Free The Taming of the Wolf by Lydia Dare Page B

him into a deep slumber. Deep enough for her to be able to slip away from him.
    Deep enough for her to win this one small victory.
    Caitrin made arrangements for the special tea to be steeped and delivered when she was ready for it. Then she sat back with a smile on her face and waited.
    ***
     
    Dash paced from one side of his room to the other like a caged animal. She was right next door. She was so close that he could hear her moving about her room. She’d taken to whispering for some reason, which was slowly driving him insane.
    What was she doing over there?
    Dash lifted his head and sniffed. The odor of lavender touched his nose. Perhaps she’d ordered her bath with a lavender soap. He had to admit he’d be disappointed if she bathed in lavender as opposed to the honeysuckle scent she usually wore. However, the thought of her naked in a bath made him immediately hard. Damn the woman. She was going to ensure his stay at Bedlam. Thoughts of her when she was fully clothed were bad enough. Thoughts of her naked were more than he could bear.
    But then he heard her humming and her footsteps moving across the room. If she wasn’t in the bath, he could push the thoughts of her unclothed from his mind. He wished , anyway.
    Her door opened. Dash’s ears immediately perked up. Certainly she didn’t plan to dine without him. He heard her speak softly to someone at the door. He opened his own door and stepped into the hallway. He didn’t care if she knew he was listening. He had to know what she was up to.
    A maid stood at Caitrin’s door, and she motioned her inside with a tray. Tea? She’d called for tea. So she was avoiding dinner with him then.
    Dash stepped into her open doorway just as the servant left the room. Caitrin was beautiful. Her curls hung loosely down her back, daring him to touch them, to bury his face in them.
    “Dash, what are ye doin’?” she gasped, tugging her wrapper tighter about her body.
    “You’re not dressed for dinner.”
    Caitrin smiled slowly, which completely disarmed him. She was positively enchanting. No wonder he had claimed her that night. Between her and the power of the moon, he’d been completely helpless. He still was.
    “I’m no’ feelin’ quite up ta it. So I ordered some tea instead. Would ye care for a bit?”
    “Beg your pardon?” Had she truly just asked him to come into her room for tea? His heart soared a bit.
    “Tea, Dash.” She giggled. “Would ye like some tea?”
    He stepped into the room and quickly closed the door behind him before she changed her mind. Cait turned to pour, and he stepped closer to her, his front to her back. If he stepped any closer, he’d have her bottom in the saddle of his hips. He inhaled deeply and smiled. She still smelled like honeysuckle.
    She glanced over her shoulder as he heard her heartbeat speed up. He took two steps back. “Are ye all right?”
    He nodded. “What is that smell?”
    “Oh, it’s the lavender and chamomile in the tea,” she said as she turned and offered him a cup. Then she took her own and sat down on the bed, scooting over to where she could lean against the wall. She tugged the counterpane until it covered her feet. “Again, I find myself in an improper situation with ye, Dash.”
    He loved the sound of his name on her lips. “I promise never to tell a soul.” He sank into a chair across the room and tried to appear the perfect gentleman. Only he wasn’t. He knew it even better than she did.
    Her lips pursed as she blew across the rim of her teacup. He’d never aspired to be a teacup, but at that moment…
    “Ye doona like the tea?” she asked, her heartbeat quickening.
    He took a sip of the tea. “It’s quite good, actually.”
    “My own special recipe.” She smiled at him again.
    “You’re quite talented.”
    “Oh, ye have no idea,” she remarked absently as he took another sip and then laid his head back against the high-backed chair.
    “I’d love the opportunity to discover all