I climbed to the second floor, then the third, where I stripped myself bare as I entered the updated bathroom. I took a luxuriously hot shower, letting the heated water soak into my body. Inhaling the steam as the stress of the day melted away, before slipping into my nightclothes and climbing into bed.
My body was exhausted, but my mind still raced. For an hour or more I let it run wild, flitting to every random thought or problem or desire that popped into my head. My dwindling bank account. My looming inspections.
My three gorgeous laborers…
Over and over, my thoughts circled back to them. Julian’s tattooed arms, coiling
and flexing. Noah’s incredible abs, glistening in the sun. I could see Chase’s green eyes, his lady-killer smile…
After an hour or so I got up and crossed the room, my feet padding silently over the smooth wooden floor. The rain had stopped. Blue moonlight bled in through my favorite window, looking out over the vast, unworked fields of the castle estate.
For a minute I stood looking at nothing, letting my eyes drift lazily over the moonlit horizon. Then, all of a sudden, I drew back with a gasp.
There was a figure standing out there.
My heart began pounding wildly. Whoever it was, man or woman, they stood close to the tree line. All the way back at the very edge of the field, waiting... lurking...
Maybe even right now, staring up at me.
A cold chill ran through me as I took two shaky steps back. I wanted to flee and hide. To climb behind one of the heavy curtains, or crawl back into my bed.
But I had to know.
Very slowly, I worked up just enough courage to look again. I expected to see the person standing out there, all silent and sinister. Or even worse, find out that he or she had moved significantly closer, while my back was turned.
But when I looked, the figure was gone.
Was it ever really there?
I didn’t know. I was tired, exhausted, bleary-eyed. And now I was spooking myself over nothing.
Maybe.
Either way, I added another comforter before jumping back into bed. It might make the night hotter and a little more restless, but I felt safer that way.
Three
MADISON
It took nearly an hour just to work up the nerve to face him. When I finally did, I approached him rapidly, nervously. Stomping over a little too hastily, to keep myself from chickening out and doing an about-face.
“Julian…”
I caught the big stonemason in the middle carrying two huge blocks. His arms and chest were flexed deliciously tight. The veins in his neck were standing out, just beneath his rugged, stubbled jaw.
“I uh… oh. Sorry.”
He continued past me on his two giant legs, to his current work area. Bending at the knees, he set the tremendous blocks of limestone on the ground and turned to face me.
“Yes?”
He was covered in dust. And dirt. And sweat. Especially sweat. It glistened off every square inch of his magnificent body, accenting every cut, every ridge and ripple of his smooth, sun-bronzed skin.
“Did you want something?”
I was still enthralled. Still caught in a trance, staring at his incredible physique. His tattoos were visually stunning — all roses and birds and scrollwork. But they were the most masculine, gorgeous black-and-grey roses and birds I’d ever seen inked on skin.
“I… ummm…”