Page 45 of The Moonstone Governess
Daire patted Scipio, made certain he was safely returned to his stall, and then ran to the inn. But the sky opened up the moment he stepped out of the stable. It was as though mischievous goblins had been lying in wait for him to run out in the open before immediately pouring tubs of water down on him. Pour down it did, right atop his head. Despite the short distance between the stable and the inn, he was soaked to the teeth by the time he stepped inside.
Thaddius called out to him, but Daire waved him off. “Later, Thaddius. I am drenched.”
He took the liberty of darting along the servants’ hallways, since his boots were muddied and he was shedding water everywhere. There were a few steps up to reach his elegant suite, and he took those two at a time.
“But my lord—!”
He ignored whatever the innkeeper was trying to tell him. “Not now, Thaddius!”
His clothes weighed him down, and every inch of him was sopping wet thanks to this deluge of biblical proportions. Cursing, he burst into his suite, shut the door, and immediately began removing his clothes. He started with his shirt and unceremoniously tossed it to the floor. “Bloody rain,” he muttered, raking fingers through his hair as he watched the shirt land with a squish beside the door.
Since he did not wish to track mud all over the impressively carpeted floor of his suite, he decided to take his boots off as well. He hopped about, tugging off one and slamming his back against the wall as he lost his balance and fell against it. “Bloody boots.”
He thought he heard a faint female gasp, but dismissed it as coming from somewhere in the hall, since he glanced around and saw no interloper in his suite.
He began to work on his other boot, this time striking his elbow against the doorknob as he yanked the stubborn thing off. “Bloody knob.”
He had just started to undo the falls of his riding breeches when he heard a feminine cry that definitely came from inside his sitting room. “What the…?”
It was then he turned toward the hearth and noticed Brenna poking her head out from behind one of the big leather chairs set beside it. She stared wide-eyed at him, her cheeks aflame and her mouth agape.
He growled low in his throat. “Bloody blazes! Who let you in here?”
Of course, he knew it had to be Thaddius, and this was what the innkeeper must have been desperately trying to convey to Daire as he tore past the registration desk.
Sighing, Daire strode toward her.
He ignored the droplets of water sliding down his neck, and took no note of them as they fell onto his chest and continued lower, into the waistband of his breeches.
If Brenna’s eyes bulged any wider, they would pop out of their sockets. She followed the trail of water down his torso.
“Like what you see, little dove?”
She nodded numbly, then groaned and hastily turned to face the wall. “Oh, dear heaven! I have to get out of here.”
“Why were you in here in the first place?”
Her breaths turned rapid as she began her explanation, still staring at the wall instead of at him, and chattering so fast that he could not immediately make sense of what she was saying. “I was delivering books to you,” she explained, finally slowing down. “Thaddius said it would be all right if I brought them in here myself, since you were out for your morning ride and would not return for another hour. Why are you back early?”
“Need you ask?” The wind was howling and a violent rain now pounded against the windows with enough force to make them rattle. “I did not wish to drown in the deluge.”
“Yes, yes. Of course. May I go, please?”
“In this downpour? What books are you talking about? What did you bring me?”
“Fabric samples. You will never guess what happened as I was about to leave yesterday’s tea party.”
He turned her to face him, suppressing a laugh as Brenna made a deliciously breathy sound and closed her eyes. But not before she took in another eyeful of him without his shirt. Her cheeks caught flame again. It really was not well done of him to prolong her embarrassment, but he was not used to dealing with innocents, and he found her reaction quite refreshing and charming.
Not to mention arousing.
Heat thrummed through his veins. She was still making those breathy little noises that would have him spilling himself if she were making those sounds in bed.
Bollocks.
It was sheer folly for him to delay her departure, and yet he could not get enough of her.
“Open your eyes, Brenna.”
