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"Should I be flattered?"

Abruptly his laughter faded, supplanted by a quiet intensity that seeaze delving deep into hers "You tellthe answer to his own question "No You shouldn't be In fact, I' to think I'rowsby the minute"

Heated silence

"I think the effects of the ale are wearing off," Aurora noted aloud

&n

bsp; Merlin's knuckles grazed her cheek "Good"

With a shiver of anticipation, Aurora realized she was in over her head Merlin's presence was too overpowering, the atmosphere about them too intimate She felt vulnerable in a way she hadn't until now—not even when Jackson was dragging her upstairs And she hadn't a clue how to extricate herself, not when Merlin's war over her face

"I didn't see you in the tavern prior to your rescuing me," she murmured

"I was in the rear watching your perfor"

"I felt like a fool," she confessed "But I'd do anything to stop this betrothal fro"

His fingers paused "Is this prospective husband so untenable, then?"

"No Quite the contrary The viscount is a fine man But he's just not … not…"

"Not exciting? Not challenging? Not the kind of ?"

"Exactly"

"The viscount, you said Are you, too, of noble birth?"