Page 70 of A Story of Love

Lori yawned and stretched, turning over in bed. It felt too good to get up. The sheets had never felt so soft. Almost like silk against her bare breasts and belly.

Her bare breasts and belly.

She was naked.

Her eyes popped open, and she stared around at the dimly lit room. It took a few seconds before she recalled where she was.

And how she’d gotten there.

Images of Lord Severn between her thighs, face slick, lips wet and swollen—

Lori groaned, squeezed her eyes shut and slammed her palms over them, as if that could erase her behavior from the night before. But the images were ten times more vivid behind her eyelids, so she immediately opened them.

Before the shame could snowball and grow into something crushing, she firmed her jaw and said in a low voice, “You have nothing to be ashamed about. You haven’t done anything worse than thousands of men do every single day. Sensual desire is as normal as anything else the body craves.”

She repeated that same mantra—but in her head—until the tension leaked out of her. And then she tugged the sheet off the bed and wrapped it around her like an ancient Roman toga. Once she was properly shrouded, she tried to open the door. It was locked. She was about to start pounding on it when she saw the other door.

Ah.

She twisted the handle, fully expecting it to be locked also, but it turned easily, and she opened it to the study from the night before.

Her eyes immediately went to the chair where she’d sat sprawled and—

“Oh, God,” she mumbled, assaulted by images of her naked body wantonly spread before Lord Severn. His lips slick and passion-bruised, his eyes dark and brooding as he—

Lori yelped when the door suddenly opened and a maid with a full tray hovered on the threshold.

“Oh! You’re awake. His lordship said not to disturb you if you were sleeping.”

Lori waited until the maid nudged the door shut with her foot to ask, “Where is my clothing? And Lord Severn? And what time is it?”

The maid blinked at the rapid fire questions and carefully set down the tray before saying, “There are clothes in the armoire in the bedchamber. Lord Severn has gone out, but he wanted you to know he’d return shortly. It is just after seven o’clock.”

“Seven o’clock!”

The woman winced. “Yes, Miss Fontenot.”

Oh, God! Whatever would Freddie be thinking? She would be worried sick.

“I need to leave.” She brushed past the maid and yanked open the door to the bedchamber.

The maid’s footsteps sounded behind her. “Er, Lord Severn wanted you to wait until—”

“I need to leave! I should have done so hours ago,” Lori shot back. She flung open the armoire and riffled through the hanging garments before turning. “My gown isn’t in here.”

“No, Miss.”

“May I have it back?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“Why?”

“Because—”

“Because I had it tossed into the rubbish bin,” Lord Severn’s voice came from the doorway.

“You had no right to do that!”