Page 42 of Heart of Iron
By the time he had a healthy blaze crackling in the hearth she’d returned.He heard the swish of skirts from down the hall, and the scent of hot roast beef filled the air.Saliva flooded his mouth and he intercepted her at the door, his gaze intent on the heavy tray in her hands.
“Here,” he muttered, taking it from her.
Lena’s gaze strayed to the fire.She crossed to it, holding out her pale hands.“Mrs.Wade is recovering.She claims she’ll be along in a moment.”A wry twist of the lips.“I don’t think she trusts you alone with my maidenly sensibilities.”
Warmth crinkled the edges of her eyes.Will slowly put the tray on a small reading table.A smarter woman than he’d given her credit for, Mrs.Wade.
“Are you hungry?”he asked.The scent of beef drew him to the tray.Will lifted the lid and examined the plate.Esme’s roasted beef with gallons of gravy and thick bread and drippings.
“Not particularly.”
He balanced the plate on his lap and ate with relish.Far better fare than he was used to these days.
Lena took her seat opposite him, sweeping her skirts to the side.She poured them both tea then fetched a plate of spice cake for herself.Though her soft hum mingled with the comforting chink of silverware, a hint of tension rode the air, heavy as silence.Lena’s lashes fluttered against her cheeks as she stole a glance at him, then looked swiftly away.
It had been like this for a year.Ever since that day she’d crawled onto his lap, fluttered her lashes at him, and then pressed her lips against his.
Right there, on that bloody sofa beside them.
He glared at the embroidered cushions.His first kiss and it had been a bloody fiasco from start to finish.Once the shock of it had pierced his brain, he hadn’t been able to get away fast enough.Her lips, like silk against his, wet and lush.Then the dart of her tongue as she licked at him, daring him to kiss her back.Somehow his fist had clenched in her skirts.The other hand was half-lifted, about to capture the back of her neck and tug her closer before he even realized what was happening.
Then he was on his feet, Lena tumbling back onto the cushions, her eyes wide and startled and her green skirts spilling around her.A glimpse of her ankles, the stockinged calves tempting him to explore further.Little hammer-strikes of vision flashing at him.Moments of movement where he wasn’t even aware of having done it.
Dangerous.He’d only ever lost control—lost time—once.That she could do it to him so easily frightened him more than an entire army of metaljackets.
If he lost control, if he hurt her, if he infected her…he’d never forgive himself.
“First lesson,” she said, her soft voice intruding into his thoughts, “is that a gentleman doesn’t stare at a lady quite so…so boldly.”
Heat spilled through her cheeks as his vision came into focus.Hehadbeen staring at her.Like a desperate fool.Remembering that kiss.Remembering the taste of her mouth.
Looking down, he stabbed a piece of beef with his fork.“How’s your friend?”he asked.“The blond girl.”
Lena broke off a tiny piece of cake with her fork.“Adele?I called on her this morning.Her parents have put about word that’s she’s taken ill—at least until the mark fades.”
A blue blood’s saliva hastened the healing process, but he’d seen enough scars in his time to know they didn’t always vanish completely.Indeed, if he weren’t verwulfen, his own throat would look like a train track.
“D’you think it will?”
“I took her some salve.Something Leo uses for his thralls.”Fidgeting with her fork, she asked, “Do you think Cavendish will keep his mouth shut?”
“He will if he wants to keep breathin’.”
“You can’t simply go around threatening blue bloods, Will.It might work here in the rookery, but you’ll be in their world and you must learn to play by their rules.”
“Tell me you didn’t enjoy it.”He put his empty plate aside and leaned back in his chair, sinking into the soft upholstery.
“That’s beside the point.Of course I enjoyed seeing him get his just deserts.The man’s a bully and a toady.He ambushes young women in secluded corners and forces himself on them.There’s no ruin to him or his reputation.”Her face darkened.“Only to us.”
“Us?”
Lena’s cheeks paled.“A poor choice of words.I meant the young women of the Echelon.He’s never made any overt threat against me before.”
“But if he does, you’ll tell me?”
Lena looked him directly in the eye.And lied.“Of course.”
“Lena,” he warned, finding his feet.
