Chapter 13 #2
Damien took a slow look around the property as he raised his hands above the water, showing off his powerful biceps and forearms.
“This is my property,” he answered. “My land, my pond. I believe, as the owner of such, I am allowed to do whatever I wish within it.”
Caroline opened her mouth to protest, but Damien’s casual tone shifted toward something deeper and darker as he began to speak again.
“Now, what were you saying about George?”
Think, woman, think!
“I... I woke late this morning,” she hurriedly explained.
“A... a maid took him to the gardens to play, but when I went to join them, I found the maid had lost Georgie. When I saw the splashing, I thought it was him struggling, so I came over here and… well...” she lost her words as Damien began moving through the water and toward her, the water line moving a little lower on his body with every step he took.
She blinked slowly, her mouth suddenly dry and full of thirst as Damien walked out of the water, and his entire physique was made bare to her. She had seen the broad expanse of his chest and shoulders before, yes, but never... all of him.
“Caroline?” Damien’s deep voice rumbled.
“I... I was worried he was drowning,” she murmured, her eyes fixed on a particularly impressive area of his figure she had never seen before.
She cocked her head sideways, a million questions forming in her mind as all urgency and sanity seemed to fade into the background.
Her mouth had gone quite dry, and she found herself wondering, with a curiosity that was altogether improper, what it would feel like to—
“Starting to regret your no-touching rule, are you?”
Caroline’s gaze snapped up to Damien’s face, and she found him grinning. Embarrassment and anger roiled up in her, and she whirled around to put her back to him as her entire face turned beet red.
“You are an uncivilized cad, you know that?” she bit out, and her anger grew as Damien only responded with a throaty chuckle that made her insides melt.
“As you say, wife,” he teased. “Would you mind throwing me that drying sheet?”
Caroline looked to the nearby tree, and sure enough, there, hanging amongst the branches, were a drying sheet, his breeches, and his shirt. She pulled the sheet down with haste, causing it to snap in the air with her jerky movements, and hurled it behind her shoulder.
“Your property or not, I want you to know that this... this is unacceptable behavior!” she scolded, willing the flush in her cheeks to die down. “You cannot just parade around naked as you see fit!”
“Breeches,” Damien commanded, and she threw them at him next.
“It is not only improper for me to see you, you know,” she went on. “It is improper for the staff, and certainly for Georgie! He is a young boy and—”
“Shirt.”
She wrenched it off the tree and tossed it to him while she kept on talking.
“He is an impressionable young boy, and he cannot be made to think that swimming in the nude is appropriate!”
“I am dressed now, you may turn around,” Damien stated. “I am sure George is fine hiding somewhere, but I will help you look for him.”
Caroline hesitated for a moment and took a quick look over her shoulder. Seeing that he was indeed dressed again, she timidly turned around. An unbidden disappointment rose up in her at seeing him clothed, and she shook her head in an attempt to banish such a ridiculous notion.
“And to answer your point, is it not even more inappropriate that you have seemed to have lost the boy?” Damien countered.
Caroline opened her mouth, ready to shoot back a fiery retort, when Georgie’s little voice broke through the air.
“Cece!” the little boy called excitedly.
She turned, and relief flooded through her body as she saw Georgie running toward her with a wide smile on his cherubic face. She smiled back and fell to her knees as she opened her arms.
“Oh, thank God,” she breathed as George rushed into her arms. She squeezed him tightly and kissed his head, relieved that he was found and well. “Where have you been, little one?” she asked, trying to sound calm.
“In the maze! I found a good hiding spot from Clara,” George answered with a giggle. “I am sorry for worrying you. She said you were calling for me, but I thought you just wanted me to lose.”
Caroline squeezed him tighter.
“All is forgiven, darling. I was just so worried.”
“Cece.”
“Hmm?”
“Why are you all wet?” George asked.
Realizing she just soaked him as well, Caroline gasped and pulled away to take a good look at him.
Caroline let out a half-sob, half-laugh as she smoothed his dark hair out of his eyes.
“I fell into the pond as I was looking for you,” she explained.
Both she and George then looked to the pond, and she felt George grow still as he realized that Damien was standing there before it.
His smirk was gone, and in its place was an intense stare aimed at her and the child.
Though still angry with Damien, Caroline realized that this would be a good opportunity to help George with his fear of the man.
“It was a blessing that His Grace was here,” she stated calmly, rubbing soothing circles into George’s little back. “He pulled me from the water. It was very kind of him to help me.”
Damien’s intense gaze shifted to one of shock at the same time that George’s frightened expression turned to one of curiosity.
“You saved Cece?” George asked, daring to keep his eyes on Damien.
Damien’s eyes were still locked on Caroline in that wide-eyed, I cannot believe you said that sort of stare. So she gave him a small smile and motioned for him to agree. His gaze softened as they stayed on her for another moment, then he turned to George.
“Gentlemen always protect ladies, George,” he stated. “Remember that.”
For the first time since Caroline came to live with them, she saw George not flinch, but puff his little chest and give Damien a hard nod.
“Thank you for saving her,” George stated, and Caroline’s heart swelled with affection, threatening to explode from its force.
“You are most welcome,” Damien stated, his deep voice serious as he then returned the boy’s nod.
Feeling flustered and now very confused about her wide array of feelings, Caroline pushed herself to her feet and grabbed George’s hand.
“Come, Georgie,” she instructed kindly. “Let us go inside and change into some dry clothes. Then you and I are going to have a little talk about our new rules before we get to our lessons.”
“What sort of rules?” George asked.
Caroline answered his question as they walked back to the house with Clara.
As much as she tried to keep her focus on the boy, though, her mind kept wandering back to Damien as she felt his intense stare upon her.
Finally, she could not take it anymore, and let herself look back to see if she was going mad or if she could actually feel his eyes.
Sure enough, he was rooted to the same place they had left him by the pond.
He was still watching her.