Page 9 of Their Brazen Countess
Linc’s cock twitched, but he willed it to settle down. He needed to take his cues from Arthur.
With the chairs put in place, the pair sat and waited for most of the day, eventually eating the lunch Arthur’s housekeeper had prepared for them. But again, Jo did not appear.
Worry trickled through Linc’s mind. He was apprehensive about Jo’s absence, and about Arthur who was ignoring the obvious attraction between them.
On the third day, they walked to the hut once again as Arthur looked at Linc. “Do you think she’ll come?”
Linc considered all the reasons she might have stayed away. The possibilities ranged from her having regrets about their interlude to far more nefarious options such as someone holding her against her will. After the way Stone and Cooper had met their wives, it seemed possible there was more at play than a simple case of feminine doubts.
But then, reading about being with two men and actually doing something of that nature were two entirely different things.
“I don’t know. She seemed confident enough the other day, but it is hard to say what influences may have taken hold since then. I would suggest that if she does not appear today, we consider paying a neighborly visit to her parents’ home.”
“It seems as though she would prefer to keep our existence private at the moment,” Arthur mused aloud. “And to be honest, I don’t know her family terribly well. My parent’s had a cordial relationship with them and an agreement about the boundaries. But, we so rarely came to Dunmere Manor that Emily and I never met them, though I do hope she comes to us.”
Linc clapped Arthur on the shoulder, appreciating the roundness of the packed muscle he found there. “As do I.”
They arrived at the hut to find it devoid of their Wood Sprite, which was not surprising since it was still morning. The snow had grown thinner on the ground after melting the last two days and the sun was shining once again.
Linc decided to take that as a good omen. “Arthur, why don’t you chop us more firewood? I assume you remember how to do it. I’ll see to things in here.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, of course I remember how. How do you think I kept the house warm when things were tight for Emily and me? Besides, the activity will help pass the time until she arrives.” Arthur shed his coat and jacket, then rolled up his shirt sleeves before heading outside.
Linc set about starting a fire, unpacking their food for the day, and attempted to make the bed with the fresh sheets they’d brought from the Manor. Sadly, his domestic skills were lacking, so it took more than one failed attempt to start a fire and make a bed, but in the end he was successful.
Perhaps an hour had passed when he finally stepped outside to check on Arthur. To his dismay, he found the man standing shirtless and glistening in the sunshine, ax raised. He let the blade fly as it sliced through the hunk of wood waiting to be split. It had grown harder and harder to ignore the changes in the man’s physique since they’d rescued Arthur from his debauched ways. His body had grown leaner, losing the softness that came with a hedonistic yet sedentary lifestyle. Watching him split wood truly brought that home in a cock-hardening fashion.
Linc cleared his throat. “No sign of Jo yet?”
Arthur shook his head. “Nothing. But I do have quite a bit of wood stockpiled.”
Linc cast a glance over at the hefty pile near the door. “Indeed. Perhaps you should come inside and clean up. We can eat lunch and then decide what to do next if she hasn’t arrived by then.”
“Very well. I’ll be along in a moment.” Arthur placed another piece of wood on the block, raised the ax, and let it fly.
Though he could have sat and watched all day, Linc somehow managed to tear himself away and walk inside.
Not long after, Arthur joined him, freshened up. “I found a barrel of water around the side of the hut. It was cold, but clean enough for a light bath.”
Linc nodded. “I wasn’t complaining about the sweat, but I appreciate the effort. I’m sure Jo will too, if she comes.”
Arthur’s gaze dropped to the floor. “I’m worried we scared her away.”
“I thought that was a possibility as well at first, but then I realized that a woman who was reading Pleasant Polly and the One Thousand and One Nights isn’t going to scare that easily. Something or someone is keeping her away. I think the question is, who or what is it?”
At that very moment, the door of the hut swung open and Jo walked in like a breath of sunshine. “Oh! I’m so glad you are here!” She slipped off her cloak and hung it on a peg, turning to face them where they stood, both somewhat frozen in shock at the suddenness of her arrival. “I am truly sorry I couldn’t get here any sooner. I was tied up at the house helping my Mother with a few things.”
Linc threw off the shock of seeing her first and stepped forward, taking her in his arms. “We were terribly worried about you.”
“I’m very sorry, I did not mean to worry you. My mother insisted I help her clean and inventory the linen and silver closets. My father refuses to pay for enough staff to see to such things. My sister Becca often helps her with these things, but she is off visiting our cousins in London, shopping quite happily.”
There were shadows in her gaze that suggested more was afoot than mere shopping, but Linc was unwilling to push her too quickly. For some, physical intimacy came much easier than emotional intimacy, and he dared not push a boundary she was not ready to let them cross. He refused to stop and consider how easily he had fallen into thinking of himself and Arthur as a unit. They were athem, no longer two separate entities.
“The important thing is that you are here now. Right Arthur?”
“Yes!” The other man finally seemed to shake his stupor off. “You’re here, and you can finally see the improvements we’ve made in your absence.”
“Indeed! I see you two have been very busy. It looks almost homely in here.” She grinned at them both, even as she stepped out of Linc’s arms and moved over to Arthur. “Hello.”
