Page 20 of Nobody's Angel
He had to make tomorrow special for her.
It would be their last day together.
He was going to leave a day sooner than planned.
Lettie just didn’t know it yet.
Chapter Six
“Goodnight, dear ones,”Frances said, making her way to the stairs soon after they’d all entered the house. “I do hope this storm passes quickly. We’ve had such awful weather these past few weeks, one would think we’d angered the heavens!” As though to prove her point, a particularly strong gust rattled the windows with enough force to break them, or so it appeared to Brynne.
Frances paled and put a hand to her heart. “Goodness! They’re angry indeed! This mix of damp and cold isn’t doing much good for my old bones or my tender joints. They’re quite stiff and aching.”
“Shall I get you a warm compress?” Lettie offered, regarding Frances with concern.
“No, dear. I shall manage once I’m in bed. My maid knows to put a warming brick between the sheets. Its gentle heat should ease this old body of mine.” Another gust, even stronger, rattled the house. Frances glanced upward in alarm. “I’m glad we’re safely home. I hope the others made it safely to their homes as well.”
“I’m sure they did,” Brynne assured her. “Most guests left earlier than we, and none of them live very far from the de Wolfe estate.”
“You’re right, of course.” Frances smiled at him, hugged Lettie, and then climbed the stairs as fast as her tired legs would carry her.
Lettie stared after her until she disappeared from view and only then did she turn to Brynne. Her expression reminded himof an adorably confused kitten. She began to nibble her lower lip, causing it to swell lightly and flush. His heart caught in his throat as it had about a hundred times today. “What’s wrong? Are you worried about Frances?”
She also looked sexy as hell with that little pout to her lips, and her eyes were dusky with fatigue, giving her a ‘take me to bed’ look that shot his body temperature through the ceiling.
“I don’t understand,” she said softly, resting her hand upon the newel post, unaware of his turmoil.
He waited for her to continue, for she seemed to have something worrisome on her mind that she wished to talk through with him. She was obviously tired, contemplating whether or not to leave the discussion until morning while she headed upstairs to the warmth of her bed.
Brynne closed his eyes a moment and silently groaned as the image of Lettie inhisbed, her red hair flowing over her pale shoulders, wearing nothing but a loosely draped sheet around her body, came to mind. “What don’t you understand, Lettie?”
Something was troubling her and he didn’t want her having bad dreams over it.
She sighed another one of those breathy, kitten sighs. “We’re so close, Brynne. I feel it in my heart.”
“Come into the parlor with me. Let’s talk.” He took her by the hand and led her to the parlor, glad when she made no protest. The feel of her soft fingers against his rough palm sent his body temperature soaring through the roof once more.
All the more reason to leave as soon as possible.
His control was slipping, his desire for Lettie growing unbearable. He had to leave before he lost his senses and gave in to the dangerous desire he knew they both felt. That’s what made resisting her so hard, for Lettie had a passionate nature and would consent to anything he wanted.
What he wanted was to keep her safe from scoundrels with no prospects, such as himself.
Still, he sought her out and ached for a little more time with the girl, one more night. One more week. One lifetime. Even that wasn’t enough.
No, he had to leave tomorrow. Valiant had regained his strength, and this storm would be done by tomorrow morning. A fast moving turbulence such as this one would blow out just as fast as it blew in. The roads would not be passable at first, but a few hours of sunshine after the storm had run its course would go a long way to clearing them. He’d make decent time, especially if he were to ride on horseback.
They entered the parlor and Lettie surprised him by settling on the floor beside the fading fire that still emitted enough heat to warm one’s body if one sat close. She positioned herself so that her feet were closest to the fire.
She looked so beautiful by firelight, even when exhausted. Her eyes had a slight droop at the corners that gave them an exotic allure and her shimmering gown seemed to cling a little tighter to each spectacular curve of her slender body.
Had he been thinking with his brain instead of his hardening rod, he would have bid her goodnight and wiped his brow in relief that he’d avoided the call of temptation. But there was something about the powerful force of the storm that heightened his restlessness and made him heedless of the dangerous desires that simmered within his heart.
He wanted her.
But he’d long resisted the urge to sweep her into his arms and claim her as his. He could resist for one more night, no matter how badly he ached to hold Lettie in his embrace and feel the lavender heat of her skin against his body.
She smiled up at him as he approached. “Come sit beside me, Brynne. We don’t need to bother with chairs. This is much cozier.”
