Page 62 of A Winter Scandal

She felt a soft prod against her buttocks, and she realized with some astonishment that desire was running through him even in his sleep. Would he wish to do that all over again? Her face grew warm at the idea, then even warmer when she realized that despite the soreness between her legs, her body was already responding with anticipation to the thought of Gabriel’s filling her again. Thea squirmed back against him just to see what would happen, and the length of his manhood leaped. She heard his low, warm chuckle above her ear.

“Minx,” he said lightly, but with no discernible displeasure in his voice, and he further proved that by sliding his hand down onto her abdomen and pressing her back against him more firmly.

His hand roamed possessively over the curve of her hip and down the side of her thigh, then back up and over her front, moving languidly over her stomach and lingering on her breasts. Her skin prickled in response, as though his caresses the night before had made her flesh even more responsive to him. This, she thought, must be the trap of wicked behavior—that once ensnared, one wanted it even more. At the moment, however, she could not find it in herself to worry about it; it was far too enjoyable to have his hand caressing her so intimately.

“Do you want—I mean—are you intending—” She stumbled to a stop, unable to think of any way to express her question that was remotely ladylike.

“Yes, I want,” he murmured, his breath tickling her ear. He took the lobe lightly between his teeth.

Thea let out a shaky little breath, already feeling her nether regions melting.

“I want very much,” he continued, and traced the shell of her ear with his tongue. “In fact”—he nuzzled into her hair as his fingers toyed with her nipple—”there’s nothing I want more right now than to lie here for a few hours and further your education.” He pulled aside the veil of her hair and bent to press his lips against the tender skin of her neck before he lifted his head and went on, “However, I intend to play the gentleman and leave you to sleep.”

With a sigh of regret, he pulled away and slipped out of bed. Thea turned and unabashedly watched him dress, glad that he was turned slightly away from her and did not see her eyes greedily taking in the pull and release of the muscles in his back and legs. She was aware of a shocking desire to sink her teeth into the fleshy mound of his buttock.

“But what are you going to do?” she asked, keeping her voice quiet. Last night, after they had made love, Gabriel had pulled out of his sleepy, relaxed state long enough to bring in the baby and place the basket at the foot of their bed, and she did not want to wake Matthew.

“I plan to check on the animals.” Gabriel spoke in the same whispered tone. “And I have an idea—something I saw last night. If I am right, it might be just the thing you want.”

Since Thea knew that the one thing she wanted at this exact moment was his body back in bed with her, she seriously doubted that he was right. However, she said nothing, just snuggled deeper under the covers.

“What about Matthew?” she asked, unable to hold back a yawn.

“Sound asleep. It’s only been a few hours. ’Tisn’t close to noon yet. And he had a hard night.”

Gabriel leaned over the bed to kiss her softly on the lips. Her arms snaked around his neck when he would have pulled away, and their kiss turned into something deeper and longer. Finally he pulled away. “Vixen. You will make me forget my good intentions.” He gave her a last hard, brief kiss, then straightened and tiptoed away, reaching down to pick up his boots as he left.

Thea smiled to herself as he sneaked out the door. She closed her eyes, thinking that it would not be so bad, after all, to sleep a little longer. It was sweet of Gabriel to think of her comfort—and to think, once she had thought him nothing but a selfish rake. On that thought, she slid back into sleep.

She had no idea how long she dozed, coming to vague consciousness now and then when she heard Gabriel rattling around in the outer room. Finally her eyes opened, and she knew that she would not be able to fall asleep again. She slipped out of bed, wondering what the clanking and other noises were that she had heard earlier.

The air was chilling, but she could not dress, she thought, without washing as best she could, so she picked up the water jug and rag and started to wash, wincing at the cold. By the time she was finished, she was freezing, so she pulled the cover from the bed, wrapping it around herself as she tiptoed over to the basket and peered in at Matthew. He was still sound asleep, his mouth open slightly.

Gabriel was right, she thought; the poor baby must be horribly tired after the hard, frightening events of the night before. It was not surprising that he still slept—why, it probably had not yet been as long as he slept on a normal night. Still, she laid a light hand on his forehead just to make sure he was not feverish. Reassured, she straightened and started to pick up her clothes.

She heard another thump from the outer room, followed by a soft curse, then another sound she could not identify. Curious, she wrapped the cover more tightly around her body and opened the door to peer out. Her eyebrows vaulted upward.

A large, elongated wooden tub sat in front of the fireplace, looking utterly out of place. It was the sort of thing she had seen for feeding or watering horses, but it appeared two-thirds full of water, and Gabriel was bending over it, pouring steaming water from a kettle into it. He glanced up and saw her and smiled.

“Ah, there you are. I thought I would have to come awaken you. It’s just about the right temperature.” He refilled the kettle from a bucket that sat by the table and hung the kettle back on its hook at the fireplace, swinging it in to hang near the fire.

Thea pulled the door shut behind her and came forward, her voice filled with wonder. “A bath? You’ve drawn a bath?”

He grinned, looking quite proud of himself. “I saw it, sitting empty there in the stables last night, and this morning when I woke up, it occurred to me that it would be exactly what you would enjoy this morning.”

And it was, Thea discovered. It would be wonderful to soak in the hot water, letting the soreness melt away, the warmth heating her all through. “Thank you.” Tears clogged her throat, making her words come out hoarse. “You’re very—oh, blast!” She blinked away the tears that pooled in her eyes.

He chuckled. “An eloquent thanks, my dear.” He grabbed her around the waist and gave her a vigorous buss on the mouth, followed by a little slap on her bottom. “Now, out of your blanket, and into the bath.”

She hesitated, heat rising in her cheeks, embarrassed at the thought of dropping the cover and standing completely naked in front of him. He raised his brows in question.

“What? Surely you are not shy. Not after last night?”

“’Tis daylight now,” she protested.

“I’ll warrant you look the same. I tell you what.” He shrugged out of his jacket, then tugged off his boots, balancing on one leg, then the other. “I’ll get in it as well. So you won’t be the only one naked.”

“Take my bath?” Thea retorted indignantly. “I think not!”