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The first thing that registered was all that soft, creaers, or even better yet, lower his head and skim his lips from her bare shoulders down to the curve of her ass, where a pair of crea hiht to his aching groin, he gently rolled her to her back and began working the sleeves and the bodice of her dress down her arms and chest

Sheopen Confused, disoriented eyes stared up at hiown, because the last thing he wanted Arabella to think was that he was trying to take advantage of her He ht, but he’d meant what he said when he’d told her he’d never force her

Her head tipped drowsily to the side on the pillow, a frown creasing her brow “What are you doing?”

There was no panic in her voice, just a cal you in soruff “Is that okay?”

She blinked up at hiown”

“I know” He felt the slightest tug of a sed to suppress it before it fully formed “You can wear one of my T-shirts for now” Tomorrow, he’d send for her clothes and other personal items

“Thank you” She sighed with gratitude “The top of the dress was tight”

She sat up and pushed the voluptuous gon her petite for off all those layers of fabric with her feet Maddux sucked in a quick breath Jesus Christ, she wasn’t wearing a bra Nor was she particularlyher small, pert breasts and barely there underwearor maybe she was so emotionally and mentally tired that she didn’t realize how complacent she currently was, or she just didn’t care

But to him, she was pure, sinful temptation, and he quickly yanked his T-shirt over her head and arranged it to her thighs Then he pulled down the covers so she could slip between the sheets and cole into his bed as though she fucking belonged there

When he was certain she’d drifted off to sluain, he removed his own clothes down to his boxer briefs, then settled onto his side of the ood four feet between theht, then tried to relax enough to let the last remnants of alcohol lull him to a nice, passed-out state of sleep It was probably the only peace he was going to get for a good while

He was nearly there when Arabella’s soft, husky voice jarred him awake

“Maddux?”

He turned his head on the pillow to look at her, but her face was in shadows and he couldn’t see her expression “Yes?” he replied, his tone brusque, mostly because he was annoyed that she’d ain

He heard her exhale a soft breath “Whatever my father did to you and your familyI want you to know that I’m very sorry”

Well, shit What the hell did he say to that sincere acknowledgey? It wasn’t her fault that, beneath her father’s expensive suits and fancy trappings, Theodore was nothing more than a cruel, cold-blooded, self-centeredto happen, either, because no a Maddux’s parents back or be enough to forgive her father for his heartless, vindictive ways