Page 18 of The Make-Believe Marriage
Still, that maid had no right to blatantly ogle him, even if he was physically perfect in every way. Strong jaw, gorgeous mouth that felt so warm and fine pressed to hers the first and only time he had kissed her. Full head of dark hair trimmed at the sides. The cut of his hair made him look quite rigidly military but also incredibly appealing.
Strength oozed out of his every pore, and the heavenly sinew of his torso had her heart in palpitations.
She wanted to sleep beside this man and feel his arms around her.
Would it be so awful to lose herself in those acres of muscles?
After all, she was ruined whether they slept together or not.
As for their sham marriage, what harm could there be in sharing a bed? It wasn’t as though they were going to act upon their proximity. “Octavian,” she said, setting the plate of food in front of him, “I have a solution to the problem of who is to sleep on the floor.”
“I am not going to flip cards for it.”
“We don’t even have a deck of cards. That is not my suggestion.” She cleared her throat. “The bed is large enough for us to share.”
He shook his head and emitted a deep, rich laugh. “No. Absolutely not.”
“Why not? We are only going to sleep, so why not allow both of us to be comfortable? It is the only sensible solution. Besides, the staff will think it most odd if only one side of the bed is slept in. They will suspect we are not newlyweds and call in the authorities. Do not be stubborn about this. You know it is the only choice that makes any sense.”
He stuffed a bite of cold ham in his mouth in order to avoid responding to her. Why was he so averse to the suggestion? He had told her she was pretty this morning. What had changed? Did she smell of the dirt and heat of the roadway? “Oh, it isme you do not want near you. I…I did not think to take one of Adela’s soaps with me. Do you by any chance have some I could use? Perhaps the innkeeper will have–”
“Syd?” He stared at her as though confused, and then amusement shone in his eyes so that they glistened. “Your scent is delightful, as sweet as cherries. Why are you being so dense about this? I am not resisting because of the way you smell.”
“Gad, you are such a charmer.” She sank into the chair beside his. “How am I being dense?”
He took another bite of his ham and seemed to take forever to swallow it. “You are a woman, quite an attractive one much of the time. You have curves. Very appealing ones.”
“And?
“You have a bosom…also very appealing. I do not want any misunderstandings to occur between us while we are asleep.”
“So you would rather lay upon a cold, hard floor rather than accidentally brush up against my body?”
“Yes. I do not know what I might do when deep in sleep. I am not a monk and might accidentally shift closer to you, touch you in a way that I should not. You may have a sharp tongue, but–”
“I am not that bad, am I?”
“Do you want me to answer that honestly? My point is, the rest of you is soft and warm. I may not be completely resistant to you.”
She placed her elbows on the table and propped her head in her hands while staring at him. This was not quite a declaration of love, but it was still something. “Are you suggesting I entice you? I had no idea I was so sultry and alluring.”
“Blessed saints,” he said with a groaning chuckle. “Just think about this, Syd. You and I in bed together. It is dark and we are under the covers. You are wearing a thin nightgown and I…well, I had better keep my trousers on, hadn’t I?”
“Did you not think to bring a nightshirt?”
“You assume I own one, which I don’t because I always sleep naked.”
She blushed.
That made him grin. “I am not likely to resist the sweet, womanly scent of your body or the satin feel of your skin. My hands are going to roam all over you…and Lord help us if they land somewhere they should not.”
She regarded him thoughtfully for a long moment. “I will wake you if that happens.”
“You will slap me if that happens.”
“I would never. At worst I would wake you gently.” In truth, she would probably let him roam and not say a word because if this make-believe marriage they were about to enter into did not work out, then she wanted to have the memory of sharing a night in bed with him to sustain her upcoming sad and empty years.
No man had ever been as kind to her or as patient with her. If Octavian decided he did not want her, then what chance did she have with anyone else?
