Page 40 of Broken

The bed dipped as Giles’ weight settled on the edge, and Lilly tried to squirm away. Strong arms caged her in place, then bright daylight pierced her eyelids as he pulled the covers back. She put her hands up to cover her face.

Giles sat still, waiting her out it seemed, but she was not going to look at him no matter how long he stayed there.

“How bad is your head today, Lilly?” Giles asked quietly, but far too loud for her throbbing head to appreciate.

She stayed silent and wished him a thousand miles away. How dare Giles sound like he cared about her, today of all days? She tried to roll over, but he did not let her. His big hands pressed high on her chest and pushed her flat on her back, then grasped her wrists and pulled them away from her face.

Lilly truly did try to fight him, but she was nowhere near strong enough to hope to win. “Go away, Lord Daventry.”

“No.”

Lilly whipped her hands into fists, prepared to do something with them, but he chuckled softly and pressed her hands to the mattress beside her head, permitting her no movement at all.

She opened her eyes to glare at him, but the effect was ruined by the way the light made her flinch. Giles’ gaze was sad when she could finally meet his eyes. Her head throbbed, so she stayed just where she was and did not fight him. It would not matter. He would go away soon enough.

Giles remained silent. She found herself hypnotized by his blue-eyed stare and the motion of his thumbs over her clenched fists. She relaxed her hands in defeat and attempted to pull them back, but Giles twined his fingers through hers and held tight.

She did not understand him. Surely, this was no way to keep his distance.

“Now, I believe I asked how you were feeling this morning, and I am still waiting on an answer.”

“What does it matter? Please just go, my lord. I don’t want you here. You don’t want to be here, either. Stop pretending and leave.”

“Giles,” he reminded her. “What I wanted yesterday, and what I want today, have no bearing on the question. I need to know how you feel. You did drink a lot of brandy last night. Your head probably feels as if one hundred angry drummers are pounding away in there.”

Giles released one hand and brushed her hair back from her eyes. Lilly froze at the look on his face. That expression was one she did not recognize. No one had ever looked at her in such a way before and she was tongue-tied.

He continued to straighten the strands and stroked the longer lengths through to the tips. No one ever played with her hair, either, yet he seemed fascinated by it.

“I drank brandy? I don’t remember.”

“That’s probably just as well. It was not one of your finer moments.” Giles’ fingers brushed her ears and she squirmed away from the tickle. “Here, let me help you sit up. You have slept the day away.”

His big hands eased under her shoulders and Lilly gingerly moved into an upright position. While Giles settled more pillows behind her back, Lilly breathed deep, savoring his scent and wrapping it around her like a well-loved blanket.

When she was comfortable, he sank down on the mattress edge again and just stared at her. A glance at the window confirmed that the sun was indeed setting.

When her gaze returned to Giles, he was no longer watching her face. His bright eyes were cast somewhat lower. Startled, she looked down. Why had she worn the fine silk chemise to bed? She breathed in to ask, but her indrawn breath displayed what held Giles’ attention.

Stunned, embarrassed, and fascinated by Giles, she watched his hands grasp the edge of the blanket and drag it up her chest to cover her exposed breasts. Ragged breathing caressed her cheek and when Lilly turned, his blue eyes hid behind ginger-lashed lids mere inches from her own.

Up close, the man was breathtaking. Giles drew his hands back slowly, stroking the side of her body boldly. When he stopped touching her, Lilly could breathe freely again.

His blue eyes flared open and they were as bright as she had ever seen. “Are you going to help me out here or do I have to become a tyrant? Are you thirsty? Can you eat something? Is the light too bright? Do you need to go somewhere you would rather not name? Talk to me, Lilly. I only want to take care of you.”

She licked her lips to speak. Her mouth was as dry as parchment. Giles’ eyes followed her tongue. Lilly hastily croaked out a request for water and he fetched it. She was not hungry, but Giles returned with a plate wrapped in linen and uncovered a hunk of plain bread. He broke off a piece and handed it to her.

Lilly nibbled at it. Why had Giles returned to her again? He appeared in no hurry to leave, either. Nevertheless, it would come, she was sure of that. He was only delaying the inevitable.

In a flash of vision, she remembered fighting against him and frowned, unsure of when that had happened. She dropped her eyes and turned her head to look at the floor. The boards were bare. She glanced at Giles, but he had seen the direction of her gaze.

“It was not one of my favorite rugs.” Giles brushed another strand of hair back from her face. “No matter, another carpet will be found in the attics today.”

Lilly struggled with her hazy memory, then remembered that she had been sick—and all over him, too. Beyond embarrassed, she buried her head in her hands.

Giles leaned close, running his hand up and down her spine. “It does not matter, Lilly. It really does not.”

The unmistakable sensation of Giles kissing her hair snapped her out of her misery, but sank her further into confusion. Giles kissed lovers. She moved her head away, catching a glimpse of that odd expression on his face again. He should not tease; that was just too cruel.