Perilous Pleasures by Jenny Brown Page A

real.

Chapter 5
    S he looked a lot better this morning, Adam observed with relief. Her color had improved, and she showed no sign of fever. He shook himself awake, stiff after spending the night sleeping in the uncomfortable chair by her bedside, noting with relief as he did so that his emotions were far calmer than they’d been the evening before. As they should be.
    It was unlikely the previous night’s misadventure had caused any lasting damage. Zoe’s ankle appeared to be sprained rather than broken, and though the wound she’d taken in her thigh had caused him some concern, he’d instructed the innkeeper’s wife how to clean and bandage it, and when she’d finished, she’d assured him it was nothing to worry about.
    He wished he could have examined it himself, but propriety forbade that a male physician should minister to a wound in such a delicate part of any woman’s anatomy. Though in the past he’d ignored such constraints, believing the patient’s welfare was more important than the prejudices of small minds, after what had gone on between this patient and himself, he had no wish to test the bounds of propriety. The innkeeper’s wife had assured him she was well versed in doctoring and had said nothing to suggest Zoe’s wound was serious.
    So Zoe would be fine. Indeed, in the bright light of morning, the dread that had swept over him the previous night when he’d seen her fall from the rotten stile seemed foolish. There’d been no need to stay up all night by her bedside. The exhaustion he felt now told him he’d be paying for his folly all day. A wave of annoyance swept over him. She’d had no business running from him like that. He’d been severe with her, yes, but to act with such desperation—what could she be thinking of? He was a gentleman. Surely she knew that a gentleman would not harm a young girl placed under his care.
    But it struck him almost immediately that gentlemen like him hurt girls like her all the time. The gentleman’s code applied only to young ladies, and though Zoe might have attended Mrs. Endicott’s elegant school, she was no lady, just the daughter of a woman of the town. Hadn’t he bargained with her mother for her virginity? If he‘d been in earnest, he might have completed that bargain and done with her as he pleased. She had good reason to fear him.
    But still, he mustn’t let himself be swayed by undeserved pity. The way she’d comported herself made it all too clear what she owed to her origins. Had she not of her own free will crawled into his bed?
    He beat down the surge of desire that rose unbidden at that memory. Even after all these years he still couldn’t control the lust that had already caused such havoc. How unfit he was to accept the honor the Dark Lord had chosen to confer on him. If only he could send Zoe away, as she’d begged him to do. Her absence would put an end to the lustful sensations he felt in her presence. But the Dark Lord awaited them at Iskeny. They’d already lost valuable hours of travel. He could afford no more delay.
    Gently, he reached out toward the narrow bed and touched the sleeping girl lightly on the shoulder to awaken her so they could prepare to resume their journey. Her eyes twitched and then shut more tightly against the morning light. Fighting against wakefulness, she arched her back, making the long, graceful arc of her body more visible under the dingy sheet, which fell back, exposing her shoulder. Adam’s eye drifted to the hollow above her collarbone. It looked so vulnerable and inviting. He turned away, lest she stir again and reveal some even more tempting part of her body.
    Was she merely pretending to sleep, as he’d been doing when she’d come to his bed that night? Had she shown him her naked shoulder on purpose, to inflame him? Surely she couldn’t be ignorant of the effect the slightest contact with her