Page 65 of The Trouble with Tigers
She lowered her lashes, lest he see the sharp disappointment swamping her. “I should get back to the manse.”
“I’ll walk with you.”
She nodded. He gestured for her to precede him out of the garden, and her gaze skimmed over him, pausing at his bare throat. No cravat? For that matter, no coat jacket. She hadn’t noticed his odd state of dress until this moment, preoccupied as she’d been with more pressing matters.
He wore his shirtsleeves with the arms rolled up to his elbows and his waistcoat partially unbuttoned. Strange he should be wandering the estate in such a state ofdishabille. It looked as if he’d dashed from a burning building.
“Zeke, how did you happen to be out here, a good mile from the house, at precisely the same moment as Garrick and I?”
Chapter Fifteen
Zeke wasn’t precisely sure how to answer Kitty’s question. How he'd ended up at the hidden garden at precisely the moment she needed him was simple, but also complicated.
He couldn’t tell her how, for two days, he’d set out to avoid her. Ever since he’d made the grievous mistake of kissing her again, in fact.
Today, he’d been at his desk in an upstairs study reviewing a property prospectus. Repeatedly. He hadn’t been able to focus. Truth be told, his mind kept straying—to Kitty. He couldn’t tell her that, either.
Then, something outside caught his eye. A splash of robin’s egg blue on the lawn. Without even looking, something inside him told him it was Kitty.
He damn sure couldn’t tell her that.
He'd set aside the ledger, looked out the large bay window, and spotted Kitty traipsing along the famous Chissington Hall walking path in a frothy, powder blue gown—an unlikely walking dress if he ever saw one.
He followed her progress longer than he should, something he’d never dare admit, imagining what she thought when she spied the gardens, brooks, bridges, and fountains he’d seen a million times, and wishing he were there with her to experience her first time, first-hand. When she disappeared from sight, he started to turn back to his work.
Then he saw James, heading in the same direction.
He didn’t exactly remember what happened after that. One minute he was at his desk, the next he bounded down the stairs, through the manse, and across the portico, practically deafened by the sound of blood rushing in his ears.
He’d known exactly where he’d find them. No way would Kitty be able to resist visiting the secret garden, and her bastard guardian would take full advantage.
The muted sounds of a scuffle coming from within the private courtyard infused him with bloodlust unlike anything he'd ever known. He still suffered the aftershocks.
He had no recollection of passing through the concealed entrance.
Unfortunately the image of Kitty, trapped beneath the animal she called cousin, would likely haunt him forever.
“Zeke?”
“Mmm?” he murmured, buying time to calm his tempestuous emotions.
“I asked how you happened to be on the same path as Garrick and I?”
Yes, she had, and he wasn’t about to tell her the truth. “I often stroll the path.”
“I…see.” She didn’t press, which was decidedly unlike her.
Zeke slanted her a curious glance.
She gazed straight ahead, her arms clasped behind her back. Her usually porcelain complexion glowed a becoming shade of pink either from exertion, or her recent altercation, or both.
Her ebony hair, caught in a ribbon at her nape, gleamed blue-black in the shafts of sunlight stealing through the thick foliage surrounding them. The length of it reached nearly to her waist, and swung side to side with every step she took.
He liked the look of her lustrous, dark mane. Liked that she usually wore it down. Liked the feel of it sifting through his fingers. An image the glossy mass fanned over pristine white sheets appeared in his mind.
The simmering lust he’d done his best to tamp down this past week exploded into a full boil—and he couldn’t do a damned thing to assuage the hunger. He swallowed a groan and cursed himself, but fool that he was, didn’t look away. She thought he didn’t like her? He liked her too much. It was damned inconvenient.
Beside him, her pace slowed to a crawl. She started examining her clothing. “You’re staring. Am I covered with dirt?”
