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I ignored it because, frankly, it s terrifying to need someone so much.
I leaned into him, pressing my face close. Sorry, I whispered miser-
ably against his shoulder.
He didn t need to ask what I meant. We ll speak of it later. His
clipped tone let me know I was far from forgiven.
It hadn t been easy to choke out the apology, so his continued icy de-
meanor stung. Before I had a chance to press him on the issue, though, a
petite woman in a simple gray dress stepped into the room. She motioned
us forward. Please, follow me and I ll show you your room.
She led us up the stairs to a small, sparsely furnished room. It was
clean and warm, though, which was a huge relief. The thought of being
cold again didn t sit well at all.
This is perfect, I said.
I will send some supper for you shortly. Warm yourselves by the fire
while you wait, and rest from your journey. I m Sarabeth. Please call
should you need something.
Thanks again. Oh, by the way, we re looking for a friend of ours who
arrived in the past week or so. You wouldn t happen to know if there ve
been new visitors to town?
She nodded. This is a busy area, ma am. Merchants travel in and out
in a steady stream. We see many strangers once the cold season has
passed.
The cold season has passed? I asked, brows raised.
Yes, ma am. The past few days have been chilly, but not like last
month or the one prior. Trade starts up again, people begin to come into
town for supplies, travelers come through.
He would stand out, I think. Very tall, rather muscular, red hair. No?
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She shook her head and turned toward the door. I apologize, but I
have not seen him.
I laid a hand on her shoulder. If you should hear anything, please let
me know. I pressed a small gold-and-emerald ring into her hand and she
gasped.
I couldn t! The master would never let me keep
Don t tell him. Hide it away until you marry. You and your husband
can sell it if you like. Keep it, and if you hear anything about the man I
described, let me know.
She stared at the ring, her eyes glassy with tears. Yes. I swear.
A moment later she was gone. The howling of the wind was the only
sound in the quiet little room.
That was smart. She ll do her best to find out where he s gone for such
a princely sum.
I hope so. This weather is going to make things slow-going unless we
have some sort of lead to follow.
Speaking of which, if your clothes are still damp, you should change
into your second set and let those dry. His tone was still cool, and every
word battered away at my bruised heart.
Reaching out a hand, I stepped toward him. Dev
Don t, he snapped. I m not ready to do this with you right now.
But
Goddammit, woman! Will you never obey me, even when it is to your
own advantage? Believe me, what I would say to you now would not be
kind. Allow me the opportunity to remember how dearly I love you and
why before you press me thusly.
Being around me and Bacon had relaxed Dev s speech to some degree,
in the same way that us being back in London had added a little spit and
polish to our English. When we argued, though, his accent would grow
more clipped, his phrasing more formal. And when he reverted fully back
to the mother tongue, getting all thusly and whilst on me? That meant
trouble.
I gnawed on my lip, wanting to say more, to get him to talk to me, but
managed to keep it zipped. He was probably right. Nothing good could
come of me forcing a conversation. He would let me know when he d for-
given me. If he ever did&
I let out a miserable sigh and tried to focus. Get warm, get dry, eat
food, then come up with a plan to find Bacon. We got through the first
three all right, if in total silence, but the fourth proved to be a lot more
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difficult. The flurries that dappled the sky since we d arrived had since
changed over to needles of ice and were coming down by the bucket-load,
forcing us to abandon our plans to tromp through town poking around
until we found Bacon. We stood at the door, took one look and headed
back inside in tacit agreement.
Once in the room again, I decided to use our forced hiatus to brain-
storm some ideas. I pulled out a notebook to jot down questions we could
ask, and possible scenarios of what might have occurred when Bacon and
Grubb had arrived.
Dev had been sitting on the bed unlacing his boots. He slipped them off
and began to move around quietly, adding wood to the fire and stripping
down to his underclothes. I tried not to stare at his sleek back and narrow
hips, or his black hair gleaming in the firelight. Despite, or maybe be-
cause of, my fears for Bacon, I wanted nothing more than for those strong
arms to hold me tight. To love, and comfort, and forgive. For those firm
lips to cover mine. To make me forget that while we d managed to follow
Bacon and Grubb, we still didn t have my brother back.
I abandoned my notes altogether as Dev slid beneath the blankets. The
bed was nothing like ours back home, but it smelled of clean straw and
we d both slept in far worse. I longed to join him, but it was better if I
waited until he was asleep. If I got in now, I d end up badgering him.
He d asked for time, and I was going to give it to him.
But if he came to me? Well, that was a whole other story.
Resolved, I sauntered over to the fireplace. I sat down and began unla-
cing my boots. Once they were off, I stood to face Dev, who was staring at
the rafters.
Can you unbutton me?
He sat up slowly but didn t respond. I walked over and turned my back
to him, stepping between his splayed thighs. Lifting my hair high on top
of my head, I waited. He was still for so long, my arms started cramping.
Then he stood, his big body hulking over mine, crowding me forward, the
heat radiating from his bare chest seeping into my back.
His nimble fingers touched my nape, slipping each button from its tiny
hole before moving to the next. The warmth of his breath stole over my
neck as he pushed the cloth away. I tried not to move, to keep my breath-
ing steady in case he stopped.
He d gotten midway down and paused. You can get the others. His
voice was strained but he didn t move the fingers that rested on my spine.
It will be difficult. Can t you just do it?
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If you re trying to seduce me, stop it. I m not in the mood.
I haven t even done anything, I protested with faux-outrage. Did you
want me to call the maid? It seems a little silly
As long as you understand. He resumed with the buttons, this time
more briskly. I was losing him. When he finished, he patted me on the
back dismissively. All right, done.
I didn t move away and give him the chance to sit back on the bed. In-
stead I turned to face him as my dress slid to the ground in a pile at my
feet. He swallowed hard as my naked chest pressed against his. He
moved to step back, but the bed stopped his progress. If he sat, his face
would be level with my breasts.
He put his hands on my shoulders to push me away, but again, he
didn t let go. His gaze dropped to rest on my naked torso. My nipples
peaked under the heat of his stare and he sucked in a harsh breath. His
fingers tightened, gripping my upper arms, holding me or holding me
away, I wasn t sure, but the thought of him letting go made me want to
weep.
I stepped into him again, pressing myself flush against him. I love
you, I whispered against his collarbone, brushing my lips along the hard
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