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“Don’t you worry about that, my child.” The weathered old woman turned nurturing and soft at the sight of Evie. “I prepared my finest guest room for you,” she said, taking Evie by her hand and leading her away. “I have just one anyway, but you wouldn’t want to stay away from your husband now, would you, child?” she asked mildly, patting Evie on her arm. “In your condition, after the horrible journey you must have gone through, he must be by your side if you need anything.”
“It’s quite all right….” Evie said before throwing a scorching gaze toward Gabriel. “My condition?”
“You are a thin little thing too, like a twig. You need to eat more, dear,” the woman continued as if Evie hadn’t spoken.
“That’s what I keep telling her,” Gabriel interjected and earned himself another glare. “Well, I do.” He raised his shoulders in a shrug.
They finally reached a small and cozy little room on the first floor of the cottage. It was a bright, cheerful room, done in whites and pinks, with flowers adorning every surface. The bed was small but tall. It looked so incredibly soft and warm that Evie wanted to groan. She already imagined herself snuggled beneath the warm covers, fast asleep. The fire cracked comfortably in the hearth.
“There’s a dressing room just behind that door.” The woman indicated a door by the bed. “I am heating you some water so you can have a bath, just to warm yourself. Then we can have some tea in the kitchen.”
Evie left her side to stand by the fire. Gabriel walked toward her, put an arm around her shoulders, and rubbed her upper arm in a show of husbandly solicitude. Evie tensed at the contact before letting herself relax in his arms.
“Then we can have a game of dominoes,” the widow added cheerfully.
“I don’t think my wife—” Gabriel protested, but Evie interrupted him.
“That would be lovely,” she said, twisting in his arms and giving the old woman a warm smile. “Thank you so much for your generosity and hospitality.”
“You are most welcome, my child.” The old woman regarded them both with fond eyes. “I shall leave you now. You need to change from your sodden clothes as soon as possible. We don’t want you to catch a chill now, do we.” With these words, the old woman shuffled away, closing the door behind her.
Evie stared at the closed door as if transfixed for a few moments before rounding on Gabriel.
“My condition?” she asked, narrowing her eyes on him. “What condition is that, exactly?”
“I think you know the answer to that,” he said, not bothered by her outrage at all. He moved away from the fire and started taking off his clothes one by one and making a small heap on the floor.
“You told her I am with child,” she accused, still staring at him. “I do not even look like I’m with child.”
He raised his head and looked her up and down with an assessing gaze. “You certainly don’t, but we can tell her we just found out.” He shrugged and resumed taking off his clothes. Off went the waistcoat. Next, he tugged his shirt free of his breeches.
“Why did you have to lie to her?”
“Listen, pet, I was tired, hungry, and freezing my bollocks off while you were peacefully slumbering by the fire. I think I deserve some gratitude, not accusations.” He pulled his shirt from his back, and the sodden garment joined the growing heap on the floor. Evie had trouble averting her gaze from the gleaming wet muscles on his back. Her mouth began to water, and a peculiar heat started gathering between her legs. She regained her composure when he reached for the falls of his trousers and quickly turned to face the fire.
“You are right,” she said. “I apologize.”
“Truly?”
“Yes. Truly. It’s just… She seems so very nice. I don’t feel good about lying to her.”
“Listen, love, we would have to lie to her about our relationship anyway; what’s one more lie in the grand scheme of things?”
“You could have told her we were siblings, then the extra lie about my condition would have been unnecessary.” She looked at him again. A horrible mistake. He was standing buck naked, facing her. After three days of travel and sharing his bed for three nights, she still hadn’t seen him fully naked, at least not from his front.
Her gaze instantly went to the spot between his legs. It was a curious sight. That part of his body seemed to have a life of its own. It was saggy and limp when she first set her eyes on it, but it started swelling and growing in an upward direction with each second. Her eyes widened, and her mouth formed a silent ‘O’.
Gabriel laughed, and she tore her gaze from his groin to look at his face. She felt the heat creep up her neck.
“You were saying?” he asked, not at all embarrassed, standing there, still naked, hands on his hips, displaying all his manly glory. Evie could have died from mortification right then and there. She’d been caught staring like a wanton or a trollop. She wished the floor would open up and swallow her without a chance of being spit back.
Evie covered her face with her hands and turned around with a whimper. Gabriel just chuckled. The insufferable man. Of course, he wasn’t embarrassed. Half of England’s population had probably seen him like this. She, on the other hand, was mortified. This was the first time she’d ever seen a male fully naked up front. And she didn’t know what to think. Gabriel was lean and muscled, like the statues she’d seen in museums and books. But the difference was in that private part of his body. They didn’t look like that on the statues. And they definitely didn’t move.Of course, they didn’t move, you ninny head; they were statues!
“Like I said,” Gabriel said in his hard-measured tone. “I wasn’t thinking straight. Besides, I think I can play adoring husband more than a concerned brother. I’ve never played that role before, you know.”
“You haven’t exactly played the role of the husband before now, have you?” she said, her voice muffled through her hands, which were still covering her face. “And,” she continued stubbornly, “you promised me a separate bed!”
“Afraid you won’t be able to keep your hands off of me, eh?” he asked with a chuckle.
