“You played quite well.”
“A rematch in the future, then.” She didn’t catch herself before allowing the words to escape.
“I’d like that very much,” Niles responded noncommittally. Would he really, or was he simply being kind? She was his employer, after all, she reminded herself for the hundredth time that day.
“You don’t have to.”
But he’d reached across the board to take her hand in his. “Eve. This.” He waved his other hand between the two of them. “Is not business.”
No. It was not.
The day had passed almost without her notice. She’d been so intent upon this man. On the sensations he evoked each time he touched her, whether he’d taken her arm, or placed his hand upon the small of her back.
“Would you mind if I took some private time to dress for dinner?” The innkeeper’s wife had managed to locate another gown for Eve to wear. It was, of course, not nearly as finely made as any of Eve’s other gowns, but it was fresh, clean, and the right size.
She’d like to appear her best when they dined together.
Her question gave away some of her feelings. Niles squeezed her hand. The look on his face held promises for the evening, perhaps for the night, ahead.
“I’ll be counting the minutes.”
CHAPTER TEN
Romance
After watching her disappear up the stairway, Niles lowered himself onto a bench in the taproom and ordered a strong drink. Whiskey. A newspaper’s headlines caught his attention as it lay on the table before him.
A ship had sunk off the southern coast last month. The Estonia. He’d have read more but could barely see straight for the discomfort each breath caused him. Niles had not invested in its cargo. The temptation had been strong, but he’d had a feeling… A few of his associates had thrown their money down. Poor fellows.
He ordered a second shot. A double this time.
Right now, she was dressing for him. Just a few short days ago, the thought would have been unimaginable.
She’d not contradicted his statement that what was happening between the two of them had nothing to do with business.
She’s been flirting with me.
The evening ahead stretched into what ought to promise an abundance of pleasure.
He’d spent the entire afternoon in her presence, and already anticipated her return. He suspected she felt the same. Surely, he was not mistaken.
The tension had been building between them all day. They would draw it out even further, over their meal.
And after.
He would take his time with her. Undressing her slowly, revealing her skin inch by inch. And then he would taste all of her before settling himself between her legs.
Damn. This could only lead to trouble.
He groaned, turned sideways, stretched out along the bench, and closed his eyes.
Breathing hurt a little less in this position.
“Niles.” He opened his eyes to a concerned looking Eve staring down at him. “Why didn’t you say something? You’re in pain, aren’t you? I feel horrible, keeping you out and about all day.”
Had he really fallen asleep?
He refused to endure any more pity from her. Not with this one night left alone for the two of them. “I’m fine. Just resting my eyes.” Ignoring the stabbing sensations, he rose and bowed over her hand. “For which you’re a vision this evening.”
She eyed him suspiciously, but also blushed at his compliment. “You are certain?”
He laughed. Niles had endured far greater pain in his life. He’d been much younger, of course, and he couldn’t quite remember when exactly, but he must have experienced worse pain than this at some point.
He winged an elbow and led her to the most private table in the room, set near the fireplace, too small for more than two people.
She’d pinned her hair up, but not too severe. A few curling tendrils fell softly around her face.
And her gown, although simply made, enhanced her subtle beauty. She’d always looked beautiful to him. In the past, her gaze had been friendly enough, but she’d kept herself reserved.
Tonight, her eyes glowed with a sensual light. As though she too savored the promise of what lay ahead.
“I’m famished,” she announced as he held her chair.
“Getting thrashed at the game of chess tends to do that to a person.” He enjoyed teasing her. She hadn’t been teased nearly enough.
“Oh you!” She waved a napkin at him. “Distracting me at every turn.”
“Wasn’t I,” he contradicted, “who provided the greatest distraction.”
The meal passed in a blur of flirtation and seductive glances. When he would think back on it later, he would have no memory as to what had been served.
He’d remember the lady and the wine. The latter of which he’d managed to slip a few swigs of whiskey in between.
He’d remember the anticipation building.
The sensations invoked as their inhibitions disappeared.
She spoke of some of the dreams she’d had as a girl. She’d wanted security. Children.
A kind husband.
She hadn’t expected a loving husband or a handsome husband. Her only requirement had been that he be kind.
In turn, he told her of the land he’d always wanted to purchase along the southern coast. He owned it now and had commissioned the construction of a practical home.
“Oh, but how wonderful for you!” She’d not been impressed, it seemed, so much as happy for him. “When will you live there? You aren’t going to retire anytime soon, are you?”
In fact, he had. He responded noncommittally, remembering to whom he was speaking.
But then she’d announced that he’d have to take her there to inspect it. Her and her girls, she’d corrected.
Most of his dreams, he realized in that moment, had come true. He’d stopped dreaming extravagantly the day Lady Katherine announced her betrothal to her viscount.
Eve asked about the landscaping, the furnishings, and deigned to make a few suggestions. He could almost imagine her making his house into a home.
Both their tongues had been considerably loosened. Every empty silence filled with expectancy.
