After finishing thendscape, Gwh had unconsciously begun sketching Hawthorne as well. She was so lost in her work that when he suddenly spoke up, she nearly jumped out of her skin-she''d forgotten he was still in the room.
"So you were thinking about me, huh?" Hawthorne teased, his voice low and unmistakably suggestive. "No need to be shy, I''m right here. It''s gettingte-why don''t we call it a night? We can always... find something else to do."
His words couldn''t have been more tant. Gwh''s cheeks burned crimson.
"There are still staff around the house," she stammered.
For a man, his appetite was honestly overwhelming. How had she ever imagined he was the restrained, ascetic type?
"They know how to mind their own business," Hawthorne replied with a crooked grin. "They won''t disturb us. Besides, isn''t it a good thing for the staff to see the master and mistress so in love?"
As if any of the staff would dare interrupt their employers-if they ever happened to see the two of them together, they''d probably bolt in the opposite direction. No one wanted to risk their job for that.
The truth was, Gwh was still sore from his attentions over the past few days.
Every time she was with Hawthorne, her legs would tremble and she''d be left weak-kneed, barely able to walk for days afterward.
She considered it-he really did seem insatiable.
After all, he''d been single for years. Finally meeting a woman he truly desired must have felt like a caged beast set free, hungry and wild after a long famine.
More than once, Gwh felt she could barely keep up with him.
Fortunately, Hawthorne seemed to realize when her body had reached its limit. He always became impossibly gentle, doing his best not to tire her out. Even so, Gwh would fall asleep the moment her head hit the pillow when they were done.
Hawthorne, for his part, was always reluctant to stop, but seeing her so exhausted, he forced himself to relent.
The next morning, as soon as her rm chimed, Gwh''s eyes snapped open
in fear of beingte. Hawthorne was already up, and the moment he saw her
throw back the covers, he reached over and pulled her into his arms.
"Did you feel alrightst night? If you''re tired, you should stay home today, Mrs. Everhart. I''m at thepany-believe me, it won''t fall apart if you take a day off."
Gwh stiffened and immediately shook her head. "No way. Only you and I know about us-no one else does. If I keep taking days off,
dople are bound to get suspicious."
Hawthorne looked at his stubborn young wife with a bemused smile.
"Next month''s our wedding in
Starfall City. Once the media covers it, folks here in Greenvale will find
out too. It won''t be long before
everyone knows you''re Mrs. Everhart."
Gwh sighed. "Then let''s keep it secret as long as we can. If peopte found out I''m your wife now, who''d dare let me work? Who''d risk giving me assignments? I''d be bored out of my mind."
It seemed she wasn''t interested in being a pampereddy or a society heiress at
all.
Hawthorne had assumed she was working to build a career, only to realize she just didn''t want to be bored.
His handsome eyes glinted with amusement. Pulling her close, he leaned in, his lips brushing her ear.
"If you''re worried about being bored, there are other things we could do. Like... having a baby."
She felt his teeth graze her earlobe, sending a shiver down her spine.
A baby?
She froze.
Come to think of it, neither of them had bothered with any precautions. It had been well over a month since they''d first slept together in Starfall City.
Had she even paid attention to herst period?
Sensing her sudden stillness, Hawthorne pressed a kiss to her cheek, his tone indulgent. "What''s got you so quiet all of a sudden? Did something cross your mind?"
Gwh didn''t dare answer. She''d just realized something very important.
And until she was sure, she certainly wasn''t going to say a word.