The Last Gamble. Anabelle Bryant
the fragrance of apricots despite flowers surrounded him. The startling realization, that he would happily stay there indefinitely, awakened all sorts of marvellous ambiences and naughty thoughts. She sighed then, her generous bosom cosseted closer as if to nudge his attention and say who cares about hair, don’t forget about me. His hands curled around her shoulders, anxious to skim down her back or, more so, take down her dishevelled bun, unravel the lengths and wrap the silky strands tight in his fists. Need and want tore him down the middle. Hell, what was he thinking?
The blasted dog continued his harangue and, with a little oomph, Miss Smith attempted to rise and correct the embarrassing situation. She lifted her head and matched his gaze directly. Her eyes, brilliant blue, searched his face as a soft breeze caught a wayward strand of hair and raised it in a dance to float between them like so many intimate suggestions. He inhaled sharply and cleared his throat, hoping to vanquish the fast and furious sinful images fighting for attention inside his brain.
Mortification. Mor-ti-fi-ca-tion. Georgina was horrified. Inhaling a deep breath, she angled her head to find Mr Reese, Luke, staring at her with a question in his eyes.
‘Oh dear.’ Her voice sounded breathy. Perhaps she’d knocked the wind from her lungs. She attempted to wriggle free of his hold, for his arm encircled her back, lashing them together in an embrace both protective and warm. She heard him groan with her movement. Was she too heavy? The hard, masculine body beneath her suggested he could support her cottage without effort. Perhaps he’d become injured in the fall. She doubted it. His rugged virility insisted his hurts were inside, unsusceptible to common injury.
She watched as his eyes moved over her face and settled on her mouth where his attention hovered for what seemed like forever. What to say? She poked her tongue out to wet her lips. ‘I should get up.’
He released a low, impatient growl that reminded her of Biscuit. The short-muzzled pug seemingly sensed the same as he continued a harsh diatribe in objection to their position. Botheration, how long had she laid atop Mr Reese? She would need a minute to reason that answer out. Sadly, Biscuit proved not nearly as patient and, before Georgina could gather her wits and regain her footing, the pug barked one last protestation and sank his sharp white teeth into Mr Reese’s forearm.
‘Bloody mongrel.’
‘Oh dear.’ Georgina scooted off Mr Reese as he raised his arm with alarming speed. She stood and, after a hard shake of her skirts to regain mobility, nabbed Biscuit, deposited him in the gated yard and returned to the front of the cottage to find Mr Reese with his palm pressed over his left forearm, his expression thunderous.
‘Come inside at once.’ She pushed the door open and moved to the side, anxious to get to the kitchen where she could collect water and bandages, everything needed to clean and dress his wound. ‘I’m so sorry. I’ve never seen Biscuit behave so aggressively. I don’t understand. He’s such a friendly little dog.’
‘His mouth’s not so little.’
After that mutter, Mr Reese followed quietly, though his face screamed a variety of responses. They entered the kitchen and it was he who examined her from top to bottom. She couldn’t make heads or tails of what he might consider at the moment. His wound could only hurt like the devil.
‘Please sit down.’ She indicated a chair at the kitchen table and stepped to the sink to gather clean cloths, a bowl of water and small jar of honey. ‘When Biscuit was a puppy he sank his teeth into me a few times and I quickly learned the best dressing.’ He still hadn’t spoken and she wondered if his silence was due to the pain of the bite or an increase in anger.
She breathed a bit easier when at last he pulled out a chair and rested his left arm on the tablecloth. He set to work rolling his shirtsleeve, the exposed skin below red and angry, though she couldn’t help admire the hard muscle flexed in wait of her attention nor the sheen of raven-black hair dusted over smooth, sun-bronzed skin. As she’d suspected earlier, he wore a silver ring on his thumb, though no other rings adorned his fingers. It was a strange accessory, though she could not deny it intrigued her. Suddenly aware of the silence, she rushed out a few words.
‘Biscuit is a healthy dog. I doubt there will be any adverse complications. I’m truly sorry this happened.’ At a loss to say more she advanced to the table and leaned forward to examine his arm more closely. ‘May I clean and bandage the wound, Mr Reese?’
‘At this point I must insist you call me Luke.’ He exhaled, from frustration or another reason she could not know.
‘Well then, Luke. Let’s begin.’ She dipped the cloth into the bowl of water and washed over the swollen area. It no longer bled and, once cleaned, proved smaller and not as deep as she’d originally suspected. Perhaps because his arm was all carved muscle and virile strength. Biscuit might have chipped a tooth. Good heavens, was he this hard all over his body? The mental question shocked and her eyes flared at the meanderings of her thoughts. Colour heated her cheeks and she dropped her attention, her gaze lingering on his silver thumb ring before she forced herself to focus. ‘This shouldn’t hurt overmuch.’
‘Flesh wounds rarely do.’
Well, that was telling. The man carried a broken heart over the loss of his child. She swallowed emotion for his pain, but really, what could she ever say in reply? Realizing he perceived her reaction as concern, she attempted to ease his discomfort and set to cleaning out the puncture marks.
‘So, how long have you lived in Coventry?’
The innocuous question put her on immediate alert. ‘Not long.’ She wet another cloth and wiped away the faint smears of blood on his skin. She rather liked smoothing the cloth across his muscle. For some irrational reason, she experienced a captivating sensation inside instead of the other way around. Most likely she hadn’t calmed yet from the ridiculous series of events at the front door. Otherwise there was no way to explain how her composure seemed to quiver, for lack of a better word. ‘It’s a pleasant community.’ She glanced to where he watched her, his silver-eyed scrutiny breathtaking in the slanted light from the kitchen window. She leaned a little closer to examine her work. He leaned a little closer too. Did he not trust her to tend his wound?
The air prickled around them as if it asked for something, but she knew not what that could be.
‘You must find life here very different than London.’
The man was single-minded, but how could she blame him? He sought his stolen son. She dropped the cloth to the table and lifted the lid on the honey jar, only to pause in hesitation. How ironic that here, in Coventry, she, a single woman, sat with a bachelor man in her kitchen, a bastard as he’d proclaimed at the tearoom, with his shirtsleeve rolled as she prepared to coat his bare skin with honey, a forbidden thrill shimmying through her. While in London under the scrutiny of the ton, she would have been the biggest scandal of the season, ruined, and victim of the cut direct for merely speaking to a gentleman without a proper introduction. Never mind the honey.
‘I don’t miss London.’ She dipped her fingertip into the jar, inexplicably excited and at the same time distracted in her reply.
‘So, you’ve visited.’
She met his eyes and he looked intense, the dove-grey depth of his irises darker than before. ‘I prefer Coventry. That’s all I meant to imply.’ She needed to collect her thoughts before she lost control of her tongue. Thank heavens he’d never noticed she wore only a chemise and short stays. What kind of woman would he think her to be? A proper governess would keep her chastity secure.
‘London is only two days’ ride. You could accompany me there and be returned within a week. Of course, I would pay all expenses. I could rent a carriage for you and then, after you speak to Viscount Dursley on my behalf, you’d be free to visit with anyone you know in the city before returning to Coventry. All without cost to you. Just an investment of time. Why, I’ll even take you to The Underworld if you prefer an adventure.’ He paused before further presenting his plea. ‘I realize you have responsibilities here and earn your living in Coventry. I would generously reimburse you for any wages lost due