The Hired Hero by Pickens Andrea

Author:Pickens, Andrea [Pickens, Andrea]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Romance
ISBN: 9781610845403
Publisher: Belgrave House/Regency Reads
Published: 2011-05-30T22:00:00+00:00

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Chapter 7

Davenport woke slowly, savoring the crispness of the sheets, the feel of the pressed linen against his soaped skin, the gentle support of the feathered pillow and thick horsehair mattress. It was all one could wish for. Yet in the muzzy state between sleep and consciousness, he was oddly aware that he would rather be lying with his limbs stretched out on a pile of straw, his head resting on a pair of shapely thighs.... He came sharply to his senses.

Where was she? Was she all right?

The thought caused him to sit up and swing his bare legs out from beneath the warmth of the covers. His clothes, freshly laundered and free of the scent of stable and straw, hung over a chair. A new shirt had been found to replace the ruined one. He dressed quickly, noting that aside from a touch of stiffness, his shoulder didn’t hamper his movements in the least. When she didn’t reply to the knock on her door, he hesitated for a moment, then let himself into her chamber.

She was asleep. Her hair, still damp from her bath, fanned out over the pillow, the sunlight catching glints of gold and copper. He had to restrain the urge to brush the stray tendrils from her cheek and the corner of her mouth. The dressing gown had parted slightly to reveal a deep notch of creamy skin. At that moment she looked almost fragile, and undeniably feminine. His mouth quirked slightly at the thought of breeches and boots. He found himself wondering what she would look like in a an elegant gown cut low and slim to flatter her willowy form, her hair artfully dressed to highlight her expressive features....

She stirred, her hands moving restlessly up to the pillow to catch at the ragged jacket folded under its downy bulk. Slender hands, yet so capable—throwing a credible shot to his nose, handling the reins of his stallion, tending his injured shoulder, and now guarding that rag of a garment. Good lord, she seemed to cling to it like some sort of talisman, but if it brought her some modicum of comfort, he supposed there was no harm in it. With a harried sigh, he reached down and gently pulled the quilt back up to cover her, then slipped from the room.

Lady Helen and Jeremy were in the drawing room. The young man was still taut with nervous energy, though he hadn’t appeared to have slept, and his eyes had a gleam to them that caused the earl to smile inwardly. The adventure seemed to be doing his friend a world of good.

Davenport helped himself to a cup of tea and a piece of toast. There was a long silence as he ate, then he moved to the tall mullioned windows and gazed out over the sea.

Jeremy shifted from foot to foot, impatient with his friend’s reticence, until finally he could bear it no longer. “Julian,” he exclaimed. “Have you decided what we should do?”

“We?” repeated the earl.

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