Peter wondered what she would consider embarrassing. “She wanted to know my intentions.”
“What?” Kelly’s green eyes widened, and she straightened her shoulders.
Peter tried not to let his eyes slip down to where he could see the outline of her breasts beneath her top. “She demanded to know my intensions. She didn’t want me to hurt you.”
Kelly’s face twisted unexpectedly for a minute. “She thought you would hurt me?”
“I don’t know. But she told me I better not.” He gave her a little smile. “She really loves you.”
Kelly looked down at her book, but he knew she wasn’t seeing it. She gave a brief nod. “Yeah. But I thought she would jump at the chance of my marrying a Blake.”
“Maybe she only wants you to marry whoever she picks out for you herself.”
“Maybe. She was talking about Morris Alfred Theobald III earlier this week.”
Peter scowled. “There’s no way. He’s like twenty years older than you. And he’s awful.”
“Don’t look so outraged,” Kelly said with a giggle. “She said he wouldn’t be interested in me. Plus, I’m a married woman now, remember?”
He felt better at the thought. “Right.” He wiped some more perspiration off his face. “I’ve got to take a shower. Do you need to use the bathroom before I do?”
“No. I’m fine. I put some clean towels in there earlier.”
Peter went into the bathroom and got into the shower, cleaning himself up and telling himself not to get too excited about the prospect of going back into the bedroom with his wife.
She was sleeping on the bed. He was sleeping on the couch.
That was what they’d agreed to. That was the right thing to do.
He didn’t get to sleep with her—touch her, kiss her, make love to her—just because she was his wife. No matter how much he wanted to.
He was confident that he was in control of himself when he went back into the room, wearing a T-shirt and pair of pajama pants. He preferred to sleep in just his underwear, but he was pretty sure that would make Kelly uncomfortable.
Kelly had turned the television on when he emerged from the bathroom, and she was flipping the channels.
“I thought you had to study,” he said, trying not to look at her too closely. She didn’t look the way she had last night—loose hair, sexy dress, seductive manner. She looked like normal Kelly—a fact that made him want her even more.
“I’ve studied enough. It’s kind of early, but Grandmama won’t go to bed until I do, so I always just go to my room early. I hope you don’t mind.”
“It’s fine. I’d rather be on our own, anyway.”
Kelly had put a pillow, a sheet, and a couple of blankets over on the couch, so he went over to try to make a bed for himself.
“You’re not going to be comfortable over there.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Why don’t you come sleep on the bed with me?”
He desperately wanted to, but he also knew that would put him in a very dangerous position. Better to keep his distance, until Kelly was more receptive to him. “I said I’ll be fine.”
“Well, you don’t have to be grumpy about it.”
He gave her a significant look. “I’ll be grumpy if you don’t listen to what I say. For the fifth time, I’ll be fine sleeping here.”
She made a face at him, but it was obviously mostly teasing. He stretched out on the couch, cringing as he realized how short it was.
He wasn’t going to be able to sleep on this thing at all.
Kelly paused in her channel surfing to watch him as he tried to find a comfortable position. But there wasn’t a position to be had. His head kept bumping against the wooden armrest, and his left leg kept falling off the narrow seat, and his legs had to bend up in unnatural positions to fit them in the short length.
He was very conscious of Kelly’s observation. She seemed to be secretly laughing at him.
“It’s rude to say I told you so,” he muttered.
She chuckled softly, deliciously. “I didn’t say a thing.”
He sighed and let his head drop, knocking against the damned wooden armrest again.
“Would you stop being stubborn and get over here?” Kelly demanded, after another minute. “There’s plenty of room in the bed.”
He sat up, trying to decide whether Kelly would really be okay with it. She sounded perfectly natural, like it wasn’t a big deal at all, but she hid a lot that she didn’t like to reveal to the world.
Not even to him.
“Besides,” Kelly added, a lilt to her tone, “if Grandmama happens to peek in during the night, she’ll be very upset to see you sleeping on the settee.”