Read The Governess Club: Claire for Free Online Page B

for their daughter. Why did you have to become one yourself?”
    “I am not comfortable with the direction of this conversation,” Claire said. “It doesn’t seem an appropriate time.”
    Jacob pulled the sandwich out of the fire and placed it on a plate before handing it to her. “Careful, it’s hot. Give it a few moments to cool.” He watched as Claire lifted the plate and puckered her lips, slowly blowing air onto the sandwich to cool it. The sight of her lips, rounded as for a kiss, sent his pulse racing.
    She took a bite. “Oh, it’s hot!”
    “I warned you.” He poured her a glass of wine.
    She gave him an impish smile and accepted the offered glass. “I struggle with patience, especially when there is a treat involved. But you were telling the truth; this toastie is delicious. Much better than I have ever made.”
    He began to prepare another one. “That should teach you to doubt my word.”
    “In my defense, you did not precisely act trustworthy when you first arrived.”
    Claire saw his entire body still. Tension rippled through the air. “Whatever do you mean?” He tried for a nonchalant tone.
    “May I be honest?”
    “By all means.”
    Claire took another bite of her toastie, savoring the taste of the warmed cheese and ham on her tongue. “Your initial arrogance was very off-putting. It did not endear you in any way.”
    “My initial arrogance? Does that mean your impression has changed?” He sat back with his toastie and faced her.
    Claire smiled. “You have made some improvement; your company has become more tolerable.”
    “Your flattery knows no bounds,” Jacob replied wryly. He enjoyed seeing that twinkle in her eyes.
    Claire laughed, a husky chuckle that went straight to his groin. Images of hearing that chuckle in his bed with her naked form twined around him flooded his brain. Sweet Mary, but it was warm in this nursery.
    “Despite these improvements, however, you still feel you cannot confide in me,” Jacob turned the conversation to less physically straining topics. “ What better time to share a burden? It is merely you and I and the fire.” He saw her hesitate again, glancing down at her half-eaten sandwich. “I admit to some selfishness here, Claire. You intrigue me; I wish to know more about you. More importantly, I want you to trust me.”
    Claire looked up at him, her eyes clouded with uncertainty. It struck Jacob that he had been very mistaken about her eyes. They weren’t a mossy green, but rather grassy, emeraldy, a combination of all three. The different shades played together harmoniously, each allowing the others moments to shine. When she laughed, the emeralds twinkled with delight; when angered, the grass snapped; when content, the moss softened. This look, this confused uncertainty, blended all three into a shade he had never seen before, yet the impact thudded in his gut and echoed throughout his veins. At this moment in time, he would do whatever it took to banish that look from her eyes forever but had no idea how to accomplish it. God help him, he never wanted her to feel this again. He never wanted to feel this again.
    Having never felt a symbiotic emotional experience, Jacob was shaken. Shoving the rest of the toastie in his mouth, he wiped his hands and poured himself some wine to wash it down. He needed some distance. “But you can keep your secrets if you wish. It makes no difference to me,” he said around a mouthful of toastie. The wine quickly disappeared from his cup and he poured himself another.
    He made the mistake of glancing at Claire. Her gaze distant, her face was turned toward the fire. The light caught her dark hair, sending slivers of gold swimming through her loosened coif. Some strands had escaped and fallen along her cheek, her soft cheek being caressed by the warm firelight.
    Before he even knew what he was doing, Jacob had reached out and tucked the strands behind her ear. When she turned to look at him, it was natural to cup her