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She didn’t like the look on his face It was far too calculating and she wasn’t willing to dissect her motives It was far easier to rationalise the care as part of her desire to have an effective protector Ad that she’d really wanted to do it because she hated the thought of hi in pain was far more complicated

The fact that she’d also been itching to get her hands on his bare skin didn’t even factor into it

“Do you mind if I shower?”

He reached past her and turned it on “The water starts out cold Give it a minute to heat up”

“I will”

He shifted aardly, finally hooking a thue”

He closed the door behind hi to be stuck here with hi—and even worse, he was actually being nice

“Too bad he can’t stay such a pompous ass,” she mumbled to herself

She felt farshower, even if she did have to put on the same dress It wasn’t filthy but she ainst her skin The corset went on with a fight Until she had different undergarments she didn’t intend to put on a show, but she did coh-class friends would have wanted This small act of rebellion thrilled her

She eet a feel for the layout of the apart space was e when he said his

The door leading out of the kitchen took her into a small room with a sink and laundry tub Several bottles of cleaners sat in neat rows above the sink A pile of carefully folded rags sat nearby The mirror above the sink was the only chaotic area, almost completely covered with pictures, most of them taped up haphazardly

The one that caught her attention featured a younger looking Taggart with a pretty, blonde woman They had their arms around each other and it was clear that the picture was taken while the woart wore a carefree se, clearly grown over tiht corner of the picture She leaned in to take a closer look but a strange sound from the room beyond distracted her

The adjoining door opened easily and she was assaulted by the scent of oil, dirt and hot ht but when she turned to look, it was gone All she saas Taggart, ar as he pulled at a hunk of ru

nt and tug and the plate came off He tossed it to the side, picked up the torch and spotted her

Gods, what a man