By the time they climbed the stairs to their chamber, the energy in the air sparked between them.
“Goodnight Mrs. Waverly ma’am, sir.” The innkeeper’s wife nodded at them in the corridor. They’d easily passed themselves off as husband and wife. Niles didn’t remember stating such a falsehood, perhaps Eve had.
He liked that about her. That she was willing to do what she had to for the greater good.
He held the door wide and watched her walk into their chamber. She wasn’t acting coy. She hadn’t asked him to wait downstairs while she prepared for the night.
Ah, no. Tonight would be theirs.
He just may have consumed enough spirits to quiet the pain in his ribs. He could do this.
He would do this.
With his back to her, he locked the door and allowed himself a tight wince before quickly replacing it with emotions he’d rather have her see. Appreciation. Desire. Lust.
All of which coursed through him at an alarming rate.
She stood in the middle of the room, arms wrapped around her front. She appeared shy and uncertain now that they were alone again.
He’d not give her a chance to shut him out. “God, you look beautiful.”
“Are you certain?” Hesitancy laced her voice, but anticipation lit her gaze. “I’m not unaware that you’re in pain today.”
In three long strides, he held her in his arms. “Does this seem uncertain to you?” He’d have liked to scoop her up and carry her to the bed, but even with the greatest resolve, he didn’t think it possible. Instead, he walked her backwards until they both fell onto the mattress.
Oh, hell. Why had he done that? He covered his shallow breaths with a few chuckles.
Because she was laughing now.
Laughing and lying beneath him.
Careful to keep most of his weight off her, he reached one hand to untie his cravat. “Are you certain?” He needed to ask her this. “You’ve suffered a loss.” At her raised brows, he conceded “Not a great one, but a loss nonetheless.”
Slim arms wound themselves around his neck, pulling him down.
Pain.
But this was Eve, and he’d make love to her… this once.
“I’ve wanted to do this for so long.” He confessed the words against her lips. Perhaps he ought to have kept the sentiments to himself, but—
“Don’t wait any longer,” she commanded, equally breathless. Her hands finished untying the sloppy knot at his neck and then worked his shirt out of his breeches and over his head.
An amazingly efficient woman. Damned if he would complain.
While his ribs protested, he turned his mind to her lips, her breasts, her thighs… In a frenzy, they undressed one another with a familiarity as though they’d been doing it for years.
Except their passion was new. Burning and fresh.
As was the stabbing pain in his side and chest.
Niles had managed somehow to remove all her clothing before dropping his face into the curve of her neck. “Eve.” He could not have imagined the combination of nervousness and anticipation he’d feel with her.
And a level of trepidation. He wasn’t exactly at his best this evening.
But this was Eve.
When he lifted himself to hover over her again, something thick seemed to lodge itself in his throat. The trust behind her gaze slayed him.
She was not a young girl in her twenties. She was a woman. A mother. She’d been a longsuffering wife.
And yet she could somehow trust him.
“I’m so glad it’s you.” She murmured the words as his mouth found the pulse in her neck again. “Niles.”
“Eve.” All he could manage was her name. And yet, it was everything. She was everything. Giver of life. Temptress. Her namesake had led to the fall of man. Would she lead to his own demise? He wondered vaguely that his heart might be obliterated completely by the time this, whatever it was, ran its course.
He didn’t care.
He pressed against her core. So wet for him. Legs wrapped around his thighs, ready to pull him closer.
If only each breath he managed to take didn’t make him feel as though his chest was about to crack open.
His ribs would heal eventually. He focused on the sensations where they joined and continued moving rhythmically.
Damnit. The pain was becoming impossible to ignore.
Eve’s hands clutched at his back as she arched upward. He needed to keep going. Just a few more minutes. He was close, so close, as was she.
He hated that he might be missing any of this.
And then…
She was trembling in his arms and pulsing around him. He exercised all the patience he could muster and then withdrew in one jerking motion, found his own release, and then collapsed into a heap of satisfaction and agony.
“Niles.”
He couldn’t quite answer her. Hell, he could barely breathe.
“Niles?” Concern filled her voice this time, and he could feel her leaning over to peer at him. For the second time in as many days, he lay helpless and pathetic, at this woman’s mercy.
“Ribs,” he finally managed. He’d not want her thinking he was about to expire.
Damn fool-headed man had scared her half to death. Brought her to the height of passion and then collapsed lifeless beside her. She ought not have allowed him…
Well.
They shouldn’t have…
Only.
The evening truly could not have ended any other way. And he’d insisted he was well. The thought that he’d been willing to make love to her despite the pain in his ribs was somewhat flattering.
The day had been a most memorable one. She’d never forget it.
So instead of drowning herself in recriminations and regrets, she cleaned herself up and then located the willow bark powder for Niles.
And after assisting him to down all of it, climbed back into bed beside him and enjoyed sleeping beside a man.
It might be the last time she ever had the opportunity.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Harsh Morning Light
“Mrs. Mossant!”
