Shana Galen - [A Lord & Lady Spy Novella] Read Online Free

racing heart. “You frightened me.”
    “So I see. Do you always sleep with a dagger?”
    He had a perpetually droll tone in his voice, the upper class accent making him sound both amused and patronizing at the same time.
    “Actually, yes. Does that surprise you?” She pushed her hair over her shoulder.
    “No.”
    Now that her eyes had adjusted to the light in the room, she saw he was standing in a shaft of sunlight wearing only his boots and breeches. She recalled removing his coat and shirt the night before, after begging for help in carrying him to her room from one of the young men leaving the prostitute’s room on the floor below.
    Last night, when she’d undressed him, she’d been concerned about his injury, staunching the flow of blood and cleaning the wound. But now he was standing before her, bare-chested, and he did not look particularly injured to her. In fact, he was the very picture of health. She’d seen men half-dressed before. She saw them every day. But very few looked like this without their clothes on. All of those muscles… when had he acquired those?
    “I need to borrow a shirt and coat.”
    “Why? I mean, are you leaving?” She clenched her hand on the hilt of the dagger. She would not reach out and touch his chest.
    “Yes.”
    “Shouldn’t you wait until dark? What if the man in the mask is waiting for you?”
    “I am a spy. I take my chances.” He did not need to remind her he was a spy. She was unlikely ever to forget it.
    “I want to clean this wound. You did an excellent job bandaging it.” He was peering at the angry red skin on his side. “But I want to wash it with gin or other spirits.”
    “I don’t have any.”
    His head bobbed up, his eyes narrow and unbelieving.
    “You can search,” she said, wearily. “There’s nothing here.”
    “I did search.”
    Of course he had.
    “Where are you hiding it?”
    Insulted now, she rose. “You are the spy. You tell me.”
    He shook his head in disgust, and now she clenched her fists to keep from flinging something at him.
    “I do not have time for this. Give me your cloak. I will wear it and return it to you this evening.”
    “Fine.” She yanked the cords loose and shrugged it off. Anything to make him leave. She held it out to him and saw his eyes widen. “What is…?” And then she remembered.
    Her focus the night before had been on the role of Elvira. She had meant to bring a change of clothing to the theater and had forgotten. At the end of the show, she’d had to return the costume. As she was headed directly home, she threw her cloak over her chemise and stays and left the theater thus. But now she stood nearly naked in front of Blue.
    For some reason, she had the urge to snatch her hand back and throw the cloak back over her body. She was not overly modest. She’d worn far less in front of audiences of hundreds. But something about the way he looked at her made her face heat and her skin prickle with awareness. Suddenly, she was aware of how tight her stays and how her breasts, though not overly voluptuous, spilled out of the stays. She was aware how light and flimsy the chemise material and of the sunlight behind her.
    She was aware that Blue was looking at her with undisguised desire.
    She tossed the cloak over his head to stop his perusal. “I thought you were leaving.”
    He pulled the cloak off his face and donned it, studiously avoiding looking at her body. “I am. Thank you.”
    This was unusual. He never thanked her. For anything. She must have really unnerved him.
    “Do you—” He glanced at her quickly, then cut his eyes to a spot above her head. “Do you always go out dressed in such a fashion?”
    “You mean undressed?”
    “I… yes.” Another glance and then his eyes were back on the spot above her head.
    “What if I do?” She didn’t know why she’d said such a thing. She supposed she wanted to challenge him. She supposed she wanted to remind him what she did or did not do now was no