She felt his fingers linger and then move on. “There. It’s done.”
The cool air on her back rushed through her. Without thinking, she turned around and put out her hand requesting his assistance out of her skirts that had pooled at her feet. It was a movement out of habit. One she had done countless times with a lady’s maid, but never once with a man. Yet there he was, mouth agape, eyes wide open.
Chapter Fifteen
His eyes hadturned dark, burrowing into her soul. But instead of recognizing their desire, she said the first thing that came to mind. “I told you to close your eyes.”
“I didn’t.” She thought he should feel some remorse for that decision, but his eyes spoke only of desire.
“I can see that.” She stood still, hand out, waiting for his assistance, but he didn’t move. “Help me out of this.”
Wordlessly, he lifted his hand and acted like the sturdy support she needed to step over the billowing fabric. He was the last man on earth she would have expected support from. Yet somehow it felt like the most natural thing in the world for him to be offering that to her. It was silly to think. It was just his hand. And it was merely holding hers, hardly even holding. One might be better off referring to the touch as a graze. Her body shook as she made her steps. His touch was unnerving. Him in her bedroom was confusing.
She had never had a man in her bedchamber before. Well, since this wasn’t even her room, perhaps it still didn’t count. So what would it be like to have Sam in her room? Or their room? Him as her husband…that thought was—well, it just had no place here.
“That will be all,” she said because she had to say it. She needed to put some distance between them. Class or otherwise.
“I’m not your servant, Mimi.” His voice was firm, just like his offered support had been. He was a man who knew who he was.He didn’t let other people walk all over him. In fact, he wasn’t even the kind to let someone take a single step onto him. But she couldn’t stifle her attempts.
She lifted her chin like a queen, “Did you, or did you not just help me out of my dress?”
“I did.” The words, like rocks, were ground out of his mouth being pulverized into sand.
“Well then?” It was as silly as any other argument they had had, competing to see who could win a superfluous debate.
“Men often help women out of their clothing.”
Bah! Her face flamed. It would seem the point would go to him this round. She had not been expecting that reply, and of course, now all she could think about were husbands all over the world undressing their wives in preparation for…that.
“Just as I thought. You’re so naive.” He turned toward the door. She should want him to leave. He wasn’t supposed to be alone with her, never mind in this room with an oversized bed. Which, now that she looked over to it seemed to be inviting her. Beckoning to her. And she immediately knew that she wanted to stall. He couldn’t leave just yet. Not on that note. Not with that tone. Not thinking he had won.
“How dare you say that to me,” her tone was demanding, but quiet. There was no need to raise her voice and cause a disturbance.
“Who else would I say it to? You’re the only one of my acquaintances acting like a child.”
“I’m not acting like a child. I’m a woman.”
His eyes dropped to her breasts, and for the first time she considered what he might actually be able to see through her layers. But she didn’t let that stop her. In fact, she pushed out her chest to prove her point. Let him stare if he wanted.
“I’m a woman and I can make my own choices. I don’t need you interfering in my life.”
“Interfering, am I?”
“Yes,” she said, but her voice was a bit wobbly.
“So it was your plan all along to snare Roger into a scandal and try to force his hand into marrying you even though he would have refused to do the honorable thing?” Of course he would have to ask that. She wanted to put that event out of her mind, at least in front of Sam, because she still hadn’t processed it all. It wasn’t clear what had happened. She only knew that part of her—a very tiny part—wanted to defend Roger in front of Sam. She didn’t want to look the fool, chasing a man who didn’t want her. Not in front of Sam. The last thing she wanted was to appear incompetent in him. He would view that weakness and lord it over her. Or worse, pity her.
First, she wanted him to know that she would never stoop to that level of trapping a man, so she said, “Even if he asked, I wouldn’t have accepted the offer. I have my pride.”
“Do you? Because the man was refusing to ask.”
So she had to defend Roger, as empty as the defense felt even to her own ears. “He wouldn’t have refused.”
“He did refuse. Didn’t you hear him down there?” He was right, but she couldn’t let on to that fact. She wasn’t done fighting yet, even if she had to spout half-truths. Or full lies.
“Roger is a good man. Unlike you. He would have done the honorable thing.” After the words were out, she wasn’t sure any of those statements were true, though she wanted to give Roger the benefit of the doubt. And even though now she knew, standing here with Sam, even if Roger had offered, she would have declined.
“You’re delusional.”
