Chapter 12 #2
Closing the door behind her, the first thing she did was remove the black wig she always wore to cover up her auburn hair, which would identify her anywhere.
When she was done removing the false hairpiece, Genevieve stripped down to her chemise with lethargic movements.
Exhausted from the turmoil of the evening, her gaze flitted between the clothes she’s left home in, and the ones she’d left on the floor, while looking with longing at the bed.
She knew Theo had ordered her to go home, but she wanted to make sure he returned home safe.
It was more than possible Theo and Teasdale wouldn’t return for an hour or more, and a nap would do her good.
Not bothering to pick her clothes up off the floor, Genevieve stumbled toward the bed and slid beneath the covers.
It took a moment for the sheets to warm up, but she was asleep long before that.
§ § §
Theo climbed out of the carriage behind Teasdale and quietly ordered Clancy to stable the horses for the night.
The groom had worked in his father’s stables until Theo had quietly hired the man to manage the stables at the safe house.
Only a few years younger than him, Clancy had a calm manner with the horses, and he was discreet.
He never asked questions, but always seemed to know what was needed and when.
On the ride out of the East End, he and Teasdale had compared notes about Simmons.
They’d agreed the man was dangerous, but neither one of them believed him to be the Prussian they were searching for.
As the carriage rolled into the mews behind the safe house, Teasdale had said he had a late engagement and needed to change quickly if he were to be punctual.
Theo hadn’t question the man as to who he was meeting, but from his expression, Teasdale was eager to be on his way, and it didn’t surprise him that the agent had disappeared into the house before Theo had finished giving Clancy instructions.
Following Teasdale at a much slower pace, he entered the townhouse, remembering how he’d almost made love to Genevieve in the dark alleyway.
He released a savage noise of disgust at the memory.
The woman was tying him up in knots in ways he never thought a man could feel for a woman.
He didn’t want to force her hand, but God help him, he was standing on the edge of the abyss where Genevieve was concerned.
At the top of the stairs, Theo started to walk toward the room he used regularly to don the clothes he wore while in the East End, then stopped.
Clancy hadn’t mentioned taking Genevieve home, but the other groom who worked in the stables could have done so.
Still, Theo wanted to ensure she’d done as he’d ordered.
If she were still in the house, he’d make her wish she’d obeyed his instructions when he’d put her in the carriage earlier.
The moment he reached the room she used, he rapped his knuckles against the door.
Silence greeted his knock, and he opened the door to ensure she wasn’t still here.
The oil lamp had burned itself out, and the only light in the room was from the low-burning fire in the hearth.
Theo’s gaze fell upon the clothes on the floor and followed the path they made to the bed.
The moment he saw Genevieve curled up beneath the sheets, he closed his eyes and suppressed a groan.
Christ Jesus, he was in trouble. Big trouble.
He should step back out into the corridor, slamming the door shut behind him, then order her to dress from the other side of the door.
Instead, the door clicked shut behind him, and instinct made Theo turn the key in the lock.
He reassured himself that it was just to protect her from someone finding them together.
In the back of his mind the word liar repeated itself over and over again as he approached the bed.
Genevieve’s hair had come loose from the bun she’d worn while in the East End, and like an auburn piece of silk, it was splayed across the pillows.
Firelight softened her features, and he’d never seen a more beautiful sight in his life.
Theo sank down onto the mattress with care not wanting to jostle her awake.
He wanted to simply sit and watch her sleep, all the while wishing she loved him as deeply as he loved her.
But her past made that possibility an almost insurmountable wall. It was difficult for Genevieve to trust anyone not to hurt her, let alone love her. It had taken Uncle Percy and the rest of the Rockwoods a long time to earn Genevieve’s trust.
Even though he was certain she trusted him to protect her and keep her safe, Theo knew she believed herself unworthy of the love between a man and a woman.
He closed his eyes for a moment. How could he make her see she deserved the happiness he had to offer her as his wife?
How could he show her how much he loved her and wanted to give her the world?
The reassuring voice of his father whispered through his mind—if you love her, tell her the truth.
The thought had barely slipped through his head when Genevieve stirred, her eyes opening sleepily. She blinked several times before her gaze locked with his. A smile curving her lush mouth, she stretched out her arm and laid her hand over his.
“You’re safe.”
Relief filled her voice, and a vise wrapped around Theo’s chest, tightening until it was difficult to breathe.
He wanted to believe she’d been worried about him because she cared, but he couldn’t.
Genevieve’s feelings for him were of a physical nature, and Theo wanted more than that from her.
He craved her body with every part of his being, but it was her heart he longed for the most.
“I am,” his voice was gruff, before he scowled at her. “I told you to go home, and as usual, you didn’t bother to follow orders.”
“I was worried about you. I wanted to make sure you returned safely.”
Genevieve turned her head away from him as if afraid he might see something in her expression she wanted to hide. Reaching out, he caught her chin in his fingers and forced her to look at him.
“Why were you worried, Genevieve?” The soft question made her eyes widen in surprise, and there was a glimmer of fear in her beautiful green eyes.
“Why wouldn’t I be? I don’t want anything to happen to you or anyone else in the family.”
With a small tug, she pulled her chin free of his touch and sat up.
As the bedcovers fell down to her waist, Theo inhaled a sharp breath.
The chemise left nothing to the imagination, and a bolt of desire crashed through him.
A light, rose color flooded her cheeks, and Theo saw her nipples become stiff peaks against the white lawn of her chemise.
As their eyes met, a flash of awareness flared in Genevieve’s emerald gaze, her mouth parting slightly as her tongue flicked out to dampen her full lips.
Theo swallowed hard. If he didn’t leave now, he’d regret it.
Hell, he was already regretting having entered the room in the first place.
Something in his expression must have revealed the direction of his thoughts as Genevieve leaned forward and kissed him.
The moment her mouth sought his, Theo’s heart slammed into his chest. In seconds, he was hard everywhere. Desperate not to succumb to the raw need barreling through him, Theo started to retreat, but froze as her hand caught his and raised it to her breast.
“Touch me, Theo,” she murmured against his mouth. “Kiss me like you did that night in the Barrington’s study.”
Swallowing hard, he tried to clear his head, but the moment she stroked his cock through his trousers, he was lost.