Page 23 of A Little Bit Dangerous
Miss Lawton shook her head. “I’ve no friends in town.”
“That’s not true, dear. Christian risks his brother’s wrath by bringing you here. He must consider you a good friend indeed.”
Mrs Maloney made him sound like a saint when his motives were downright sinful. He told himself he couldn’t see Miss Lawton suffer. In truth, he couldn’t shake this damnable attraction.
He’d take her as his mistress in a heartbeat.
Yet he’d not insult her by making the lewd suggestion.
“Christian will show you the way while I make us some tea. The room is clean. I’d not have those boys sleeping in a dusty bed.” They weren’t boys anymore, but Mrs Maloney liked to maintain the illusion.
Christian kissed the woman on the cheek. “There’ll be a golden chaise waiting for you in heaven, with a host of angels ready to feed you grapes.”
The woman smiled. “I’d rather a pokey room in Lime Street with five filthy scamps for company. Now, take Miss Lawton upstairs. I’ll have the tea ready when you return.”
Miss Lawton didn’t speak as Christian led the way up the narrow staircase. His mind was full of memories of the past, his heart too full of gratitude to make polite conversation.
He opened the door to the modest room and stepped back to allow Miss Lawton to enter. She glanced at the sparse furnishings, noticed a book beside the candlestick on the nightstand, and smiled.
“I cannot thank you enough, Mr Chance. This will be perfect for the time being. And Mrs Maloney is the kindest, gentlest soul. I’m sure to feel safe here.”
Christian snorted. “Don’t let that soft voice fool you. She can be a tyrant when the need arises.”
Get me water and a needle and thread. If I don’t stitch Aaron’s wound tonight, he might not wake in the morning. Move! There’s no time to dally.
Christian shook his head to clear his thoughts. He should offer Miss Lawton every reassurance, but he’d not been in this room for years, and the sudden deluge of voices and images squeezed the air from his lungs.
Feeling slightly dizzy, he sat on the edge of the bed. Nausea roiled in his stomach. This room had been his worst nightmare and the answer to his prayers.
Miss Lawton surely felt the same because she approached him and laid her light hand on his shoulder. “I can see it’s all too much for you. Wait downstairs, and I’ll be along in a moment.”
Heat radiated from her palm to relax his tense muscles. People said he had the strength of Achilles. Yet the past was like an arrow he’d failed to see. A barbed tip piercing his heart, not his heel.
“I understand what it’s like to be a child and have your world turned upside down.” Miss Lawton brushed a lock of hair from his brow to comfort him, yet desire tugged deep in his abdomen. “As adults, we do our damnedest not to dwell on the past. Sometimes the memories catch us unawares and it’s like we’re ten years old again.”
Christian looked up at her. He wasn’t thinking of anything but the present moment and the undeniable urge to kiss her.
He stood slowly, his body brushing against hers as he pushed to his feet. Being a keen detective, she noticed the hitch in his breath, surely felt the energy around them thrumming with barely contained lust.
She laid a hand on his chest to stall him. “Desperate people do desperate things. Lonely people make foolish mistakes. You should return to the bookshop before you do something you’ll regret.”
It was sensible advice, but he’d not listened to reason since locking eyes with her in the museum’s basement. “I could play the seducer, tell you I’m falling apart and need your help to banish the ghosts. But the bare truth of it remains. I’ve thought about kissing you since I tied a parcel of biscuits to the tree sixteen years ago.”
She swallowed hard. “No good can come of it.”
“You’re right. When I leave here today, I doubt I’ll see you again.” Gibbs would take her to visit Daventry. Being in this room confirmed Christian could not betray his brother. “I’ll always regret never knowing the taste of your lips.” He dared to reach for a stray curl and tuck it behind her ear.
Water pooled in her eyes. Her throat worked tirelessly as she fought to muster a reply. Her reply was unexpected.
She stretched up and brushed her mouth against his. Soft. Gentle. “Thank you for the biscuits. Thank you for being kind enough to send food and risking your brother’s wrath in letting me stay here. I’ll never forget it. I’ll never forget you.”
So this was goodbye.
The thought wrought havoc with his insides.
Something stopped him from letting go.
“I don’t want you to kiss me out of gratitude. I want you to kiss me because it’s the only thing you’re compelled to do. I want you to be yourself with me.”
