Page 48 of Hollywood Games
‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered.
Rory stroked her head. ‘It’s not your fault. That food and Vlad are enough to turn anyone’s stomach.’ Zoe giggled which changed to a grimace. Rory kissed her again. ‘Rest up. I’ll get the fire going and run you a bath.’
Zoe listened to Rory moving around the room, the crackling of the fire as it took and water running in the bathroom. She concentrated on trying to relax. The smell of exotic fragrances drifted in, almost lulling her to sleep.
He came back through and sat beside her. ‘The bath is run. Do you want help getting in?’
Zoe pushed herself up to sitting. ‘I think I should be okay. Could you help me with my dress?’
Rory tried to hide his delight and she gave him a stern look. He held his hands up. ‘I promise I won’t molest you when you are infirm. Although I do have a very healing touch,’ he said, wiggling his eyebrows. Zoe batted him on the arm and he grinned, coming to help her dress over her head.
The lights were low in the bathroom and the room filled with the soporific smell of essential oils. She stepped into the bath and sank down with a happy sigh.
Rory stood in the door. ‘I’m going to get something to help settle your stomach. I’ll be back in a bit.’ When he returned he was swirling a glass of black water. ‘Drink this. It’s charcoal. It’ll absorb the gas.’
Zoe looked at it sceptically. ‘You haven’t got this from Vlad the Impale-her have you?’
‘If he gave me anything, it would probably be a dose of the clap. This has nothing to do with him.’
Zoe drank. He refilled it and she rinsed her mouth out.
‘You’ll start to feel better in a bit.’ He knelt beside the bath, massaging her scalp.
‘That’s amazing,’ she sighed, letting herself relax back into the water and to his touch. ‘Oh, I forgot to tell you,’ she murmured. ‘I’ve arranged a photoshoot for you withTatlerin a few days.’
Rory’s fingers stopped moving. ‘Tatler? Why?’
‘They’re doing a feature on The UK’s Most Eligible Earls and found you on the castle website. It’s going to be amazing publicity.’ She nudged her head back against him. ‘Don’t stop.’
Rory worked into her scalp again. ‘What do you meaneligible?’
‘They asked if you were married and I said no.’
Rory’s hands stopped. Zoe’s stomach clenched, but this time not from dodgy food.
‘But… But…’ Rory replied. He sounded lost.
Zoe turned in the bath, cupping the side of his face. ‘It doesn’t mean anything.’ She brushed the side of his cheek with her thumb. ‘If anyone comes husband hunting, they’ll findmewielding the broadsword.’ She saw his uncertainty and pulled him towards her, gently touching her lips to his. ‘I love you, Rory MacGinley. You’re mine and only mine.’
He kissed her languidly,stroking down her body as she rested back against his forearm. Each kiss a binding, another thread weaving them together into an inseparable bond. After time became liquid and slipped by, he lifted his head. ‘How do you feel?’
Her eyes opened drowsily. ‘A bit better, thank you. Just really tired.’
He lifted her out of the bath and held her wet body to his. He kissed her. ‘Then let’s get you to bed.’ He took an enormous white fluffy towel from a heated rail, walked her out of the bathroom and dried her like a sleepy child. He settled her into bed and switched off the bedside lamp, leaving a sliver of light from the bathroom to help him navigate.
He kissed her cheek. ‘Sleep. I’ll be back in a bit.’
She murmured something indecipherable and he left her, taking the sodden towels out of the room and quietly closing the door behind him.
Rory stood in the hall,soaked to the skin, filled with a buzzing hum of happiness. He walked down the corridor towards the stairs holding the wet towels. The feeling of contentment lasted approximately eight steps until he saw the small figure of Kirsten hurrying towards him, her braless breasts bouncing and jostling inside her skin-tight dress.
‘Oh, my lord, I need you,’ she said, one hand on her heaving chest, the other clasping his upper arm. She stopped, noticing the wet towels and the state of his clothes. ‘You’re wet!’
‘Yes, I’ve been attending to a plumbing issue. What’s the matter?’
Kirsten shivered. ‘I can’t find His Holiness. He must be meditating, but I don’t know where, and if I can’t find him then I need you.’
‘Why do you need me?’
