A Momentary Marriage(84)

As she bathed and dressed and pinned up her hair, she wondered when she would first see James today. No doubt he had already eaten breakfast and was in his office. How would he look at her when he saw her again? She hoped it would not be in front of other people; she feared everything that had passed between them would show on her face. Of course, she had the uneasy feeling that everyone would be able to tell that anyway as soon as they saw her.

Would he smile at her? Laura hated to think that he might look at her with that cool mask she had seen on his face many times. She thought of the light in his eyes last night, the way his lips had curved sensually. Just the memory of it sent warmth snaking through her.

As it turned out, she didn’t have to wonder long. As she reached the bottom of the stairs and turned down the hallway toward the dining room, there was a clatter of nails on the floor from the opposite direction, and Laura turned to see Demosthenes loping down the hallway toward her.

Laura bent to greet the dog, and when she raised her head again, she saw James in the doorway of his office, shoulder propped negligently against the doorjamb. He was watching her, a smile curling up one side of his mouth, eyelids drooping down over the unmistakable heat in his eyes.

“Laura.” He levered away from the door and strolled toward her. “Did you have a pleasant sleep?”

She went to meet him, Dem trotting along beside her, tail wagging, tongue lolling out in a foolishly happy expression. Laura sympathized; if she wasn’t careful, that was the way she would be looking at James.

“I did,” Laura replied, unable to completely keep a smirk off her lips.

“That’s good to hear.” He stopped in front of her. The smile on his lips was faint and slightly sardonic, but the heat in his eyes was anything but casual. James propped his hand on the wall, leaning against it, and loomed closer. “One hopes you will continue to do so.”

“I suspect I might.” Laura linked her hands behind her back and smiled up at him flirtatiously. “Of course, it all depends.”

“And upon what does it depend?” Laughter lurked in his voice, but threaded through it was a fiercer, more urgent tone.

She curled her hands around his lapels, her face tilted up to him. “You, I believe.”

He ran a finger down the line of her buttons. “Does it? Then there’s little need to worry.” He hooked his finger into the waistband of her skirt, tugging her toward him. “For I intend to do all I can to help you.”

“Really?”

“Mm.” He bent and brushed her lips with his. “Really.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

Her words sparked a brighter light in his eyes, and he kissed her again, his mouth hard and fierce and full of promise. When he straightened, he took a quick step back, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Blast. It’s a devil of a long time till night falls.” A rueful, vaguely puzzled smile flickered across his face. “You do the damnedest things to me.”

“Do I?” Laura grinned, her spirits soaring. “I’m glad to hear it.”

“I’m sure you are.” He leaned against the wall, gazing down into her eyes. “You delight in tormenting me.” His voice sounded amused, and the look in his eyes was still the one that turned her insides to mush.

“Tormenting you! I never—”

“Really?” James grinned. “What about those dresses you’ve been wearing the last week? The ones with the necklines down to here.” He reached out and ran a forefinger in a curve across the tops of her breasts. His eyes darkened. “And what about the times you leaned closer so I could see how utterly delicious you looked? How luscious you smelled.”

“I didn’t think you’d noticed.” Laura could not keep from leaning toward him. She would have liked nothing better than to let her body curve into his. Why did there always have to be so many people around? Anyone could come upon them—though at the moment, she wasn’t sure she would care.

“Not notice!” His eyebrows shot upward, and he let out a funny little groan of a laugh. “How could I not?” He toyed with one of her buttons. “I thought I would go mad from wanting you.”

Laura stared. “But you never said a thing. You never—why did you not kiss me?”

He looked, not at her, but at the button between his fingers as he said in a low voice, “I didn’t want to break trust with you.”

“James . . .” She took his hand between hers, touched.

He looked into her eyes. “I promised you. You told me how little you wanted to share my bed.”

“People change.”