Page 54 of The Duke of Daring (The Untouchables)
Lucy snapped her head back around as another blush stole up her neck. Was he…naked?
A minute later, he called out again. “You can turn now.”
She waited a moment and then did so slowly. He was in bed, the coverlet pulled up to his chest, and he wore a shirt, though it was open at the neck.
Averting her gaze, she fished for an appropriate topic of conversation. “Did you learn how Sadler fared?”
“No.” Andrew’s voice was deep and gravelly, and he cleared his throat. “Tindall, do you know?”
The valet turned on his way to the door. “Ah, yes, I forgot to mention it, my lord. He is sound, and when he learned you would be all right, he left for London.”
“Thank you, Tindall. That’s all.” The low rumble of Andrew’s voice resonated in her bones and fired her blood.
She held her ground, afraid to move, as Tindall left them alone. “This is wholly improper,” she said.
Andrew’s face was clean, but the cut above his eye was red. “Everything about our association is improper.”
She couldn’t disagree with him. With slow, tentative steps, she made her way to the side of the bed. He looked well for the most part, aside from the cut on his forehead. She reached out to smooth the flesh above the wound but stopped herself. “Do you need stitches?”
“I don’t know.” He cracked a small smile. “You’re the physician.”
She scowled at him. “Thanks to you. Why did you say that? I can’t be a physician. I don’t know the first thing.”
He looked up at the bed hanging. “I don’t know. I blame the fall. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I just wanted a reason that you should stay.”
Her insides churned with anticipation. “Why?”
His eyes found hers. “I don’t know. I just wanted you here.” He sounded mystified, and while that should have confused her, it filled her with heat and elation.
“What are we going to do about this physician problem? Maybe you can tell them you were confounded by the fall.”
“Like I did when I called you a she?” He shook his head. “No, I’m afraid the ruse is finished. Davis Smith is going to retire to Edinburgh or somewhere equally distant.”
Frustration and anger overtook the other emotions raging inside her. “ButI’mnot finished. I lost more money today on this stupid balloon wager. I’ll come up with a new disguise. I’ll get a gray wig and be an older man.”
He sat up quickly, too quickly because he winced and brought his hand to his head. When he looked at her, his brows were pitched low, his eyes bright with something she couldn’t quite name. “Damn it, Lucy, can’t you just be a woman for once?”
Chapter Eleven
Andrew stared up at her. Her lips were parted, her breath coming fast. She was angry, but she was also something else. His head hurt. Hell, his entire body hurt, but he wasalsosomething else. He wanted her. Desperately. And right now he didn’t give a damn about the consequences.
He snaked his right arm around her waist and cupped the back of her head with his left hand, pulling her down. He claimed her mouth, his lips moving against hers in fierce possession. He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted anything.
His fingers twisted into the base of her wig. Oh, this would not do. None of it. Not the hairpiece, not the sideburns, not the costume. He wantedLucy.
He pulled his mouth from hers but didn’t release her. “I want to see you. WithoutSmittyinterfering.” He brought his hand around and dragged his thumb along one of the hated sideburns. “How do these come off?”
Her lashes fluttered. “They pull away. You just have to be gentle.”
He scooted to the side and tugged her to sit beside him. He sat up and found the end of the faux piece. He pulled at the edge, lifting it up carefully. He moved slowly but noted that she winced. “Does it hurt?”
“A bit. You could go a little faster.”
He tore it away, trying to be as delicate as possible. She closed her eyes briefly when he was done. When she opened them again, her gaze was determined. She reached up and pulled the other one away with a quick movement then dropped it on the bedside table. She sucked in a breath, and he could see that her eyes watered. “I think my maid used too much glue today. We wanted to make sure they stayed in place since it was going to be such a long day.” She blinked and rubbed at the reddened flesh.
“Let me.” He replaced her fingers with his, smoothing her skin while he stared into her beguiling eyes. “You’re absolutely fearless, do you know that?”
Her gaze didn’t waver, nor did she flinch—confirming what he’d said. “I want what I want.”
