Read Online Lady Laugherty's Loves by Laurel Bennett - Free Book Online Page B

quarters.
For the time being.”
    “You hope,” Ellis mumbled as he
started back toward the house.  Avery obviously hoped he’d be
sharing his bed with his wife in the very near future.
    One of the servants did, indeed, show
him the way to her rooms. He could hear the sound of her humming
through the crack in the door.  Ellis knocked lightly as he
pushed the door open. She was a vision of loveliness, sitting in
front of her vanity. She barely looked over her shoulder as she
talked to him.
    “You and I need to have a word,
Avery.”  She thought he was Avery?  Oh, this did not bode
well for the relationship.
    “About?” he asked, forcing his voice
to take on the lightheartedness that usually coated Avery’s words
like syrup, as he crossed the room and sat down on the edge of the
bed.  He avoided looking at her as he tugged off his boots and
lay back on the bed, scooted toward the headboard, and proceeded to
stare at the ceiling with his arms beneath his head. But he knew
well what she looked like.  Dark brown hair with just enough
curl he could wrap it around his finger.  Chestnut eyes he
could drown in.
    “Ellis,” she said quietly as she stood
up and began to bustle nervously about the room. Was that a tinkle
of response in her voice? It was much too soon to tell. But she
wanted to talk about him?  Dear God.
    He rolled over on his elbow to face
her. It would be best for her if she realized he wasn’t Avery right
away. Otherwise, she’d probably hold a grudge. Most women
did.
    “He kissed me.”  Ellis didn’t
have worry about her looking in his direction. She was fidgeting
about the room.
    “You mean that little peck on your
lips outside?”
    She flushed scarlet. “No, I mean that
most inappropriate kiss on the lips, albeit brief, that happened in
front of God and everyone.”
    “I wouldn’t call
them everyone . And
it’s not as though he stuck his tongue down your throat.” He tried
to sound casual, but it was nearly impossible. Now all he could
think about was sliding his tongue in her mouth. He imagined she
tasted like perfection.
    “It was inappropriate!” she
cried as she picked up her perfume bottle and slung it across the
room at him. He caught it in the air and raised it to his
nose.  So, that was the lovely scent that surrounded her.
    “Please leave this in here when you
move your things, Olivia.” He held up the perfume bottle.  “I
might douse the sheets in it so I can smell you all night.” She
gasped so loudly when she realized he wasn’t Avery that he feared
she’d suck all the air from the room. He got up and crossed the
room to stand directly behind her.  The warmth of her touched
him all the way through his clothes. “And I promise not to kiss you
anymore. Not in front of God and everyone. In private, however, is
another matter, entirely.” He kissed her cheek swiftly, lingering
long enough to blow his breath across the shell of her ear, and
then he quit the room.
     

Two
    Olivia was beginning to think her
guests would never dispense with their games and head to their
rooms, so she could have a word with her husband. And Ellis, for
that matter. There were eighteen guests in all, including her
husband’s best friend. Why was Ellis the only one who had drawn her
attention all night?   
    Olivia yawned dramatically behind her
hand. No one looked up. No one cared, aside from Ellis, who dropped
onto the settee beside her with a lazy plop. “Enjoying yourself,
Olivia?” he asked, his eyes sparkling with merriment.
    “Gobs of it,” she said sarcastically,
then instantly regretted her tone. 
    But he just chuckled. “You seem a
little out of sorts, sweetheart. Anything you want to talk about?”
He smiled slowly and brushed a lock of hair from his forehead. She
wanted to reach up and do it for him, just as she did for Avery. He
leaned so close that his shoulder brushed hers.
    “What kind of game are you playing,
Ellis?” she asked quietly.
    “I was playing loo.”