A woman called out above sharp knocking, no, pounding coming from the other side of the door. Her voice sounded quite similar to that of her maid’s, Lucy’s.
Eve bolted upright. “Lucy?”
Oh dear. And here she was in bed with her esteemed man of business.
With Niles.
“Aye, Mrs. Mossant! I’ve one of your trunks out here. John explained what happened with the other carriage. You poor missus! If you don’t mind opening, I’ll bring your trunk inside and have you set to rights for traveling today.”
Niles had jumped out of bed and was already pulling his breeches up speedily. Eve located his boots and shoved them into his arms. “Hide while I distract her.”
She could not have Lucy finding her in bed with Niles. Her maid was known for her lack of discretion.
“Just a moment!” Eve stalled her maid while Niles shoved his feet into the well-worn boots and stepped into a hiding spot behind the door.
John, the driver would be downstairs. As would be the outriders.
Eve opened the door and drew Lucy inside toward the privacy screen easily enough. Out of the corner of her eyes, she caught sight of Niles slipping out behind them.
Thank God!
“I was beside myself when John showed up in town yesterday! Without you and Mr. Waverly. You could have been killed! Or worse! Oh, Missus, that night rail isn’t fit for you to wear at all. You poor thing. John’s changing out the horses and said he’d be ready to leave for Pebble’s Gate as soon as you are.”
Eve’s head was swimming. With a glance outside, she realized the sun was halfway up the sky. She and Niles had slept away most of the morning.
Lucy rifled through the trunk she’d dragged as she continued her rant. “Innkeepers downstairs are crazy as they come. Said you’d checked in as Mrs. Waverly. John’s looking for that man of business of yours. Likely he’s making some deal or another…”
Niles would smooth matters over, she had no doubt. He was very good at that. It was probably why Thomas Findlay had found him to be so useful.
They would depart for Pebble’s Gate again. Soon.
Was it over? This tryst between Niles and herself?
Eve lifted her hands in the air so Lucy could assist her in changing. Perhaps her own clothing would help her feel more herself again. What would her maid think if she knew what had occurred in that bed last night?
“We mustn’t forget to return the gown to the Mrs. Pinkerton.” The innkeeper’s wife didn’t seem to be a lady of many possessions. She’d been kind to share what she had with her.
Lucy added dried lavender to the large washing bowl and poured fresh water into it. A wash cloth. A fresh chemise and stockings. Clean shoes.
Eve’s gaze settled upon the unmade bed. What would her daughters think?
She shuddered at the thought and then waves of shame began washing over her. What had she done?
Niles must think her a wanton. If he’d respected her before, he certainly couldn’t now.
She’d acted like a common whore.
“This gown is ruined.” Lucy studied the gown Eve had hiked across half of England in. “Shall I leave it here? One of the maids will appreciate it.”
She’d intentionally donned one of her uglier gowns that morning. The muslin day dress made up of gray and lavender had matched her mood — empty, invisible. It ought to have been black, but that would have implied full acquiescence to her new status.
Perhaps that was why she’d acted so out of character.
She’d been a woman between roles.
She hadn’t been a wife, in truth. Could she conduct
herself as a widow?
Widows were old women with silver hair and sagging skin. Eve nearly groaned.
She’d had intimate relations with her man of business! And this morning, he’d left without a word.
Not that he’d had any choice in the matter. But even so…
Lucy dropped Eve’s favorite pelisse onto her shoulders and then handed her a new pair of gloves.
She was a lady. Not a wife. Not a widow,
Not a whore.
She glanced one last time at the bed before closing the door behind her. If she wasn’t a whore, what exactly was it that had transpired in that bed last night?
***
Two days later, the coach turned up the drive of Pebble’s Gate, a home her husband had turned into a place where the devil himself would have felt welcome.
The landscaping had been neglected. This did not surprise her in the least. Jean Luc had spent any funds he controlled on his parties, drink, opium, and whores.
She was saddened to see her own personal garden overrun with weeds. She’d expected no less, but it had been her solace during those last years. Eve blinked away any sentimental memories. She’d begun a new garden behind her London Townhouse. After sorting everything out here, she’d leave once and for all and never return.
But she’d given birth to all three of her daughters here. Some happy memories remained.
The first time she’d entered the house, she’d been filled with innocent dreams.
Dreams.
The word reminded her of what she’d told Niles a few nights ago. That she’d only wanted a kind husband. Had that been a lie? Had she hoped for more than that? Affection? Friendship? Passion?
Had she lowered her expectations of the past in an attempt to squash her disappointment?
She’d not allowed herself much hope for the future. She’d do her best to ensure security. Comfort. She wished to see her daughters thrive. She’d not discouraged her daughters from dreaming.
Her own dreams, however, remained forever in the past. Was passion a dream? Affection?
She was a lady of the ton, acquainted with several unmarried older gentlemen, many widowers, who participated amongst society.
Second Chance Love: A Regency Romance Set Page 15