“Actually, my hair is still damp. I shouldn’t have washed it this late in the day, but I couldn’t pass up the chance. That’s probably why I’m cold.” He heard her sigh. “Very well.”
Not exactly throwing herself at him. Nick would take what he could get.
He stirred the fire and added more fuel. She hung up her coat, and together they spread his blanket over the bed. For good measure he also draped his greatcoat on top on her side.
In the brighter light from the fire, he watched her gingerly settle in the bed, on her back near the far edge of the mattress, and tuck the blankets under her chin.
Nick climbed in on the other side, glad to stretch out fully horizontal, even more grateful that the blankets were long enough to cover his feet and his shoulders at the same time.
It was a start. Yes, he may be inept, but he and Harriet were finally in the same bed at the same time, by his engineering. Who knew what might happen next in such close, intimate quarters?
The couple next door got louder. “Oh, Zach!” the female cried out.
Nick wanted to slap his forehead. Of course it was Zach and the serving wench in the next room. Could it get any worse?
Heavy footsteps. Creaking.
Rhythmic creaking. That went on and on. And on.
Good lord, how much stamina did Zach have? He was well into his fifties.
Another sound. Feminine. Nearby.
Oh, that’s what Harriet’s giggle sounded like.
Nick turned his head on the pillow to look at his bedmate. She was close enough he could touch her if he reached for her. Her eyes were sparkling in the firelight, a flash of white teeth visible from her smile. As the rhythmic creaking continued next door, her giggle turned to full-throated laughter.
He gave in and they laughed together.
Chapter 16
Nick awoke again just as the sky was beginning to lighten. He was accustomed to sleeping in four-hour shifts, so he wasn’t surprised or alarmed. He did a quick inventory of his surroundings, also out of habit. The fire had died down to coals and a chill wind whistled through gaps in the window frame, but he was still warm, lying on his side … with his arms around Harriet.
She was also on her side, snuggled up against him, her head tucked under his chin. She clutched his shirt with one fist, her other palm flattened against his chest. Push, pull. Perhaps he wasn’t the only one who was conflicted.
He felt her warm breath against his neck, her cold nose brushing his Adam’s apple when he swallowed. The faint scent of lemon wafted up from her.
In just a few hours, he could have his hands on the treasure his father—or rather, the man who’d raised him—had not wanted him to have. Nick could have his revenge against the wealthy man who’d left Nick nothing in his will except what the laws of primogeniture required.
Nick would have the means to keep the Sheffield tenants fed and sheltered this winter despite the horrifically poor harvest. It was as if summer had never fully appeared this year. Profit from the port wine he was importing on this trip should give him a cushion against further expenses, perhaps even cover the cost of replacing the starboard gun.
Yet he found himself more interested in this armful of woman.
He stroked her silky soft hair, now dry and fanning loose behind her on the pillow.
She murmured in her sleep and burrowed closer to him, tangling her legs with his.
Perhaps he should be grateful to Adam for hiding the treasure, and for the stranger who’d broken into Harriet’s cottage to steal her copy, for they all played a part in bringing her to him, to this place, this bed with her body tucked against his.
He couldn’t dredge up gratitude, however, for the man who wanted her to have a dowry before he’d marry her, though the need for said dowry was what had made Harriet seek out Nick in the first place.
In her sleepy state, he could touch her. Stroke her bottom, the delectable curve he’d seen revealed by her male attire. Cup her breast and thumb her nipple to an aroused peak, unencumbered by corset or other restraint. Caress her intimately. Putting his hand down a woman’s dungarees would be a first for him. Nuzzle her below her ear to the gentle curve where her neck met her shoulder. By the time he kissed her awake, his lips to hers, she’d be in a sensual daze, eager for lovemaking.
It would be so easy to seduce her.
Which was why she had to be completely awake before he did any of those things.
Nick tamped down his desire. He indulged in stroking her hair once more, pressed a kiss to the top of her head, wrapped his arm around her again, and closed his eyes to drift off to sleep.
