Unable to free himself of the haze of hunger numbing his mind, his unblinking gaze remained fixed on her swollen mouth. Had he verbalized his thoughts? Had he been so far gone in the sensation of her kiss as to reveal his hidden desires?
“My lord?”
Sebastian swallowed back an unusual stab of agitation and retreated a step. The new position gave him a better vantage point to view her. Somewhere along the way, her quintessentially English features had become so stunning that they haunted his dreams and plagued his waking hours. Even more so with the evidence of his possession glistening on her lips.
To remove the sting of his withdrawal, he lifted her hand and kissed the delicate blue veins running along the inside of her wrist. “Forgive the intrusion. I know you are most eager to get the repairs under way, which cannot happen until the men have their task list.” He released her and gripped his hands behind his back. “Are you free for dinner?”
She checked the timepiece hanging around her neck. “I’m afraid not. Mr. Foster will be here any moment.”
Every muscle in Sebastian’s body locked in place. “The vicar is coming here?”
“Yes,” she said. “I hope you don’t mind. We are to check on Mrs. Taylor before dinner. Knowing we would have a long day, I suggested that he collect me from here.”
“So that’s why you walked over today.”
“Yes.”
“Always planning, aren’t you, Mrs. Ashcroft?” When she said nothing, he asked, “Why must you accompany the vicar to check on Mrs. Taylor?”
She cast him a perplexed look. “Because he asked me to and we have things to discuss.”
Things to discuss. He did not care for the sound of that, especially after the vicar’s comments about marriage. “Did you tell him that we have work to do?”
“I don’t understand, my lord,” she said. “We have done all that we can do here today.”
Sebastian’s jaw hardened. He moved to the window, needing a moment to grapple with the sensations pounding through his veins. Where had this need to throttle every man who came within an arm’s length of her come from?
He did not want her spending time with the good vicar when she could be having dinner with him. Did she not feel the same yearning that nearly overwhelmed him every second they were in the same room?
He had to regain control of his body. She was nothing more than a diversion. Sweet and charming. So different from the pampered ladies of the ton.
The memory of Catherine splayed out on the breakfast room table resurfaced, and he amended his assessment. Seductive and tempting. Beautiful and thrilling.
His cock stirred and his stomach clenched. He wanted her. In his bed, with her golden tresses fanning over her body like an angel’s cape, while she gazed up at him with desire-filled eyes.
He bit back a curse. Control, Somerton!
“My lord?” she called softly. “Was there something you needed me to do before I left?”
Sebastian squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to recall Ashcroft’s lifeless body lying in the middle of a dark alley, his clothes soaked with blood and discarded human waste. The awful scene had the desired effect. His erection withered in record time, leaving him with the sour mood of an unfulfilled man.
“I assume I’ll have your undivided attention tomorrow, Mrs. Ashcroft?”
Her spine straightened. “Of course.”
“No midweek jaunts through the countryside while I’m here dealing with the repairs?”
“What is this about, my lord?”
“We had an agreement, madam.”
“True. Your point?”
“For the next several days, you’re working for me, and I expect your full attention on the task.”
The tips of her ears turned scarlet. “I’m working with you, not for you.”
Sebastian opened his mouth to argue, but she held up a staying hand.
“After my husband turned his back on us, the residents of Showbury blamed me for Jeffrey’s absence.” She swallowed hard. “I constantly battled greedy shopkeepers, disapproving matrons, and small-minded men. If the vicar had not stepped in and befriended me, I’m not sure what I would have done.”
The tension thrumming through his body drained away.
“I owe much to Mr. Foster,” she said, “and will happily accept any of his requests for assistance. Now, if you will excuse me, my lord.” She gathered her things, and Sebastian watched it all through a narrow, slightly blurry lens. He felt like a fool, and offering his apology seemed inadequate.
He had no sooner finished the thought when he found himself standing before her, aching to