Kissed at Midnight Read Online Free PDF Page A

groan against
her and she heard him inhale deeply.
    “Smell so good,” he
murmured.
    Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.
She was going to lose her job not two days into it if she was not careful. Her
nipples were tight and hard. Lush heat rolled through her as he burrowed closer
and his hand splayed across her back to hold her to him.
    A creak from somewhere else
in the house startled her into action. She jerked back and clasped his wrist to
force his hand back. At least in his foxed state he wasn’t particularly strong.
She had no doubt if he really wanted to keep hold of her, he could, but had he
been sober, she was positive he’d want nothing to do with the governess.  A man
like Mr Avery likely enjoyed the company of women less... interesting-looking
than her. Blonde ones with soft features and a delicate manner.
    He rolled onto his back, a
grin cracking his face. His eyes were at half-mast and she wasn’t sure what
amused him. Recalling her original reason for being on the bed, she grasped his
hand and inspected the cut. It had already stopped bleeding so couldn’t be
deep. Ivy rolled her eyes to herself. All this for a tiny scratch. At least he
was so foxed he would never recall any of it.
    She came to her feet and
checked the jug of water beside his bed. He would need some fresh water. She
wasn’t one for drinking but her father had enjoyed a tipple and always needed a
lot to drink after a night of indulgence.
    “I’ll get you a drink, sir”
she told him, though she knew better than to expect a response and wasn’t even
sure why she used the formality at this point.
    “Playing hard to get, eh?”
he murmured as she hastened out the room to refill the jug from the bathroom.
    While she filled the jug,
she allowed herself a smile. She wasn’t sure she knew how to play hard to get.
She supposed the men her mother had introduced her to might think she did, but
she had genuinely never been interested in male of the species. They were dull,
tiresome creatures, who either feigned interest in her in the hopes of getting
her in their bed or for her money. Not that she had any now but her parents
did. They might not be titled, but her father was richer than even some of the
most titled of men.
    Mr Avery wasn’t tiresome
though. Indeed, he had showed little interest in her. He was quite endearing
when he was foxed though, and not at all like the stern employer she thought he
might be. Likely he’d be back to scowling and seeming serious indeed tomorrow.
    Jug in hand, she returned to
his room. She was halfway across the plush carpet before she had registered
what he was doing. He had somehow dragged himself off the bed and was busy
divesting himself of his shirt, his back to her. She spotted his waistcoat
discarded on the floor by the bed, and his cufflinks lay atop the dark blue
fabric. She wanted to scoop them up and ensure they were safe, but he was
already thrusting his shirt from his shoulders.
    Ivy gulped. Apparently the
carpet had turned to glue for she could not seem to move her feet as rolling
muscle came into view. The lines of his arms were stark and strong. Each
movement revealed the strength sitting behind skin that glowed golden in the
lamplight.
    He turned then, a lazy brow
rising as he spotted her. He didn’t seem to care she was there. “Give me a hand
will you?”
    All that muscle. That wide
chest. Oh dear Lord. She released a squeak and her feet became unglued. She
scurried across the room, placed down the jug and retreated, her face hot. Part
of her wanted to ensure he got to bed safely but this was too much. Ivy flew
out of the door and slammed it shut behind her.
    As she paused to take a
breath and press a hand to her hammering heart, she heard his annoyed snort.
Then there were footsteps and the creaking of his bed.
    Good, he was going to sleep.
    She lifted both hands to her
cheeks. Her second day as a governess and she had already seen her employer
half-naked. She would not be able to look at him