Chapter 16
ELIZA
My rooms always had some light. Moonlight filtered in through the tall windows or I caught the faint glow of light from the hallway lamp right outside my door. There was always something, but when my eyes flew open, it was completely dark.
My heart lurched violently into my throat, and for a long, disorientating second, I had no idea where I was. I sat up fast, immediately regretting it when the remnants of my headache throbbed faintly behind my eyes.
Thankfully not with the same vicious intensity as earlier, but the darkness combined with that lingering ache sent a pulse of panic straight through me. Did I sleep through the entire day?
It had to be that. This wasn’t the kind of dark that came from closed curtains or a storm rolling in. This was night-time dark, and the last thing I remembered, it had been morning.
My feet hit the floor before I could stop to think about the consequences. A light wave of nausea passed through me as I stood. I swallowed it back, stumbling toward the sitting room just off my bedroom and bumping my hip against the edge of a chair along the way.
“Hello?” I called weakly, my fingers finally finding the light switch beside the door leading into the sitting room.
As soon as I flicked it, light flooded the space and I froze when I realized I wasn’t alone. My heart flung itself upside down, my pulse skyrocketing until recognition filtered in.
Jesse was sitting in the armchair near the fireplace, half-slumped with his head tilted forward and one arm hung loosely over the side of the chair. The fireplace had burned down to a bed of glowing embers, casting a soft red glow across the room.
Outside the windows, rain pounded steadily against the glass, a chill in the air that was a little more brisk than usual for late August. The light snapping on startled him awake a few seconds later, and instantly, his spine shot straight and he twisted in the chair.
“Eliza?”
I crossed my arms immediately. “What time is it?”
His eyes drifted toward the clock on the mantel. “Late.”
My stomach dropped. “Late? It can’t be late. I had a full day planned and I haven’t done a single thing.”
He sat up even straighter, blinking a few more times before stretching his arms above his head and yawning. “Wow. I can’t believe I fell asleep.”
I stared at him. “You let me sleep through the entire day?”
He pushed himself to his feet, still looking half-asleep as he reached up to scrub a palm along the side of his jaw. “Technically, yes.”
My panic escalated. “There were meetings, and the production team walkthrough and the west farm accounts, and the tour bookings, and—”
“Eliza.” He said my name so calmly and firmly that I stopped. Then he proceeded to explain, in impressive detail, that every single item on my agenda had been accomplished, and then some.
Apparently, Miriam had taken full advantage of his willingness to help with whatever needed to be done, and as a result, Jesse had spent the day assisting with production logistics, reviewing schedules, helping reorganize supply inventories, and somehow even participating in a full cleaning of the cellar.
“Aaron helped with that too, if I’m being honest,” he said sheepishly. “I’d still have been down there if she’d left me to my own devices.”
My panic slowly drained into a completely stunned silence. “You did all of that?”
“Well, Miriam and Aaron did most of it,” he said. “I mostly carried things and tried not to break anything expensive.”
“I’m not just talking about the cellar,” I murmured. “You spent the whole day working? Here. At the castle?”
He shrugged. “You needed the rest and I had nothing better to do. Are you feeling better?”
Something about the way he said it so nonchalantly threatened to make me burst into tears. Honestly, I wasn’t sure anyone had ever done something quite like this for me.
“My headache has mostly subsided,” I said quietly. “The nausea is gone now, so yes. I’m feeling much better. Thank you.” I paused for a beat, a little thrown off by all of this. “I can’t remember the last time I took an entire day off.”
He huffed out a quiet laugh, raking his fingers through his tousled hair like that might put it in order. “Yeah. I know the feeling.”
“You do?”
“Mm-hm.”
“What exactly do you do, Jesse?”
Strangely, his eyes widened. “Oh, uh.”
I tilted my head. “You work for your family’s company, right? Westwood and Sons.”
“Yes. Sure. Of course.”
“But what do you actually do there?”
His expression changed ever so slightly, flickers of discomfort tightening his features, but then they smoothed again. Almost like he was struggling with a question that, to my mind, was relatively simple and straightforward.
“I help manage things,” he said finally.
I frowned. “Manage what?”
“Operations.”
My eyes narrowed a little, suspicion setting in. “Operations? Why are you being so vague? It’s not a difficult question.”
