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Water pattered to the floor, puddling around the that as a possibility, he carried her to the bed and set her down on the edge

She gingerly slid back so her leg was stretched out "I’es of the towel plastered to her

He moved to the chaise and snatched the pash, he extended it to her "I’ll take the towel You can pat yourself dry with this"

Holding out the blanket for her to take when she was ready, he turned sideways, affording her some privacy, and she should have been relieved for that Appreciative even But she was beyond placing any value on her modesty or virtue around him She didn’t want him to turn away from her She stared hard at his too beautiful profile, the slash of his eyebrows, several shades darker than his golden blond hair, the sharp cut of his square jaw

Then the thought came that maybe he had no wish to see her naked Maybe that hy he had been avoiding her Perhaps she repulsed him--just as she had repulsed Richard The possibility slid through her sourly, settling sickly into the pit of her stomach

She desperately didn’t want to think that And yet if that was the truth, the new Annalise wouldn’t run froh her, she peeled back the towel from her body and let it hit the floor with a loud s her flesh Her niles rose and hardened She gazed at his profile, willing for hi that was revulsion or even apathy A deep hunger grew to a simmer in her blood as she willed him to look For emotion to crack his implacable features For him to react to her nakedness To her For him to feel the same attraction she felt for hi inter her to be covered up by now, the pash exposed on the bed like soaze locked with his Her arms held her up from the waist, palms positioned flat down on the bed just behind her She had no idea if it was a flattering pose She didn’t risk a look at herself--only him He filled her vision, her world in thatif there wasn’t a tre that belied the rejection

She s her action--or inaction--would be words enough

He extended the blanket another half inch closer She flicked it a glance, dis it, and looked back at hiaze There wasn’t that flash of disgust she caught sight of on Bloodsworth’s face that last night Of course, there wasn’t anything in Owen’s deep blue eyes Just the usual fathomless dark And yet his features looked strained, his jaw locked tight A muscle feathered beneath the flesh of his cheek--a telltale sign that he wasn’t unaffected Instinct told her this was a good thing

"Anna?" His voice was all exasperation The blanket bobbed in his hand "What are you doing?"

This ti "I would think that was obvious" She ue trail her bottoirls she apprenticed with had done that on more than one occasion when they wanted to entice a man Certain male customers with plump pockets frequented the shop They stopped in to purchase some frippery for their wives or sisters Many a tiathe or Sally in the back, in the storeroom or in a closet, skirts hiked indecently while ato co to seduce you Only it occurred to her that she wasn’t doing it very well if he was prodding her to cover up

He stepped forward, draping the blanket over her, the backs of his fingers brushing her bare shoulders Heat sparked on her skin at the contact, and from the way he quickly pulled back, she knew he ood idea"

She leaned forward and seized his hand, her fingers circling around his wrist and holding fast, desperate to keep some foraze drifted to her hand, lingering there for a , you cannot even stand"

"I’ll be on my feet next week BesidesI don’t need to stand"

He shook his head, his dark gold hair tossing in a way that forced the longing inside her to grow to an actual physical ache "I’ women in my care"

"Then a week fro herself a tad too much "Your honor could be appeased then?"

"I did not say that Have you also forgotten you have not fully recovered your memory? How do you know you’re even unattached? What if you are married?"

The question hit itshis words caused

"I’ easily off her tongue She hardly felt like a wife Especially not the wife of a man who threw her away A shudder rippled over her at the idea of being ht be a al record, but she was not his wife She was not married to that monster

"Or perhaps your heart is attached--"

"It’s not," she countered, that not a lie at all

"How do you know?"

"Because I would feel it here" She placed a hand over her heart "I would know"

He snorted An indulgent smile played on his lips "You’re a ro if we--" She considered her words "--amused ourselves?"

He released a breath, his expression sobering once again "You don’t knohat you want"