Page 73 of A Story of Love

“You can’t do that! I’ll—I’ll—”

“You’ll what?”

She jumped to her feet, forgetting about the sheet she was wearing.

He watched with interest as she trod on the bottom of the fabric and dislodged the makeshift toga. She had lovely, lovely breasts and he regretted not exploring them more fully the night before. Judging by the way she was scowling at him, Fast would not be getting a second chance to enjoy her body.

He got to his feet, and she hastily stepped back, bumping into the chair behind her, and then edging around it, until she was clutching the chairback with both her hands. “You can’t just keep me here.”

Before Fast could answer there was a knock on the door. “Who is it?” he called out staring at Lorelei.

“Gregg.”

Fast’s gaze slid over Lorelei’s barely clad body—a body he didn’t want anyone but himself to see.

“One moment” he called, striding toward the door.

“Where are you going?” she demanded shrilly.

He ignored her and opened the door. Fast knew by Gregg’s expression that something was amiss, so he stepped outside and shut the door behind him.

Lorelei’s voice, raised in anger, came through the thick wood. “Severn! Where are you going?”

Gregg looked amused as Fast lightly held the handle while she yanked on it and continued shouting.

“I want any room she’s in to be locked at all times and station a man outside it,” he said, needing to raise his voice to be heard over the racket.

“Very good, my lord.”

“You’d better have one posted outside the window, too.”

Gregg smirked as he fished a key from his pocket and stuck it into the lock.

The door handle rattled. “You let me out this instant!” Fast winced when the door shook. She would hurt herself if she kept flinging herself against it like that.

“If you have something to tell me, tell me quickly.”

Gregg glanced at the vibrating door. “I think it would be better not to speak of it right here.”

Fast sighed and jerked out a nod.

“Will she be staying in your quarters?” Gregg asked as they strode down the corridor.

“Only until the Queen’s Chambers have been secured. Then I will move her in there.”

Gregg laughed. “Oh, she’ll like that.”

“I don’t care what she likes. It will be far easier to keep her contained in that suite. There are too many goddamned doors in and out of my rooms.”

The Queen’s Chambers, as the rooms were laughingly called, had been equipped for every perversion known to mankind. The room also had bars on the window and only one door. For all that it was locked up tighter than a Newgate cell it was luxurious. Lorelei would be comfortable, if scandalized.

“Oh, and from now on,” Fast said, “I don’t want any of the maids to go into her room alone. She had poor Dolly terrified.”

Gregg looked amused. “Of course, my lord.”

“I want you to be the one to accompany the servants.”

“You don’t trust the lads?” Gregg asked, his eyebrows arched.