LILY
His eyes were mesmerizing. Exactly as I remembered from our encounter in the park. Piercing blue against weather-darkened skin. I stared into them and nodded. Where I had been scared to my bones in the company of Mr. Garner, this stranger's presence filled me with a sense of safety. "You'll come to no harm at my hands, Lily." His words echoed in my mind like a balm to my soul.
Rye. I had thought about him, and Keane, often in the past few days. I blushed recalling the lusty fantasy I’d had about them, the one that led to my termination as governess for the Garner children. Seeing the two of them barge into the hotel room had been like a miracle. Perhaps I was fantasizing again.
When he gave a gentle tug on my wrist I went to him. He wrapped an arm around my waist and escorted me from the room. As I glanced back one last time, Keane had Mr. Garner by the collar of his shirt and had applied his knee to the man's groin. "You want someone to touch your filthy dick? Well, how about this?"
I winced at Mr. Garner's groans of pain, though a part of me reveled in his punishment. Enjoyed seeing him humiliated, since that was his preferred method of treating others. Had I been a man, and had the courage and strength to do so, I would have done the same thing. Many times before now.
But such was not my lot in life.
My rescuer hurried me down the hall into an opulent corner suite and shut the door behind us.
When the door clicked closed, an ominous silence fell over the room, and realization set in. I was with a stranger in his hotel room.
But, was he really a stranger? We’d met in the park several days ago. Our encounter brief, but instinctively I had known there was something about him. Something that called to me on an elemental level. My skin heated where he touched me, and flutters erupted in my stomach.
Not to mention the many depraved thoughts and fantasies I’d had about him and Keane.
Glancing down, I noticed the state of my clothing, and a shame-filled blush scorched my face. I turned away from Rye and adjusted my garments, though with buttons missing my blouse would not close. I removed a pin from my hair and fashioned a closure. Stifling an anguished sigh, I turned back to the gentleman whose presence seemed to fill the entire room.
"I-I thank you for your assistance, sir," I said, looking him in the eye and then glancing away before I found myself lost in his gaze. "And your friend as well. It seems both of you have come to my rescue twice in only two meetings. I shall be on my way and not bother you any further." I stepped toward the door, though a part of me yearned for him to make me stay.
Foolish notion. He was clearly a man of the world with his fancy hotel suite and the hint of an upper-crust British accent. And what was I?
An unemployed governess with barely a cent to her name. But that was not his concern, and I would not make it so, either. I had my pride, for as long as it lasted.
"Oh no, you don't." He stepped into my path.
"Please, sir. I have troubled you enough already."
He reached out and grasped my arm. When I winced, his eyes softened with concern, and he opened the buttons on the cuffs of my sleeves. The breath hitched in my throat at the feel of his touch upon my flesh. Tiny sparks lit my skin wherever his fingers rested. He gently turned my arm until the bruise was visible. He swore under his breath then looked me in the eye. "I do not care if that man is your husband, he has no right to lay hands on you in this manner. No man does, but a husband doing this to his wife..." His jaw clenched shut, and he said no more.
He turned away and raked his fingers through his hair as though trying to contain a volatile reaction.
I blinked as his words sank in. "Husband? That man is not my husband. He is Mr. Richard Garner, my f-former employer."
Rye spun around on his heel and grabbed me by my upper arms. "What? What did you say?"
RYE
The girl’s words shook me to my core. "Y-your former employer? But what about the children? We saw you with children in the park."
"I am... was, the governess for the Garner children." When she spoke the words a profound sadness filled her eyes. "Michael and Hannah. Michael is eight, and Hannah is six." Her voice hitched with emotion, and she glanced away, blinking back tears.
Not married? No children? I gaped at her, my heart singing with euphoria. I fought against the huge grin of joy that wanted to burst forth. She was clearly distraught. I needed to temper my excitement. For now.
There would be plenty of time later to caress and explore her body, tell her how much she’d haunted my dreams over the past few nights.
I stroked the soft flesh of her cheek. It was like a fresh peach, and she flushed when I touched her.
