Noble Scoundrel - Amy Sandas Page 0,55

body.

Still frowning, he took the candleholder from her and set it on the hall table beside his bedroom door. “Turn around.” The word slid from his lips like a heavy, gravelly hiss, allowing no dissent.

Katherine turned. It seemed the safer option in the midst of her sudden, heated physical reaction. Though if she’d known what he intended next, she likely would have risked arguing further. She may have even embraced a moment of cowardice and fled.

But then his large, warm hands fell to her shoulders, gently pressing down. Subtly commanding her muscles to soften.

Instead, her spine stiffened even more as she turned her head and tried to look over her shoulder at him. “What are you doing?”

“Relax, dove,” he murmured in a graveled tone.

She nearly gave a snort at the unlikelihood of that happening while his hands were on her, but then he began to circle his wide thumbs into the muscles bracketing her upper spine. Her head tipped forward as a sigh passed through her parted lips.

It was odd to have someone show such concern for her well-being. Even if it was in Hale’s gruff, domineering manner. From the time she’d been a small child, she’d taken care of herself. And then Frederick. Their father had occasionally inquired after their studies and other domestic needs, but he’d never taken much interest in their happiness or comfort. A few servants might have cared more than others, but not enough to break protocol. And though Katherine had vague memories of being embraced by her mother, it had been so long ago.

In truth, the lack of such consideration had never really bothered her. It was difficult to feel the loss of something she’d barely known. Besides, she’d had Frederick’s well-being to focus on.

So, when Hale began to touch her with the sole purpose of easing her discomfort, she wasn’t quite sure how to respond. But as he continued to work out the tension in her muscles, Katherine slowly submitted to the expert attention of his fingers. Her eyes closed and her breath evened. The man was truly magic with his hands. He seemed to know exactly where to add more pressure and where to ease up. He even took some time lifting and rolling and manipulating her injured shoulder, eventually issuing a low sound in his throat before moving on to her lower spine.

It felt wonderful. Bone-melting. Calming.

“Freddie’s worried about you.” His words seemed to come out nowhere.

“Worried?” Her chin came up and her brow furrowed as the momentary haze of contentment dissipated in an instant. “What? Why? He has no reason to worry.” She was the one who was supposed to worry.

His smoothed his hands up her back, forcing a re-release of her sudden tension. “He knows you close yourself in your study every day, obsessively searching for answers that might not exist.”

“I’m not obsess—”

“Aren’t you?” he interrupted as he worked his fingers up the back of her neck.

Her chin dropped toward her chest as shocks of pleasure spread up the back of her scalp and down her spine. “You do realize the threat to my brother is still out there,” she muttered.

“I’m aware,” he said gravely. “It’s the reason I’m here, isn’t it?”

With a rough sigh, he turned her around to face him again.

Tipping her head back, she frowned into his stern features, noting the odd glint in his gaze.

“There is only so much you can do,” he stated softly. “The house and grounds are secure. The footmen are coming along. Newton and the two men he recruited are taking turns watching the house from the outside. My mate is digging up all the information he can on the people from your list.” He arched a brow. “Trust me, your brother is about as safe as he could get.”

Katherine drew a long breath as she allowed herself to lean back against the wall behind her. Staring directly into his too-close gaze, she replied, “But we’re no closer to identifying our enemy than we were two weeks ago.”

“We’ll find the bastard. And we’ll end this. I swear it.”

A feeling like confidence welled inside her. In that moment, she believed him.

Then he tilted his mouth in his customary grin that made her belly twist and her heart flutter. “Until then, I think you’ve spent enough time closed off in that damned study. You need to get out.”

She tilted her head. “I am out.”

His gaze narrowed dangerously. “Out of the house, duchess.”

“I don’t think—”

He crossed his arms over his broad chest and gave