Page 33 of A Duke for Stealing
He looked to Rose with a brow raised, and she only shook her head; still obviously flustered over what she’d just touched.
“Perhaps another time, girls,” he replied, pulling out his pocket watch to check the time. “It is well past your bedtime, I see. Why do you two not run along upstairs? I am sure your nurse is wondering where you are.”
“Oh, do let us stay up for one more game,” Diana pleaded.
Rose snatched his pocket watch from his hand and gasped as she read the time.
“No girls,” she replied, “Your uncle is correct. We should have gotten ready for bed an hour ago. However, I promise we will play again soon.”
“Aww,” both girls whined.
Everett opened his mouth to tell them to retire, but stopped himself as Rose went down to their level and put a hand on each of their shoulders.
“We had a wonderful evening, did we not?” She asked.
Though both girls were still frowning, they nodded.
“And we will have another,” Rose went on, her tone calm but firm. “For now, though, it is time for bed. Run along up, and if you are both in your night gowns and in bed by the time I come to check on you, I promise that I will read to you again.”
Everett watched as both girls’ frowns disappeared, and their eyes lit up.
“Good night!” They both called, then raced out of the room.
For a moment, as the girls left them alone, Rose and Everett simply stood before one another, unsure of what to do next.
Lovely crown,” Everett remarked.
Rose glared at him as she snatched it off her head and tossed it on the table, not responding.
“You are good with them,” Everett remarked.
“And you are a cad,” Rose replied, her tone dry. She took the blindfold and whacked him again, making him chuckle as he glanced away from the blow. “You should have said something.”
“It is you who confused me for a piece of furniture,” he teased, following her to the littered table of cups and plates. “Tell me, do you truly find my muscles that hard and impressive?”
Rose threw him a side glance as she busied her hands with gathering the paper crowns; her back turned to him.
“I am certain I did not say that,” she replied over her shoulder.
“Well, if your hand had gone any lower, you certainly would have,” Everett teased.
Pleasure coursed through him as he watched her shoulder twitch and her back undulate. He pictured that undulation pushing into him; her derrière brushing up and down against his already engorged. The very idea made his mouth water.
“I will not entertain talk like that,” Rose said, interrupting his daydream. “Now, pray, why are you here? I very much doubt it was to join our games.”
She twitched again, the movement not at all as sensual as it was before, and her hand came up to her shoulder. Everett’s brows furrowed slightly as he watched her tug the edge of her sleeve that lay against her shoulder, revealing a small line of redness where the seams met her flesh.
“Is something wrong with your gown?” He asked, ignoring her demand.
Still turned away from, Rose shook her head.
“It is nothing,” she sighed, then moved her hand to her other shoulder to make the same adjustment. The same red lineappeared as she moved the bit of fabric, and he caught another around the back of her neck.
“It is not nothing,” Everett stated, taking a step toward her. “It is making you uncomfortable.”
“It is just these cheap fabrics,” Rose answered, a tinge of frustration in her voice. “They are not the most comfortable.”
Everett raised a curious brow. He’d never studied Rose’s clothes very much. From a distance, they looked as fine as every other lady’s. Yet with another step closer and a more thorough examination, he began to see the difference. Thicker thread that frayed, no doubt causing the itchiness she was experiencing. Tighter lines, too. There was no give to the gown, so instead of flowing around her, it clenched her tightly. Very much like the dresses peasants wore.