"We meet again, Miss Lily Snow," I said gently, holding my palm out to her.
"Yes." She smiled for the first time this evening. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. She placed her palm in mine. I caressed her delicate fingers and noted the way her breath sped up at the contact. She tugged, and I let it go. For now.
"And you are Rye," she said, giving me a shy gaze.
"Yes, Miss Lily Snow." I retrieved her hand and kissed the top of it. It was silky smooth and smelled of lavender soap. "I am Rye. I am pleased to know you remembered."
"Rye?" The corner of her mouth turned up a bit. I was used to questions about my unusual name. Usually they pissed me off, but, from her, the inquiry was charming.
"An old family name," I replied. She could find out the rest later, that I was Lord Hiram Rye, third son of the Earl of Rye. "Now, let's get back to you. You were the governess, but you are no longer."
"Yes."
"You were fond of the children." It was a statement and not a question. I'd seen the way she'd hugged and kissed them at the park.
"Y-yes." She stared at the floor, and I touched her chin and returned her gaze to me.
"And you have somehow been relieved of your duties?"
She nodded, her expressive eyes speaking volumes.
"You have no reason to be ashamed, Lily," I reassured her, taking her to sit on the edge of the bed, while I sat next to her with my arm around her waist.
She sniffed back tears. "I am sorry. I have caused you enough problems already, I do not need to share my tale of woe, too. I thank you for your kind assistance this evening. And Keane, as well. You’ll express my thanks to him, won’t you?"
As if on cue, the door opened silently, and Keane slipped into the room. Our eyes met, and I knew the matter of the perverted Mr. Garner had been resolved.
Keane knelt on the floor next to Lily and took hold of her other hand. "I may have caused a bit of injury to your husband," he said, trying to sound apologetic, "however, I do not think he will harm you any further."
I gave his leg a nudge with my boot. "Not her husband. Former employer." I could not believe how happy it made me to say those words.
A beaming smile spread over Keane's face as my words sank in. "Not married?" He gaped at her, his face the happiest I’d seen it in ages. I suspected mine looked the same.
"No," she replied. "Though truly you have both been gentlemen of the first order, and I so much appreciate all you've done, I really must be going." Though her words said she planned to leave, she made minimal effort to withdraw her hands from ours.
"Oh, no," Keane said, echoing my own thoughts. "We’ve found you, and we don’t intend to let you go."
LILY
My stomach fluttered as the two men touched me. Rye and Keane. I could tell they were very different from each other. Where Rye had a formal bearing, his clothes impeccable, Keane seemed a bit more rebellious and while his clothes were of the highest quality, they were somewhat disheveled. Of course, he had recently given Mr. Garner a working over, so that might not be so surprising.
"I should have known better than to open the d-door. He said it was a meal, compliments of the hotel. And before I knew it, he was in the room, making… making lewd suggestions." I lowered my head to hide the tears of shame in my eyes.
Keane swore.
"It's all right, Lily," Rye said. "We will take care of you. And no harm will come to you. I give my word." As he spoke, his fingers massaged my neck. It was heavenly, and I let out a sigh.
"Bu-but, why?" I asked, my mind muddled from their attention and caresses.
Noises from the hallway entered the room. There was knocking on a door, not this one, but close. "Open up. Sheriff!"
Terror shot through me and I gasped. The two men exchanged a glance that seemed to have conveyed an entire conversation. "Please," I whispered. "You must not answer the door. Mr. Garner is very influential here in Butte. No doubt he’s told the sheriff horrible things about me. About all of us." I looked between the two men. "I am sorry to have brought you into my problems."
Rye put a finger to my lips and then led me to the other bedroom of their spacious suite. "We’ve promised to protect you, and we always keep our promises," he said before he closed the door to the second bedroom.
There was a pounding on the outer door, and the sheriff’s deputies announced themselves as they had down the hallway. Keane called out a response, and I began to quiver.
Rye rubbed his palms up and down my arms. "We must hurry now, sweet Lily."
