Page 23 of Her Sweetest Rogue (The Worthington Legacy #6)
B y the end of the day, Judith was ready to strangle someone. Mainly Trey. He had managed to disappear from the estate, even though the servants admitted they saw him earlier. If Judith didn’t know better, she would think he was purposely hiding from her. She needed answers about Alex. And now. She would go insane if she had to wait another day.
After the evening meal where Trey was suspiciously absent, she excused herself and told the dowager she had a terrific headache. When Judith reached her room and closed the door behind her, she marched to her vanity table. Slumping on her stool, she stared at herself in the mirror and pulled out the pins holding the knot at the back of her head. She picked up the brush and punished her locks by yanking the bristles through each curl. Soon her ringlets were gone and thick hair fell over her shoulders and down her back.
She wasn’t ready to retire to bed. Her mind wouldn’t let her rest. The only way she would be able to set her jumbled thoughts in order was to deal with Trey. Even if she had to become a bloodhound to do it, she’d search this house from one side to the other until she found the rotten coward. What other word could she call him besides coward? Obviously, he didn’t want to confront her for some unknown reason, which was why he hid.
She pushed away from the vanity and hurried out of her room. The hallway was quiet, as were the rooms below. The dowager must have gone to bed early, as well.
Judith first tried the study. She knocked, waited a few seconds then opened the door slowly. A strong cigar scent hung thick in the air, combined with ale. She waved her hand in front of her nose. Had he been here holed up all day? From the smell, it would seem he had.
“Trey?” She peeked her head inside. The heavy velvet curtains had been drawn, and the room held many shadows.
Unfortunately, the room didn’t hold him as she’d hoped.
Throughout the lower floor, she looked in every room before rushing upstairs to his bedchambers. When she stood in front of his room, her hands moistened and her heartbeat quickened. Certainly, this was not proper, but she couldn’t put off talking to him a minute longer. If he were inside, she would just invite him to come out and take a walk with her through the flower garden.
On second thought, outside would be dark and they would only have the moon to guide their stroll. Not a good choice when she hadn’t convinced her body to stop desiring him. If only her mind could control her body’s reactions whenever he was around, she would have no need to fret.
Making her decision, she knocked on the door and waited. She listened intently for any sounds on the other side, but detected none. She turned the knob and opened the door. A few lamps dimly lit the wide opened space, but so far, no sign of Trey. However, his masculine scent was strong, stirring anticipation in her limbs.
She tried to shake away the feeling as she stepped inside. “Trey?” Her voice squeaked, so she cleared her throat and tried again. “Trey?” Still the volume of her voice wasn’t very loud, so she stepped inside, nearly to the middle of the floor. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, blocking out any other sounds.
What was she doing? This was wrong. She shouldn’t be in his private chambers. But as she glanced around, she found her feet rooted in place and wouldn’t move. His large bed was against the far wall close to the large fireplace. Several armoires stood around the spacious room along with a sofa and two cushioned chairs.
The room was different from what she’d expected. Perhaps it was due to his lifestyle, but it didn’t look like a sultan’s tent with silk and satin coverings. Instead, dark blue and brown colors were used in decorating. Against the other wall was a closed door. She didn’t dare venture further to see where it led. Perhaps Trey wasn’t here after all, but that didn’t explain why lamps were lit. Nonetheless, she needed to get out. Now.
As she turned to leave, the floor in the adjoining room creaked. She jumped and swung around just in time to see Trey walk out as he fastened a towel around his waist. No other stitch of clothing covered his muscular body.
Her mouth turned dry as if cotton had taken up residence in her throat. Try as she might to divert her eyes, she gazed over his body in a slow inspection. Black, wet hair slicked back from his forehead. Wide shoulders and chest emphasized his muscular waist. Even with the small amount of light, she detected a sprinkle of hairs on his chest. His legs weren’t as she’d imagined, either, as his calves practically bulged with strength.
He stopped suddenly, his eyes wide as he looked at her. Heat consumed her face, as well as her body, yet she still couldn’t turn away. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
His attention moved over her, and every inch of her burned with awareness. Within seconds, his smile widened.
“What a pleasant surprise.” His voice dripped with sensual charm.
“I—I—” She cleared her throat. “I didn’t know you were here.”
One of his brows arched. “Indeed? Do you usually come into my room when I’m not occupying it?”
Embarrassment washed over her, and she could have died. Obviously, he enjoyed making her nervous. “What I meant was—” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I was looking for you, but I doubted you were here.”
“Ah.” He nodded and folded his arms over his chest. “Good to know. So tell me, my sweet, how may I assist you?”
She licked her parched lips. “We need to talk.” Her focus dipped to his towel, before she quickly lifted it back to his face. “If you don’t mind, I would like you to change and meet me downstairs—”
“Why can we not talk here?”
She gasped. “Are you addled?”
Chuckling, he walked toward her, but turned and headed to the door first. “I believe you have asked me this question before.” He shut the solid oak barrier. “And I refused to answer, for fear it would ruin my reputation.”
Shivers started inside her, so she clasped her hands against her middle. Dear heavens! They were in his bedroom alone with the door closed, not to mention, he was wearing a towel! This was not a good thing.
Slowly, he walked toward her. Each step made her heart hammer faster. When he stopped, he took a lock of her hair with his finger and thumb, and rubbed.
“Judith? Why is your hair down? Are you aware how much I like it this way?”
She scolded herself for not thinking before she left her room. Now she regretted her most hasty decision. “I—I—” She swallowed hard. “I thought to retire for bed, but I really needed to talk to you first.”
He stroked her cheek. “Which brought you looking for me in my room, I see. Whatever was on your mind must be extremely important for you to seek me out here.”
“Please, forgive me for intruding upon your bath.”
His manly scent of soap drifted all around her. The urge to lean into him and rub her face in the crook of his neck became overwhelming, but she shook the incredible, desire-stirring thoughts away. She must remain in control.
“You didn’t intrude, my sweet. In fact, your presence has made my evening much better.”
“Trey, would you please put on a robe? This is improper, and you know it.”
He shrugged. “Nobody knows but us. I have dismissed my servants. We will not be disturbed.”
Oh, dear… Why did he tell her that? Regardless, she needed to say what was on her mind and leave. Although telling her legs to move was a different story, entirely.
“It matters not. I would feel more comfortable if you put on a robe.”
“As you wish.” He picked up a robe lying on the foot of the bed and wrapped it loosely around himself, tying it at his waist, before coming to stand in front of her.
Using both hands, he cupped her face and stepped even closer. Automatically, she placed her palms on his chest to stop him. Her fingertips connected with the exposed skin and nearly seared her, sending a different kind of heat pumping in her body. His muscles were so hard, yet his skin so soft to the touch. She gasped and pulled her hands away as if he were made of hot coals. Touching him this way was detrimental to her health.
“What is it you want, Judith?”
Her mind fought an endless battle with her body. Yet giving in was not an option. Her heart would be hurt, and she couldn’t bear it.