Page 48 of West End Earl
***
Predictably, the cook fussed and made tutting noises over Cal, with enough sideways glances toward Phee that she suspected his explanation of “a friendly bout of boxing gone awry” would entertain everyone belowstairs.
She hadn’t meant to hit him. In fact, she didn’t have a memory of doing so. After thinking over little else all day, she’d deduced that after years of being on guard, her body defended first and would ask questions later. Cal had successfully joined her in her room in London, but he had done nothing other than sleep next to her. It would take time to adjust to having a man touching her.
And she wanted him to touch her.
The sun was gone by the time a knock at the door sounded. A shiver of excitement rippled under her skin, leaving a tingle in its wake and a grin on her face. Waiting had been nerve-racking. Now that he was here, trepidation vanished and anticipation filled her. She clambered out of bed and opened the door.
Cal stood, tall and handsome as ever, but for a black eye. He’d stripped to breeches, a shirt, and boots, with his hair hanging free. Holding out two towels and his banyan, he said, “Want to go on an adventure?”
Phee leaned against the doorframe. “Am I going to get naked during this adventure?”
“God, I hope so.” His lopsided grin sent butterflies loose in her belly. “Put this on. Let’s go.”
Lifting the wide collar of the robe to her nose, she breathed deep. It smelled like him and made her wonder if any part of him would taste like gingerbread.
“This way.” He took her hand and led with confident steps through the quiet corridor, down a dark staircase, and through a door into the night.
They’d walked for several minutes through inky darkness when a subtle flash of light winked between the trees. As they stepped through the line of elms, the light flashed again as the moon overhead shone on the lake. Cal set the towels on a rock and began tugging off his boots.
“You swim, right?” he asked.
A glance over her shoulder showed the lake, placid and waiting, reflecting moonlight. “I haven’t in years.”
Her meaning didn’t take long to sink in. He slumped over. “Hell and blast, of course, you’d avoid lakes and such after what happened. I’m sorry.”
She touched his shoulder gently to stop his self-flagellation. The silvery light off the water held her attention. “Just give me a minute.”
This was the closest she’d been to any body of water besides the Thames since the accident. Since she lived in London, the river was nigh unavoidable, so she’d gotten used to it. Besides, the stench of the Thames, with its floating layer of disgusting debris from humanity, was a far cry from this serene scene. This resembled the pond in Northumberland.
The pond had been the place where her entire plan had been born. The one she’d clung to for years meant boarding a great ship and crossing an ocean, bound for a new life. She and Adam had created that plan, and it had always felt imperative to see it through for him. If she didn’t get over this aversion to water, the crossing to America or the Continent would be utter hell. But given the new relationship with Cal, would she even get that far? She might never have to face the Atlantic, and frankly, she didn’t know how to feel about that. With him sitting so close, that sea voyage seemed further away than ever. A problem for another day.
Phee cleared her throat. “I can manage a swim. If you’d wanted to row out there, it would be a different story. No small boats. Not after Adam.” Not after she’d pushed him and sent him toppling. Phee shoved the thought down. “The water looks inviting. Let’s do it.”
Cal studied her but didn’t move otherwise. “You’re sure?”
She nodded, toeing off her shoes.
“If that’s the case, then strip.” With a wink, he pulled off his shirt, letting it billow onto the ground, then stood and unbuttoned his breeches.
Not to be outdone, Phee dredged up her earlier excitement and bravado from this afternoon, when she’d thought nothing of sitting in front of him nearly undressed. That bold, confident version of herself was someone she longed to be all the time. So she let the banyan join his clothes on the ground and fingered the hem of her nightshirt as she stared at him.
Lordy, his kind of beauty shouldn’t be available to mere mortals. Yet he stood, immobile, looking at her too. Really looking. Not glancing over to give his usual flippant comment, then going about his merry way. No, Cal’s gaze was nothing short of hot. Hungry enough to light an answering fire within her.
Phee quirked a smile. The lake water would probably sizzle when it hit their skin from the heat of his expression alone. “No one’s ever looked at me like you are right now.”
“Then they’ve never really seen you. If you’re more comfortable with the shirt, then leave it on. Once it gets wet, it will be sheer anyway,” he teased, holding out a hand.
Phee inched the hem higher on her legs, enjoying how his gaze focused on each new inch of skin. There was nowhere she’d rather be, and no one else she’d choose to share this night with. It might take time to get comfortable being naked with him, but even as Cal stood before her so confidently, he didn’t push beyond what she wanted to give. With a deep breath, she drew the shirt over her head and let it fall to the ground.
***
Cool water lapped at his ankles, the silty bottom squishing beneath his toes as he led her into the lake. Every time he came home to Lakeview, he swam. It had become his private ritual over the years, and bringing Phee along tonight felt right. They stopped when the water reached her breasts, and the rhythmic waves against her body entranced him. He wanted to kiss right there, where the water made her skin wet and shiny like a pearl.
“Did you swim here as a boy?” she asked, distracting him from the sight she made.
“No.” He shook his head. “I won Lakeview in a game of cards during my misspent youth. Maybe that’s why it’s my favorite property. Father has never visited, and Mother was already dead.”
