Lightning.
Pleasure.
Explosion!
Revealed.
Chapter Twenty-Five
She was agreedy lover, Daniel thought. The best kind.
He was a satisfied lover, and yet he still wanted more. Not just her body, though the sight of her pert breasts and slender thighs had him hard again. He wanted to know why she thought him a tiger and what she would draw for him next. He wanted to know how she had gotten Mrs. Hocking on her side, and whether she could charm the rest of Cornwall as easily as she had captivated him.
It was all the same in his mind, this wild jumble of thoughts in the early morning light. And it all centered on the woman he tucked close to his side while he lost himself in the scent of her body. She stirred against him, but then settled. He decided to surprise her with a treat when she woke.
He slipped quietly out of bed, the plans for his surprise growing more grand by the second. But first he had to find out if Lerwick had died in the night. It would be no loss to the world if he had, but it would be terribly inconvenient to Daniel.
Fortunately, the man was gone and the path back to the inn clearly indicated someone had used it recently. There were several scuff marks where the bastard had likely kicked at stones in his fury.
“Good riddance,” Daniel muttered. He knew angering the man would be a problem. Lerwick had Prinny’s ear and could easily poison Daniel’s already shaky standing with the prince. That was bad enough, but Lerwick also dealt with many of Daniel’s other customers. He could damage Daniel’s position with his other clientele.
But that was a problem for another day. Today’s task was much more pleasant. He meant to heat a bath for Li-Na and then watch her bathe.
She woke before he could finish heating the water. Carrying that had been hot, sweaty work, and he was in no fit state to be seen. But when she rounded the corner to the great room, there was no help for it. He stood half drenched from where the water had sloshed out of the buckets and cursing as he tried to light the fire.
He heard her there when her laugh filled the silence between two curses. He whipped around in surprise only to see her press her hand against her lips to suppress her mirth, though her eyes danced in the light.
It occurred to him then that he had never heard her laugh. Certainly, she smiled, but never had happiness filtered through her restraint in a musical kind of double beat.Hee-hee.Like a tiny accent on a task done very badly.
He loved the sound. Stepping toward her, he pulled her hand down from her mouth. “Don’t silence yourself. Not around me. Not ever.”
“You’ve been busy,” she said gesturing to his wet attire. Indeed, the only part of him that was dry was his parched throat. “Did you want a bath by the fire?”
“I meant to make one for you, but the wood’s too wet, and I need more anyway.”
“I would rather walk with you to the ocean,” she said, and he immediately tossed aside his flint.
“I should like that above all things.”
They walked hand in hand down the long road to the ocean. They talked of unimportant things and admired the sun on the water. Then once in the water, he taught her something new. He brought her to completion as she rode the waves. Then they donned the clothes they had washed—which were only partially dry—and wandered back up to the castle.
But once in the courtyard, the difficulties of life intruded. Peder’s Steward was there waiting for him, pacing back and forth in his fury. Mrs. Hocking had refused to let him in and was likely brewing up vile tea from a stock she keeps for people she despised. She had no love of the man since he’d cheated her out of a fair price for some chickens. Up until today, he’d assumed it was one of her many complaints about her neighbors. Today however, he remembered Li-Na’s words about the accounts, and he wondered.
“Good morning Mr. Treglown. Did we have an appointment?”
“No, my lord.” His gaze hopped uneasily between Daniel and Li-Na. “But I have something of grave concern to discuss with you. Of grave concern.”
“Of course.” He smiled at Li-Na. “Do you work inside today? Or outdoors?”
“Have the accounts report finished. I meant to discuss it with you today. But if you are busy, then I can occupy myself elsewhere. Mrs. Hocking was planning to teach me how to stitch fabric.”
She was? Intriguing. “Why would you want to learn that?” And from the sourest woman in the county.
She shrugged. “Because I don’t know how, and I am lately resolved to learn new things.”
He had a vested interest in her learning new things, though he wasn’t sure he appreciated being equated to learning how to stitch. He was just forming a response when Mr. Treglown huffed in disgust.
“I’m pleased to see you learning womanly tasks, Miss Li-Na. It’s where your attention should be and not on a man’s activities.”