Liam reclined against the wall, arms folded over his bare chest. “I don’t doubt that.”
“Some have already taken me,” she raised her chin as if in challenge. “Does that bother you? That I’m not a virgin?”
“Why should it?”
“My staying here with you might scandalize your name.”
Liam smiled and looked to be on the verge of laughter.
Athena found herself jolted once more by how appealing he was. It was an appeal that went far beyond his looks which were something crafted by the gods, she decided.
“It might be at that,” he said, still grinning. “And I might be bothered by it if I put worth to such things. Lucky for you, I don’t.” He pushed from the wall, bowed. “Buona notte, Signorina Cavalese,” he left the room.
“Goodnight, Mr. Tesano,” she said when she was alone.
***
Daybreak had not quite streaked its way through the clouds when Athena heard movement outside her room door. An immediate stab of need throbbed at her core. She approved of the reaction too much to question that it had occurred for no other reason than the sound of Liam Tesano moving through his home.
With that pleasure-filled stab came the suspicion-the hope of whether he’d reconsidered his decision to leave her the night before. Perhaps he’d decided he was due payment afterall for the shelter and clothing he had provided her. He would find no resistance were he to make such intentions known to her.
Something told her such intentions wouldn’t occur to him. Liam Tesano struck her as a man of his word. She had known enough men to know the difference. Still, she waited and had her patience rewarded when a single knock fell to the dark wooden door.
“Come in,” she called and had but a second to scold herself for sounding too eager.
The door opened and Liam looked in. “I’m leaving for town, but I’ll be back by the evening,” he said. “You’re welcomed to stay. There is food in the cupboards, bread in the bin behind the stove.”
The house was dim, save for a lone candle burning low just beyond the outline of his frame inside her door. Athena pushed back the covers to reveal the shift she’d slept in. She left the bed. If Liam Tesano took issue with her sleeping in an undergarment instead of an actual gown, he said nothing. The space was still too dark to make out a facial expression.
“Would you like breakfast?” she asked. “I may be a shameful daughter but my father and brothers find me a decent cook.”
“Don’t do that,” Liam’s tone held no rancor. “It’s your father who should be ashamed.”
“Thank you,” her voice was a whisper before she cleared her throat. “So what do you say to breakfast?”
“I’m meeting a friend in town.”
“Lady friend?”
“I don’t have any of those.”
“That can’t be,” Athena moved closer padding toward him soundlessly on bare feet. “Surely there are girls you’re...acquainted with.”
“Acquainted with, yes. Friends, no.”
“Maybe our relationship could be a mix of both,” with that she curled her fingers into his shirt with intentions of tugging him down.
Liam squeezed her hand. “I’ll see you this evening, Athena. I hate leaving you here alone all day, but-”
“I understand.” She retreated a step, grateful for the dim light hiding her embarrassment over his refusal. “You have matters to see to that were in place long before I raced into your life. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’ll have your dinner waiting when you get back.”
“Athena no. You don’t have to do that.”
“But I do. My father might have killed me last night enraged as he was. You saved me from that.” She retreated another step. “A productive day to you, Mr. Tesano. Your supper will be waiting when you return.”
Liam, still holding his guest’s hand, squeezed it once more. Then, he lifted it to brush her fingers with his kiss.
~4~
Athena didn’t return to bed once Liam set out for his day. Instead, she found a pair of worn breeches at the bottom of his mother’s chest. Along with the shirt he’d given her the night before, it all made for suitable work attire.
She was pleasantly surprised to find that the house required very little cleaning. It was a small construction, but surprisingly roomy since good use was made of the space. There was a warmth to it brought on by the rugs thrown over the dark wooden slats making up the floors. Curtains swayed lightly against the warm air radiating from the blaze in the brick hearth and added to the inviting quality of the residence.
Good looking and keeps house, she mused while checking the cupboards and deciding what to make her host for dinner. She didn’t expect to find the shelves as heavily stocked as the ones in her home and felt comforted by the discovery that she was right. There was enough to stave off hunger, but clearly the young bachelor could use assistance in the marketing area.
Was she considering herself for that role? If so, why? Liam Tesano was certainly not the first good looking boy to cross her path. Could he be the last?
She shook her head and put her mind on the meal she hoped to make that evening. Liam Tesano was a good looking, good hearted, mature for his age boy who had caught her fleeting eye. That was all.
She sighed approvingly when she spotted a block of hard cheese and a heavy link of sausage. That, combined with the vegetables she’d noticed struggling to thrive in the garden out back, could create a hearty sauce for what was left of the pasta she’d seen in one of the tall cans on the hutch near the main cupboards.
Yes, Liam Tesano had captured her fleeting attention. He had given her shelter from her cowardly father. She was going to reward him with a nice meal and...whatever else he might admit he wanted should he shed his gentlemanly ways before she left.
She’d told him the truth, after all. She wasn’t the least interested in being wed and bred. Playing house with the likes of Liam Tesano was something she might be willing to entertain, however.
A knock fell to the door while she was searching for pots and ordering silence to the voice in her mind that suggested her interest in Liam was more than fleeting. She cast the faint knock aside as simply the wind rushing pebbles and twigs against the door. When the rapping hit the door a second time, Athena gave a start and her deep violet eyes narrowed in suspicion.
She had found the pot she wanted for the sauce and kept hold of it while moving heel to toe across the throw rugs under her bare feet. Her shoulders relaxed when she heard a small, familiar voice drifting through the wide front door.
