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Rose barely touched the narrow confines of the bed before she was pressed into the hard surface by his weight when he followed her down She welco ar away to reveal her nakedness For now, Barnaby was her protection – in more ways than one

“Tell th to lift his head

“Stop,” she whispered half-heartedly because that is what he had asked her to do She then did what she wanted to do “Don’t stop,” she pleaded

When Barnaby merely looked steadily at her, she captured his head in her hands and dragged his head back down to hers At first, she thought he was going to object because he hesitated, but only for a fraction of a second Rather than kiss her longingly the way she wanted hile kiss on her lips before he rested his forehead against hers

“You don’t knohat you are asking,” he ”

He wanted her –tis he knew she should demand from any lover She should expect hearts and flowers, not a brief tryst in an isolated hut while running away from London’s seedy underworld

“I a within her began to break free and crumble but she wasn’t sure what it was The reluctance in hi she had not expected to see and it was hued me here, remember? I didn’t ask to come with you”

“I know, but I have to keep you safe, Rose It is my job,” Barnaby replied He winced when he realised how that sounded

Rose felt heat flood her cheeks and knew then that her humiliation was co, but he had rejected it Suddenly, the way they were lying so intimately becao It now felt aard and unco bit painfully into her back The coarseness of the rough blanket offered her no comfort now that she was cold Deep inside, a wintry chill settled around her heart that Rose suspected was never likely to thaw Unsure what to do to cover her aardness and not an to look for the blanket

“Rose,” Barnaby ently

“I have lost the blanket again I need to see ifhim that she didn’t want to discuss this

I don’t knohy he thinks I would want to talk to him about his rejection He doesn’t want ht When tears began to sting her eyes, she squiret free

While this response was the one Barnaby needed to be able to maintain aful He wanted to offer her some sort of cos if he did He daren’t even try it

“We barely know each other, Rose,” he reminded her “Why, this time yesterday we hadn’t even met”

“I know,” she replied “I don’t knohat came over me”