Page 128 of Stolen By the Heartless Duke

She smiled, though her own cheeks had turned pink. “I could say the same.”

His thumb brushed gently across her jaw. “When I kiss you again, I want it to be somewhere we need not worry about disturbing anyone.”

Her smile softened into understanding. She nodded. “I would like that too.”

He rose before temptation convinced him otherwise. He offered her his hand. She accepted it. He helped her to the sofa, arranged the folded blanket over her, then stepped back.

“Good night.”

“Good night, Hector.”

He settled onto the floor beside the dying fire. The blanket beneath him was thin. The floor was hard. Neither seemed to matter.

The last thing he saw before closing his eyes was Jane watching him with the faintest smile. For the first time in longer than he could remember, sleep came easily.

Chapter Eighteen

The first pale hints of dawn stretched across the eastern horizon by the time Jane stirred. For a brief, disorienting moment, she did not remember where she was. The unfamiliar ceiling. The scent of woodsmoke lingering in the little cottage. The warmth of the dying fire. Then everything returned in a rush.

She sat up quietly on the narrow sofa, careful not to disturb the man sleeping on the floor only a few feet away.

The duke lay on his back, one arm folded beneath his head, the blanket half slipping from his shoulder. Even in sleep, there was something disciplined about him. His posture remained composed, as though years of responsibility had trained him never to relax entirely.

For the first time since she had met him, his face looked younger. Without thinking, Jane took a step towards him. Her hand lifted instinctively before she stopped herself.

A faint smile tugged at her lips all the same. He had insisted he would survive a night on the floor. He looked as though he had.

She quietly crossed to the hearth instead, where only glowing embers remained. Kneeling, she stirred them gently with the poker until a small flame sprang back to life.

The soft crackle roused Hector. His eyes opened almost immediately. He did not startle awake like most people. Awareness simply settled over him in an instant.

When he noticed her, he pushed himself upright. “Good morning.”

His voice was still rough with sleep. The sound of it did funny things to her insides, and heat pooled between her legs.

She smiled. “Is it?”

He glanced toward the window. “It will be soon.”

Outside, the sky had begun turning from black to deep blue. “We should leave before sunrise,” he said.

Jane nodded. “The roads will be quieter.”

Before Hector could answer, the bedroom door opened. Colin stepped into the main room first.

Though still bruised, he looked stronger after a few hours’ rest. Evan followed behind him, carrying a small satchel.

“I found enough provisions for the road,” Evan said. “It is not much.”

“It is more than enough,” Jane replied warmly.

Colin crossed the room toward her. “I was hoping you would still be here.”

She looked carefully at him. The swelling around his eye had gone down slightly. Fresh bandages covered the cuts on his temple, and though he remained pale, some color had returned to his face.

“How are you feeling?”

“As though I lost a fight.”