* * *
AN HOUR LATER, THEYwere ensconced in a two-bedroom suite at a nice hotel, waiting for their dinner to be delivered to their small, private dining room. Luke could hardly keep his eyes open, but he’d been busy making arrangements, including sending a servant out for nightclothes and various toiletries, since he’d rushed off with no luggage and Serenity’s small bag had disheartened him. He’d also asked the girl to get them both a change of clothing for tomorrow.
Serenity still looked overwhelmed and out of sorts. She didn’t seem to know whether to fall into his arms or shut him out completely.
He sincerely hoped the odds swung in his favor, though he’d booked this suite to assuage any fears she might have had that he’d expect her to share his bed. God, how he’d love it if she did, but he had no expectations of it. No, all he had were years of dreams and fantasies.
One summer. That’s all he’d had with her, but it had been enough. Those beautiful nights in her arms had made all the women he’d had since seem naught but a pale imitation, reminding him he’d never be that happy again.
“Why don’t you go and take a hot bath?” he coaxed. “I’ll slide the toiletries and a clean nightgown inside the door as soon as they arrive.”
She gave him a scandalized look, raising her eyebrows. “You expect me to have supper with you in my nightgown?”
He lifted his hands in mock surrender. “I’ve seen you in a lot less, but if you want to cling to false modesty, be my guest.”
Embarrassment and anger danced across her expressive features, her face flaming. “I don’t even know you anymore. We’restrangers!”
That hurt, more than it probably should. If she didn’t know him, then there was a good chance that no one did, which made him feel incredibly lonely. He’d thought she’d lowered her guard a bit on the train, but she’d obviously put it back up, higher than ever.
“I asked for something very modest,” he assured her, not wanting to argue. “But wear whatever you wish. I only wanted you to be comfortable.”
She frowned, then bit her lip. “You’re right. I suppose you and I are beyond this sort of thing, aren’t we?” She rubbed her hand over her face. “A bath would feel lovely. Thank you.”
He nodded abruptly, a bit concerned that she’d given in so easily. As she closed the bathroom door behind her, he sighed and dropped into a chair. Now that he had nothing left to do, nothing more to arrange, and had given up on finding Roger for the time being, the extent of his exhaustion was achingly clear. The last forty-eight hours had passed in a blur, and all he wanted was to slip into a deep sleep.
Unfortunately, the sound of the water turning on in the bathroom made him imagine Serenity removing those hideous black work clothes and slipping into the tub, all soft pale skin and moon-spun hair.
He groaned, aroused by the mere thought. It had been so long...
He hadn’t been with a woman in months, having reached an age where it no longer seemed such a lark to have a fling with someone he just met, and he was too finicky to have an affair with any of the shallow, self-centered ladies who made up his social circle. All this time, he’d been waiting for Serenity, he realized. His heart had never truly given up on her.
A knock on the door startled him from his reverie, and he opened it to receive the things he’d asked for. He took the bags to the table and dug through them, gathering what Serenity would need. Lavender soap, just as he’d asked for. He lifted it to his nose, and the scent made him dizzy. Moving to the bathroom, he tapped softly on the door. “Your things are here. May I put them inside?”
“Yes,” she replied, her voice muffled.
Taking a deep breath, he opened the door, determined not to look. He bent forward and placed the items right inside, but his damn eyes did not listen to his brain, and he caught a glimpse of her slender back, her pale hair wet upon her shoulders.
What he wouldn’t give to take the bar of lavender-scented soap and run it over her silky skin...
Swallowing dryly, he closed the door and backed away.Bloody hell!He didn’t know how he was going to get through the rest of the evening without trying to get her in his arms again. He shook his head, knowing how dangerous that could be. She didn’t trust him, was still hurt by what his mother had done all those years ago.
No, he must tread very carefully. He couldn’t take her to his bed, not until he’d reestablished his place in her heart.
He thought of his brothers, and the happiness they’d both managed to find—though Morgan’s had been regrettably short-lived—with their beautiful wives. After he’d lost Serenity, he’d given up on ever having something like that for himself, but now it seemed within his grasp again. He couldn’t ruin it. He had to let Serenity come back to him at her own pace.
The first step was discovering what had put those shadows in her eyes.
Another knock on the door proved to be the hotel staff bringing up the sumptuous dinner he’d ordered. His stomach growled as they placed it on the table, the wonderful scents filling the air. He hadn’t eaten all day, having left before breakfast and too caught up in the chase of Roger to pause for luncheon.
After they left, he took the covers off the food, revealing two perfectly cooked beef steaks, a bowl of steaming garlic mashed potatoes, and another of green beans. A loaf of soft, warm bread, a bottle of wine, and a delectable-looking chocolate cake rounded out the meal.
“It smells delicious,” Serenity murmured from behind him.
He turned, his breath catching in his throat. Her face glowed from a fresh scrubbing, her pale hair hung damp around her shoulders, and the voluminous cotton nightdress of pale pink covered every inch of her from her throat to her toes. She looked so fresh and innocent, and he couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face. He loved knowing that he was the only one who knew how passionate she really was.Or am I?His smile slipped.Eight years was a very long time.
“Thank goodness you’re ready,” he said, banishing the thought and moving to slide out her chair. “I was debating eating without you.”
She laughed and took her seat. “That wouldn’t have been very gentlemanly of you.”
