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top of them.
    There was still warmth from his body down where her legs were. She lay flat on her back and stared at the ceiling for a moment, then turned onto her side and closed her eyes. Damien’s musky, masculine scent permeated her consciousness and swirled through her senses.
    She pressed her face into the soft feather pillow and breathed deeply, filling her lungs until she could hold no more of him, then she did it again and again and again, squeezing the pillow until she felt satisfied, and fell asleep.
    But only for a little while. The rest of the night was a stressful affair filled with many swift, frightful awakenings.

Chapter 5
    A dele descended the stairs the next morning, her eyes burning from lack of sleep. She went to the dining room. Lord Alcester rose from the table they’d shared the night before and crossed the room to greet her.
    She remembered with a shocking, tingling quiver how he had looked the night before in her bedchamber—surreal, like a god in the moonlight. Powerful and beautiful.
    He looked beautiful again this morning, she thought with another disturbing shiver of anticipation. He wore the same shirt, waistcoat, tight riding breeches, and black boots as he’d worn every other day, but today Adele was more aware of his size and strength. She had seen it for herself last night.
    “Good morning, Miss Wilson,” he said coolly, with a slight bow.
    Adele couldn’t deny her disappointment at seeing him return to his formal manner and call her “Miss Wilson.” But she supposed it was best.
    He escorted her to their table. As soon as they sat down, he said, “Did you sleep at all?”
    “Not much.”
    His chest rose and fell with a deep intake of breath, as if he felt that he had failed somehow. “You will no doubt be glad to join your mother, and arrive at Osulton Manor. There was a telegram from her this morning.” He reached into his breast pocket and handed it across the table to her. She read it quickly:
    Overjoyed to hear you are safe stop
    Will celebrate soon stop
    Love Mother stop
    Adele’s heart relaxed a little as she read the words. It was a small connection with reality—a reminder of her real life. She read the telegram two more times, then looked up to see Damien’s concerned eyes staring intently at her, his brows drawn together. His dark gaze held her captive, and her pulse fluttered alarmingly.
    “What is it?” she asked.
    “I’m sorry if I was short with you last night. It was inexcusable of me.”
    The gentleness in his voice as he delivered such a sincere, honest apology shocked her. She had to struggle to come up with a reply.
    “You weren’t short with me. You were helpful.”
    “You’re being polite. The fact is, I shouldn’t have left you alone when you were distraught. I should have listened to you when you told me you couldn’t sleep. Last night you called me your protector, and I was hardly that when I walked out on you like an irritable dog.”
    She inclined her head curiously, and spoke without thinking. “Why were you irritable, Damien? Did I do something wrong?”
    He stared at her across the table.
    She didn’t know why she had asked him that question, with such an intentionally innocent tone of voice, as if she had no awareness of the fact that there could be something inappropriate simmering between them—which was why she suspected he had been bad-tempered.
    She was putting him on the spot, wanting to know if the attraction she had been sensing was real, or if it was all in her mind. She was challenging him to acknowledge it.
    The server arrived and poured coffee. Damien leaned back in his chair, looking slightly relieved to have been spared answering the question.
    As soon as the server was gone, however, the question continued to dangle in the air between them. It could not go completely unanswered. That in itself would have revealed something was amiss.
    Damien’s gaze swept restlessly around the room, and she sensed he was displeased