“I’m not being vague. It’s just hard to define my role. Corporate stuff. You know.”
The way he danced around the question was almost impressive. Almost but not quite. Before I could push any more, however, he started toward the door. “Well, it’s late and I desperately need a shower after the cellar cleaning. I’m pretty sure I smell like ass.”
I wrinkled my nose. “That sounds dreadful.”
“It was.”
As he neared the door, I opened my mouth without thinking it through. “You’re welcome to shower here.”
He stopped moving instantly. “Here? In your suite?”
A strange, tense moment stretched between us and I suddenly wondered why I’d said that, but then again, we were getting married. Soon.
“Yes,” I said, finally deciding to commit. “I can ring down for some clothes for you. After everything you’ve done for me today, the least I can do is offer you the use of my bathroom.”
Jesse studied me for a long second before he nodded, definite relief softening his features. “That would be great, actually. Now that I’ve realized how badly I need a shower, I can’t wait to rinse off.”
I chuckled, repeating his earlier words back to him before sweeping my hand out to the hall. “I know the feeling. Let me show you the way.”
Without pausing to process the fact that he was about to be very much naked in my space, I led him through my rooms to the bathroom, pushing open the door and flicking on the light. “I’m sure you’ll find all you need in here. There are fresh towels on the rail.”
He nodded, those blue eyes blazing into mine for just a moment before he blinked and spun around. His head shook as his broad back disappeared into the bathroom. I spun around too, needing to put some distance between us before I would be able to collect my thoughts.
Goodness. An entire day spent in bed, arranged by my fiancé, and followed by him undressing in my rooms. It’s almost like I’m still asleep.
Instantly, my mind started supplying unhelpful scenarios of what kind of scene might’ve followed him showering and being naked in such close proximity to me if this had been a dream.
My cheeks heated so much, I was sure they were glowing by the time I picked up the phone to make the call I’d promised him I would.
A short while later, there was a knock at my door and a cart was rolled in with a change of clothes for Jesse as well as cloche-covered food.
I wasn’t surprised. Miriam did nothing halfway, and having been alerted to the fact I’d called, she had most certainly made sure I ate something before I went back to bed.
However, she’d clearly sent enough for Jesse as well, but I would need to bring him his clothes. I picked up the neat bundle and strode back to the bathroom, my pulse racing as I knocked on the door.
A door he apparently hadn’t closed all the way.
As I knocked, it creaked open and steam drifted into the hallway.
I took a tentative step inside, intending on setting the clothing down near the door, but I caught sight of him before I could.
He literally emerged from the mist, fresh from the shower with his wet hair slicked back and his totally naked body wrapped in nothing more than a towel.
All I saw were abs, clearly defined muscles, and the lines of his hips before I yelped, immediately turning to flee. Oh, good Lord. I should’ve just set the clothes down outside. How is he so—
Graceful as I was, in my haste to get out before he noticed me, I ran straight into the doorframe with a loud, painful crunch. “Ow!”
Before I could even begin to process the impact, Jesse grabbed my shoulders and spun me back toward him, real concern lighting his eyes as they swept across my face. “What the hell? Are you okay? Let me see.”
My heart jumpstarted again, tripping over itself before it started racing once more.
Jesse’s body was so warm and he was so focused on me.
So entirely too close for comfort after all those fantasies I’d had only minutes ago.
His hand slid underneath my chin, his fingers tilting it up before I could protest. His thumb brushed gently against my upper lip, testing the spot where I’d collided with the wood.
Pain shot through me from the contact and I winced. The corners of his eyes crinkled with sudden amusement as he watched me. “Are you always this clumsy?”
“I am not clumsy,” I said indignantly, but to be fair, it might’ve been more convincing if I hadn’t just sprinted directly into a doorframe. I couldn’t even argue that it had simply appeared.
Those thoughts evaporated, however, as I realized that my back was still pressed against the doorframe and Jesse hadn’t moved away. Our sudden proximity was noticeable.
Certainly noticeable.
His skin was warm from the shower, faint steam still hanging in the air behind him. His damp hair curled slightly at the ends, and the towel wrapped low around his hips did absolutely nothing to help make the situation less distracting.