“What fun would that be?”
Before I can wipe the smile off my face, she reaches over and takes a huge hunk off the top of the carrot cake she had placed next to my plate for dessert. I know my mouth is gaping open as she smiles around her fork.
“Devious and pretty all in the same package. I will have to stay on guard with you when it comes to sweets.”
“I will admit, it is my one true weakness … you may need to guard your desserts from now on.”
“This could mean war, you know. The taking of a potato is nowhere near the same as stealing icing.”
I am rewarded with a smile that I must look away from, knowing it will haunt me from now on, as I find myself drawn to mymaid. Her beauty was hidden behind ill-fitting clothes and downcasteyes, but for a man who has seen more than his fair share of beauties in his life, I will admit I am surprised at how much I want to be the one to bring that smile to her face from now on.
CHAPTER 5
REGGIE
I help clean up the dishes and push the tray back into the hall for the attendants to pick up. When I walk back into the main room, I find her yawning as she leans against the wall, looking out the window.
“Can you see anything?”
“No, just the passing of trees in the darkness.”
A ding rings through the car, and I know from previous travels that they will be turning the gas lanterns down in the cars soon, so we should prepare for bed. Lord knows the fatigue that plagued me earlier in the day is coming back with a vengeance as night falls.
“Jessica, you are welcome to use the lavatory first. I need to find my sleeping pants and have no idea what bag they are in.”
She turns from the window picking up her small bag, and just as I start to move out of her way, she stops.
“I would have placed them in the small personal bag if I had packed it for you; you might look there first.”
A scent I quickly recognize as solely hers wafts to my nose as she passes by, and I shake my head, clearing the thoughts that shouldn’t be entering my mind as she shuts the door behind her. Picking up the smallest bag, I smile when I find the sleeping pants tucked neatly inside, along with my cologne and comb.
When I hear the door open, I turn around out of respect, expecting her to be in her nightgown, only to see out of the corner of my eye that she is still dressed. “Do you not have a sleeping gown, Jessica?”
She looks at me and then back toward the floor, her cheeks flushed. “I do, but it is too threadbare to walk around in. I’ve had it for most of my life, and time is not kind to old fabric.”
Just then, I notice a full-length curtain separating the beds, which will provide each of us with some privacy.
“No need for you to be uncomfortable all night. I’ll close this curtain, so you have some privacy while you change. I will leave it closed, but if you need to use the lavatory through the night, don’t worry about waking me. I am, for the most part, a heavy sleeper. Good night, Jess.”
“Night, Reggie.”
I no sooner close the curtain than the room starts to darken as they turn the gas lanterns down throughout the train from the outer corridor. Because the evening has become unnaturally cool for this time of year, I’d lit the small coal burner in the corner of the room earlier, and it is putting off enough light that I can see her moving around on the other side of the curtain.
I am gathering my own change of clothes when I see her dress pool around her feet, and even though I know I should look away, I simply can’t make myself. From the movement of herarms, I’m assuming she is unbuttoning the cream-colored shirt that was mostly hidden by the drab brown, unflattering vest she had on over it.
Before the shirt slides completely off her arms, she bends over gathering her sleeping gown, and the sight of her through that curtain is so innocently erotic I bite my lip to keep from moaning out as my shaft hardens painfully.
Long legs, slightly rounded hips, and breasts that will easily fill my hand are outlined in perfect clarity for just a moment before she slides the sleeping gown over her head. A piece of material I instantly hate, and if I could, I would rip it to pieces simply because it hid her beauty from me.
Because I am a terrible man, I don’t step into the lavatory until I see her slip into bed, and I curse myself as I yank off the clothes that seem to be smothering me while my cock throbs. I pour cold water into the basin, hoping to relieve some of my sudden and unexpected frustrations, only to be disappointed when I pull on my sleeping pants, and the front is still tented.
Leaving the door slightly ajar, I find my own bed, the cool sheets a relief on my hot skin. I lie there for a while, listening for any sound from the other side of the room, only to be greeted by silence. After what feels like hours, the gentle rocking of the train and the day’s excitement finally catch up with me, and I drift off to sleep, only to be awakened too soon by the train’s whistle. Not wanting to wake Jessica, I lie there, willing myself to fall back asleep, since, for once, I have nothing pressing to do, but I end up tossing and turning until my back aches. With a heavy sigh, I get up and dress in the clothes I’d laid out the night before. Once dressed, I tiptoe toward the outer door, sliding it open quietly before stepping out into the hall.
“You are either guilty of something, or the little woman is a light sleeper?”
I turn around and see the well-dressed gentleman I noticed the day before standing slightly behind me. I have no idea what makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, but there’s something unsettling about him. He’s about my height, not as broad in the shoulders as I am, but it’s as if he radiates power. His paleness is even more apparent because his long black hair is expertly cut around his strong features. By the way he is dressed and his demeanor, I can tell he is not from around here.
“The Missus is a little fussy if awakened, so I have learned quickly to escape when I can.”
