Page 84 of Hush Darling

“That’s it.” He cupped the back of her head, pressing her lower. “Relax your jaw.”

When she did as he instructed, he flexed his hips, bumping the back of her throat, then let go of her. She looked up at him in astonishment, her full lips parted as if hungry for more.

He stroked her cheek and grinned. “We’ll do more of that later. For now, you need to rest.”

“But—”

“Later.” He pulled her back to his chest, desiring that unfamiliar intimacy more than anything else at the moment. He allowed himself this unique second of desire, knowing it wouldn’t last forever.

He’d never slept beside anyone—save his brother—and that was before the orphanage. The novelty of sleeping beside a woman left him far from at ease, but the longer she curled into him, the more his guard came down, and he wanted to stay there, wrapped in her softness, listening to her breathe.

She nestled into his chest, her warm little body a constant source of comfort. It became hard to swallow as he stroked his hand slowly up and down her arm.

His eyes grew heavy, and he briefly thought about the unattended weapons on the dresser. He could warn her, but he didn’t want to. He wanted to test the theory that he could trust her enough not to leave the bed.

Unfortunately, when he awoke, she was gone.

Chapter 14

The Place Between Dreaming and Awake

Stretching his hand across the sheet, James found the bed cold and bolted upright.

“You’re awake.”

His heart hammered, then immediately calmed as his eyes found her. She was washed and wearing one of his black dress shirts. Her hair was twisted into a sexy little bun on top of her head.

“You had a bath?”

“Gideon—I mean, Gentleman Starr—came by to ask if we needed anything. I hope you don’t mind. I asked for the bath and for them to send up supper.”

“Supper?” He looked at the port window, shocked that it was nearly dusk. How had he slept through all of that?

“There’s a hot kettle by the fire and fresh water in the tub for you. I wasn’t sure if you’d want to eat first.”

He glanced at the tub. Tendrils of steam rose into the air. He thought of all the years he’d plunged into frigid water at the orphanage, stunned that she would do something so thoughtful as to keep the water for his bath warm.

“Thank you.”

She smiled and stumbled over a bashful, “Y-you’re welcome.” Blushing, she averted her gaze and wrung her folded hands. “So, which will it be, food or a bath first?”

At the moment, he wanted to devour her, but he wasn’t sure he could eat with this lump trapped in his throat. “Bath, I think.”

“Perfect.” She set a folded towel over the ledge of the tub and sat on a short stool. “Come on then.”

He had the strangest sensation he was being set up. Scanning the room, he looked for signs of trouble. Not only were there no signals of danger, it looked as though she’d been busy. His quarters were spotless.

“Did you tidy up?”

“A little. I was bored.” And now she was being shy.

Climbing out of the bed, he stretched and stilled when her eyes widened. She quickly looked down as her blush darkened.

“No point in modesty, now, darling. I’ve been inside of you every possible way a man can.”

She kept her gaze averted, but he spotted the twitch of a smile. As he stepped into the tub, he caught her taking a peek at him.

“Look your fill. I have no shame.”