not to mention... She grabbed her valise and placed it on the bed so she could open it. A part of her wanted him close. Tomorrow when they reached Sheffield, they’d go their separate ways and possibly never meet again. Was it so terrible of her to want to sleep with his arm around her once more, to hope he might show her what kissing was like?
Frustrated, she searched for her comb and her toothbrush and powder. Locating all the items, she turned to determine where best to use them and saw that Philip was now crouched in front of the fireplace, where embers were starting to catch on a piece of wood. A flame grew and then another, dancing lithely against the bricks behind them.
Leonora paused to watch, liking the domestic element about him. For a man with a fortune, he had a remarkable way of being ordinary.
He glanced at her over his shoulder. “The room should warm up in no time now. It will make it easier for you to get ready for bed.”
