‘I will go and collect some hot water from the galley.’ Lisette was obviously aware of his physical response, her cheeks having flushed a becoming pink as she deliberately kept her gaze above the waistline of his drawers before she turned away and hurried from the cabin.
Christian stared up at the ceiling as he cursed the physical evidence of his arousal and wondered how he could possibly feel desire at a time like this. Admittedly, Lisette looked beautiful this morning, in her gown of pale grey and her face aglow with good health and humour, but that really was no excuse for such an ungentlemanly display of visible arousal. Not that he had any control over the matter, but still...
As a consequence, he was not in the least surprised to see Lisette was accompanied by a young man when she bustled back into his cabin several minutes later.
‘Davy is Cook’s galley assistant,’ Lisette introduced in an offhand manner as she stood aside to put on an apron the cook had also given her, whilst Davy placed the bowl of water down upon the chest of drawers beside the bunk on which the Comte reclined, a sheet now covering his lower body.
She could not quite bring herself to look directly at Christian as she laid down the clean towels and the cloths she had brought with her to use as a dressing, her cheeks having warmed the moment she re-entered the cabin, at the memory of his physical arousal. She had been more than happy to accept Cook’s offer of having his young assistant return to the cabin with her.
She was more grateful than ever for Davy’s presence, having thrown back that covering sheet—and just as quickly replacing it again—after discovering that Christian had managed to remove his drawers in her absence and was now completely naked beneath that flimsy sheet.
Lisette pressed her lips together to stop herself from gasping out loud. Which in no way helped to eliminate the image now firmly imprinted in the forefront of her brain.
She had been too tired, whilst attending to Christian’s wound through the night at his home in Paris, to be overly concerned by the dangerously predatory man himself.
A night of deep, restful sleep and the exhilaration of sailing to England, and Lisette found it far less easy to dismiss the raw masculine beauty of the man—flat and muscled abdomen, lean hips and long elegant legs, with dark blond curls surrounding his still semi-erect member.
The same man who just minutes ago had physically responded so visibly merely to her proximity.
As she now felt her own body responding to him...
Since meeting Christian, and being kissed by him, Lisette now recognised these signs of arousal in her own body for exactly what they were—the warmth in her cheeks, the tightness of her breasts, the tips sensitive and tingling, and the sudden damp heat between her thighs.
She sensed lavender-coloured eyes upon her as she arranged the sheet over Christian in such a way as to save them both further embarrassment, her movements deliberately brisk as she had Davy assist her in removing the soiled b
andage. ‘The Captain says we have made good time, the tide and winds having been kind to us, and so should be arriving in Portsmouth within the hour,’ she remarked conversationally after folding back the bandage and looking at Christian’s wound.
It looked raw and uncomfortable, but there did not appear to be any unusual sign of redness or pus, either back or front of that muscled thigh. No doubt Christian’s discomfort was mainly caused by the exertions created by his having insisted they set sail last night, rather than remain in Paris to rest his leg and allowing the wound to heal, as she had advised he should.
Not that she was about to rebuke Christian for that again; he did not appear to be in the sort of mood today to tolerate any such chastisement, from her or anyone else.
Although she very much doubted he would be well enough to continue with their journey on to London by coach once they had reached Portsmouth; just the thought of his being jostled and bounced about inside a coach for hours was enough to make her wince.
‘Cook has given me a salve to apply to your wound.’ Lisette looked down dubiously into the stone jar before lifting it to her nose and sniffing at the contents. The mixture was a rather unattractive shade of pale brown, and she thought she could also detect the smell of lavender and cinnamon, no doubt in an attempt to override the strong smell of goose fat. ‘Perhaps once I have cleansed the wound it would be as well not to tamper with the body’s own healing qualities.’ She quickly placed the stone jar back on the bedside cabinet before wiping her hands on her apron.
Christian’s discomfort had eased since the bandage and soiled dressing had been removed, and he now held back a smile as he saw Lisette’s obvious distaste for the cook’s salve. ‘Perhaps that would be as well,’ he conceded drily.
Of course his tension might have been eased simply because he now knew he would be back on English soil within the next hour. In truth, the swaying and pitching of the sloop had almost certainly added to his suffering during the night. Just the thought of being able to depart this infernal swaying boat was enough to lift his spirits somewhat.
Enough so that he grinned at Lisette as she carefully used a pristine white cloth dipped in warm water to clean his wound; if he was not mistaken, it was one of the linen squares no doubt used in the dining room by the officers of the sloop. ‘I really must commend your “bedside manner” as being as near perfection as I have ever known, Lisette,’ he drawled just for the pleasure of seeing the blush that instantly warmed her cheeks at his deliberate double entendre.
A double entendre he doubted that Davy would understand, considering he and Lisette were talking in French and all the crew aboard the sloop were English. A fact Lisette had not yet remarked upon but which he was sure, with her quickness of mind, she must be well aware of and would no doubt question him on once they were safely on English soil.
‘Perhaps you should reserve judgement, Monsieur le Comte, until after you have been attended by a physician and he is certain there is no need to have the leg amputated?’ she retorted sweetly.
The little chat continued to flex her newly discovered claws, Christian acknowledged appreciatively as he settled back more comfortably against the pillows. ‘It is unkind of you to punish me in that way, Lisette, even teasingly.’
She glanced up at him. ‘If your wound does not become inflamed and full of pus, then it will not be because of anything you have done to prevent it!’
Ah, the lovely Lisette was still put out because he had chosen to ignore her words of caution the night before. ‘It is not attractive in a woman to bear a grudge, Lisette,’ he responded drily.
‘And it is not attractive in a man to behave so tête de cochon,’ she came back pertly.
Christian chuckled softly at hearing himself described as being ‘pig-headed’. He preferred to think of himself as determined or strong-willed, but obviously Lisette saw it differently. ‘I promise you that once we are back on English soil I will do everything within my power to facilitate my complete recovery.’ He placed a hand over his heart as part of that pledge.
‘Indeed.’ Lisette eyed him mockingly as she finished cleansing his wound, believing in that moment that this man’s arrogance alone was enough to prevent the wound from becoming inflamed.
He grinned at her unabashedly. ‘I feel better already just knowing I will very soon be stepping off this constantly rocking boat onto terra firma!’