Guarded by the Cowboy - Em Petrova Page 0,37

with the help was the least of his worries.

* * * * *

The maid, Anna, slowed her steps as they reached Lauralee’s room and threw a covert look at Boone standing in the doorway waiting for her.

“See you in the morning, Lara.”

“Goodnight. Put your feet up.”

“Oh, I will! I have a new book to read, and I’ve been dying to crack it open all day!” Anna smiled warmly and hurried past Boone, who braced himself in the opening as if his strength alone held the walls up.

With an image of the Greek god Atlas in mind, Lauralee stepped up to him.

He dropped his stare to her lips and then trailed down to her breasts in the ugly uniform. “Took you long enough.”

“I was wash—” She cut off as he looped an arm around her waist, slammed his mouth over hers and swept her into the room. Her mind registered the door crashing shut behind them, but she let her cares drift away in Boone’s arms.

As he angled his mouth over hers and walked her back to their bed, she realized with a shiver that for the first time all day, she felt safe.

She pressed her palms into his chest to ease him back a bit.

His brow pinched. “What’s wrong?”

“I…” She swiped both hands over her face. “I just need a moment. Okay?”

He nodded and stepped away from her. She hurried into the bathroom to wash the scent of cleaning products off her hands and collect her thoughts.

How to explain the thunderous black cloud that seemed to be hanging over the place all day while Black was away? Or how more than once she’d felt someone watching her? Though every time she turned, she could never figure out from who or from which direction the threat came?

She’d been sick to her stomach since her hasty breakfast with the other servants where she overheard something odd.

She needed to tell Boone.

Shooting a glance at the bathroom door, she was halfway to the hope that he’d burst in and demand more kisses from her. Or a repeat of the previous night.

Her body still throbbed from the things they’d done, and several times today she’d felt heat creep into her face at the memory of what she’d done to him. On one occasion while she and Anna were dusting, the maid had questioned her blush and commented about her hot hubby.

Unable to find the distance she needed to think, because her mind conjured him even through closed doors, or with an entire state between them such as today, she opened the door and stepped out.

Boone had changed from his white shirt and black trousers into jeans and a black T-shirt that conformed to his chiseled chest and left her mind reverberating with thoughts of her tongue on his hot, salty skin.

“It’s obvious we need to talk,” he said without preamble.

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry about just a bit ago. I shouldn’t have kissed you like that.”

Her insides knotted. But I wanted you to, her body screamed. In fact, it had gone beyond yelling to a full-blown tantrum. Her skin prickled with awareness of his presence, and at the scent of his body wash, her belly coiled. Don’t even get her started on the state of her damp panties.

She expelled a shaky breath. “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. I’ve been out of control these past two days, and I can’t even figure out why.” He compressed his lips into a harder line.

“How flattering.”

His gaze shot to hers. “You know what I mean.”

She sighed. “I do, because I’ve been just as out of control. But all of this aside,” she waved her hands in the air between them, “there’s something far more pressing and I’ve been dying to talk about it with you all day.”

He centered his stare on her. “Tell me,” he gritted out.

“You won’t like it.”

He firmed his lips even more. “Lauralee, I swear if you went against my orders and did something dangerous—”

She cut across him. “I was told to place towels in a linen cupboard for Black. And when I was walking by, I looked down at the floor. I saw…” Her throat closed on the pain and terror of the sight that had sent her almost tossing the towels in the air and sprinting for the nearest exit.

In one step, he drew near enough for his heat to wash across the front of her body. She curled her toes and steeled herself to say it.

“Under a door…”

“What was under the door?” he prompted.

“Fingers. Reaching under the

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