I gaped up at him. His eyes held mine and I nodded, overcome with fear of what might happen if the sheriff found me. Mr. Garner was a powerful man and could have told any number of lies to implicate me. Implicate Rye and Keane as well.
"We will put on a small charade for the police, my sweet Lily." Rye’s words were smooth and soothing. "We are going to pretend to be married."
My eyes went wide.
"Do you trust me?" he asked, and in my soul I knew with certainty that I did.
"Yes," I whispered.
He touched the closure I had fastened for my blouse to replace the missing buttons. I tingled at the contact. "Wh-what are you doing?"
"Forgive me," he replied, "but it is necessary." He opened the buttons and pushed my blouse off my shoulders. I bit back a whimper as voices in the next room wafted into ours. Then he reached down and untied my boots, tossing them aside.
Rye hurried me to the bed and pulled back the covers. "In you go." He tucked the soft sheets and billowy quilt over me and then, to my further shock, he stripped out of boots and shirt and joined me wearing only his trousers.
How he felt this was the appropriate response to having the law in the next room I had no idea, but I was unable or unwilling to protest as he put his arms around me. "I am going to kiss you," he said, "but this is not part of the charade, Miss Lily Snow. These kisses are for real." His lips captured mine, and his hands roved my body. Our legs intertwined, and the unmistakable hardness of his manhood touched my belly.
I moaned against his lips and sighed.
Then the door slammed open, and three deputies stormed in. I shrieked, and the quivering returned.
The lawmen surrounded the bed, and I grabbed at the covers and held them to my chin.
Rye seemed completely unconcerned. "May I help you, gentlemen?" he asked, climbing from the bed and rising to his full height. I stared at him, unable to turn away from the length of his erect manhood creating an unmistakable tent in his pants.
The lawmen were a bit distracted as well. "We ... um... we are searching for a woman who assaulted and robbed one of our most venerable citizens, Mr. Richard Garner."
Robbed? I gasped, but Rye cut me a quick look, and I kept my mouth closed. Keane stood behind the intruders and gave me a reassuring smile and nod along with a finger to his lips to remind me to allow them to do the speaking.
"Well, I wish you good luck with that, but as you can see, there are no thieves here."
"Would you mind identifying yourself, sir, and the ... um... lady with you," one of the deputies asked, the implication of his words not lost on me. Anger flashed over Keane's face.
Rye moved to stand before the lawmen, an almost imperceptible change coming over him as he addressed them, his accent becoming more pronounced and his tone imperious.
"I am Lord Hiram Rye. You may call me 'your lordship.'" He paused dramatically to allow that to sink in. I had nearly bitten through my lip to keep from crying out. What madness had this evening brought? From the corner of my eye, I saw Keane give another encouraging nod.
"And this"—he turned and gestured to me, his manhood still fully erect and not unnoticed by the deputies—"is Lady Rye."
I forced a calm expression to my face.
"As you can see," he continued, "we have been occupied for quite some time, and there are no thieves here. Now, if you will excuse us—"
"Then who is he?" The boldest of the deputies pointed a thumb at Keane.
"Why, he is my gentleman's gentleman. Keane, please see these deputies out."
KEANE
Usually, it really pissed me off when Rye turned all English lord on me, and calling me his gentleman’s gentleman was a new low. In other circumstances, I’d have given him an earful, at minimum. But I knew this was all part of the charade to protect Lily. Beautiful, sweet, and unmarried, Lily.
And for her, I would endure anything. No hardship was too great. No task too daunting.
It was all I could do not to kick up my heels as I walked the deputies out of the suite, but I managed to keep my wits about me.
"Good luck finding the thief," I said as they exited, my fingers itching to slam the door behind them and throw the bolt.
The last deputy lingered a bit and, when the others were a few paces down the hall, he turned back to me. "A word to the wise," he said. "Mr. Garner has many connections in this city. It would be smart if his lordship"—he nodded toward Rye’s room—"and his ‘wife’ got out of town swiftly, if you know what I mean." He turned and walked away before I could respond.
Well, if he said we ought to take Lily and go back to Bridgewater, who was I to argue?