Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 115860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115860 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Hurstgrove hesitates. “Has he kissed you?”
I stop and sort through the jumble of the last two days. “Actually…he hasn’t.”
“Or tasted you in any other way?”
What does he mean? Oh. Oral sex. I flush. “He’s been far too…occupied.”
Relief crosses the duke’s face. “I hope this runs its course soon. If you’re positively resolved against accepting help—”
“I am.” And if I have a say, he’ll never have another’s “help” again. “If there’s time, you’re going to explain this bloody shambles to me.”
“Very well. I shall procure a protein bar and water for you. Do take a bath, but with haste.” Hurstgrove casts a glance at Caden. “He’s beginning to stir.”
I look over to find Caden is indeed rolling closer, an absent hand feeling about for me. If I want any creature comforts, now is the time.
When Hurstgrove pops out, I rise as quickly as my protesting muscles allow, grab my dressing gown from the back of my door and amble down the hall. I run a hot bath to soak away sore muscles and brush my teeth. A moment later, Hurstgrove knocks, then brings in protein bars and an energy drink. “Where did you get these?”
“Olivia brought them round. I trust that’s agreeable to you.”
At the moment, I could hug him. I’m famished. I don’t have a lot of weight on my bones as it is, and since I can scarcely remember my last meal, I reckon I’ve lost at least half a stone.
“Splendid. Thank you.”
Conscious of the ticking clock, I shut the door in his face and lock it, shedding my dressing gown with one hand and tearing into the protein bar with the other. I wolf down the first one. It’s little better than coated cardboard, but I lunge for the second and grab the energy drink, downing it in less than a minute.
After a quick visit to the loo, I sink into the hot bath, savoring my last few bites. I notice he’s also brought a plastic container. When I pry into it, I practically inhale the baby carrots and apple slices inside.
Belly not exactly sated but no longer rumbling, I grab the shampoo and scrub my hair. Soap next. I attack my body with it, scouring until my sensitive skin glows.
A glance at the clock I keep on my counter tells me it’s three fifty-seven. Not much time before Caden wakes and demands my body again. And I give him a bit more of my heart.
Feeling marginally revived, I rinse and pull the plug, then reach for a towel. I never get it.
A thump at the door makes my heart stutter. “Hurstgrove?”
Not a word. Instead, another thump. A grunt. Then the slam of a body and the crash of the door striking the wall.
Caden fills the doorway, naked and magnificent. With hungry eyes and an erection only a blind woman could miss, I have no doubt what he wants.
Despite my exhaustion, my wobbly legs, and the tenderness in places I’ve never been sore, I want him again. To touch him in this moment and know he’s all mine. It’s utter madness, but pointless to deny.
He takes a huge step into the tiny bathroom and grabs my hand, hauling me out of the bath and into his arms. “Sydney.”
My damp skin makes contact with his hot, dry flesh, and I sizzle—inside and out. What is it about this man? Intelligence, yes. Bags of it. Good looks, naturally. But I sense his soldier’s core of honor. Even when he lied to me, he did it for a good cause. He was uncomfortable with subterfuge, which explains why I saw straight through him.
Despite everything, he did his best not to hurt me, even refusing the sex I so blithely offered and he so clearly wanted. The fact he’s endured this fever and need to shag is likely my fault. An aftereffect of writing in that bloody magical book.
To make matters worse, when this ailment of Caden’s is over, he’ll probably resume life without me. He still has his brother’s illness to sort, and we no longer work together.
But I’ll savor every last moment and touch with Caden. I’m knackered. But sod it if I’m going to let another woman finish what I’ve started.
“I’m here for you,” I whisper in his ear.
The words set him in motion. He secures his hands under my arms and lifts me, using the incredible strength in his flexing forearms and biceps. Then he plasters me against his body. Automatically, I curl my legs around his waist, my arms clinging to his shoulders. Before he takes a single step, his cock begins to probe my swollen folds.
With a groan, he sinks into me. Slowly at first, like honey drizzling across something warm and sugary. He eases his way down, grazing sensitive tissues as he fills me. I gasp, digging my nails into his hard shoulders.