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Jasper’s smile curled her toes "Do you have any notion of how sexually arousing I find your intellect? One day I should like you to expound upon this topic while I’hly erotic"

A flush swept over her face

He shut the door to the hallway and locked it The soft click of the latch rippled through her

"I tested you today," he said, with his back to her "Considering how irritating I find such ploys, it astonishes me that I did so"

"Did I pass?"

Facing her, he shrugged out of his coat "You are in my home, so I would say so"

He swiftly unfastened the buttons of his waistcoat Eliza found she could not look away, despite the voice in her head that lectured about privacy and proper maidenly modesty

She cleared her throat so she could speak "You sent for ue had sent for you, would you have gone?"

"Of course not He does not work for me"

Jasper stiffened When he returned to the act of shaking off his waistcoat, it ith notable ione?"

"No"

"But he works for you"

Clearly the expected responses were not the ones he wanted to hear He wanted the truth

"I would not have expended the effort for anyone else," she ad as he untied and unwound his cravat, baring his throat The sight was intensely provocative to her His skin was darker than her own, firmer She wanted desperately to touch it, to feel hiertips

He toed off his buckled shoes "That was the test I needed to know if you would place ory from other men you knoas also curious to see how deep your adventuresome proclivities were buried"

"I am far from adventuresome," she protested