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"Malaria," he muttered His arms felt wooden at his sides

"It’s notspell this ti powder, and I put some in your barley water"

She pushed hi the coverlet about him Her hands … they were everywhere As she leaned forward to arrange the pillows beneath his head, he got an intoxicating lungful of her sarainst his wounded arave a wild kick Now this was perilous

He said, "I thought you wantedto sleep When you wake up, you’re going to eat And then we’re going to talk"

Her words seemed wrapped in cotton It took hi powder did you give ood e man, Julian Bellamy"

"Ah, Lily You noticed" The flirtatious retort slipped out by accident Damn He was so sleepy, drunken with it He couldn’t censor his replies

"You’re also an ass"

"You know me so well"

"Do I?" She laid a hand to his cheek "Sometimes I wonder Sometimes I think I don’t know you at all"

"Don’t say that"

Her dark eyes searched his So beautiful, those eyes He wanted to keep staring into thehts to his eyelashes He couldn’t hold theer

"Go to sleep" Her soft foro I’ed haze He struggled up on one elbow With his other hand, he reached for her, curling his hand around the back of her slender neck He wove his fingers into the thick silk of her hair, holding her tight Leaving her nowhere to look but at hi in the world was ht now And he needed to know she understood

He twisted his grip in her hair, and she gave a little gasp He waited until her gaze fell to his lips There Now he knew she was listening

"I’m so sorry, Lily So damn sorry, and I wish to God … It’sto ht But better I swear to you, I’ll …"

Da like a bedlamite From the furrowed set of her brow, he could tell he’d lost her some ways back

"Please," she said "Don’t distress yourself so"

"I’ into a hoarse whisper He began again, forcing his lips to shape the words clearly, even if no sound ca for you For you You and I … I wish …"

She shushed hiainst his jaw "Rest, Julian"

Julian The nanized it as his own Perhaps because it wasn’t

"You should sleep," she said

His chin concurred, nodding in agreement He should sleep He should

No His eyes snapped open He couldn’t let her go, not yet And if he couldn’t reach her ords, he’d have to try so else With his last bit of consciousness, he pushed up on one arm, pulled her close with the other--

And kissed her God damn his soul, he kissed Lady Lily Chatwick for all he orth Which, unfortunately, wasn’t id with shock Her lips arm, but fir his mouth to hers with artless desperation All his seductive techniques--clever caresses, ue--they’d deserted him utterly After all these years, so oing well, not at all

He tilted his head, hoping a different angle ht help

A panicked sound creaked from her throat

Julian cursed himself Really, he wanted to pull back and insist, I’m a much better kisser than this

But as the use? He’d never have another chance to prove it

Then, suddenly, so happened

Because in that moment, neither of theether The tension melted away And the kiss was still artless, still desperate--but only because it was real The most honest, truthful htning strike, jolting them apart

He stared at her, unable to speak as the room contracted to a dark, narrow tunnel He at one end, and she at the other Sleep tugged at hies frorip slipped froers like water Cool and abundant and vital

Impossible to hold

He fell back to the bed, and knew noago, when Julian had counted few regrets in his life The night of Leo’s rets multiplied to "e that at soht, "oogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>