Chapter Eighteen
“Well, arena yea sight for my tired eyes?” Seeing Joss waiting for him in his bed when he walked into his chambers had his cock roaring to life and fighting to burst out of his trousers. The tension from the day eased from his shoulders, and his disappointment that she’d fallen asleep alone in her own room disappeared.
He loosened his cravat and stalked to the bed, quickly stripping out of the rest of his clothes.
Joss watched him, her lower lip caught between her teeth as her eyes roamed over his body, an appreciative smirk on her face.
“I missed you today.”
He slid under the covers and pulled her into his arms, kissing the top of her head, breathing in the cinnamon scent from her favorite soap.
“No’ as much as I missed ye. I knocked on your door and when ye didna answer I thought ye had fallen asleep.”
She looked up at him, a smile lifting her lips. “I heard you. It took all my control to not go to the door and let you know I was in here. I wanted to surprise you.”
Kissing her lips, he smiled against her mouth. “Surprised I am indeed,” he murmured.
“Are you mad?”
He frowned as he met her gaze. “Whye’er would I be angry?”
“Because I snuck into your room.”
He barked out a laugh. “Joss, ye can sneak into my room e’ery night for the rest of my life, and I will ne’er get angry or tired of it.”
She grinned, snuggling into his side. “How did it go with Theodore?”
“Good, I suppose. I am now the proud owner of The Toad’s Well pub.”
With wide eyes, she laughed. “That’s an interesting name.” She giggled. “I wonder how he came up with that one?”
“Silly, isna it? I dinna ken. But I think ’tis going to need a rebranding.”
“Did Theodore take it well?”
He harrumphed. “No’ really. I believe I may have broken his jaw.”
She pulled away to look in his eyes. “No!”
He shrugged. “Och, aye. He’s lucky I didna do more than that after what he’d done. He e’en tried to serve us my own whisky he’d stolen from my inventory.”
“Oh my. That is daring.”
He squeezed her close, his hand dropping to run lazy circles along her rib cage. Her nightdress was so thin, it was as if she were naked under the covers.
Which she would be soon.
Her face grew serious. “But he signed the pub over to you. How?”
“’Twas quite easy actually. The sod was flanked by Nicholas and Alexander, and we gave him the choice. Either sign the deed o’er to me since I’d funded the endeavor, or I was going to turn him in to the authorities. He could rot in prison for all I cared.
“Well, he didn’t want to do that, obviously.” She shivered. “I can’t blame him. That would be most horrible.”
He dropped his hand lower, caressing her buttocks as she began to squirm beside him.
“Aye, so he signed the deed and then we forced him out, and I told him I didn’t want to see him in my town again.” He squeezed her cheek, and she squealed.
“Enough about that. I’ve had ye on my mind all day.” He shifted so she was lying beneath him. With a devilish smile, he licked his lips, “And I’m verra hungry.”
