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He knew. Turning toward me at the exact moment I reached for him. His arm went around me, pulling me onto his lap.
“Nyssa.” He buried his face into my neck, his stubble lightly scratching me.
I wrapped my arms around him, then turned my head. My lips brushed his cheek and my hand followed, cupping his jaw. God, he smelled good. I closed my eyes and inhaled deep.
Pine.
Rain.
Fresh coffee.
Clean cotton.
And underneath it all—
Alaric.
I curled my fingers against his jaw. Traced the scar with my fingertips. Then my lips. He kissed me, then let me roam. I cupped his jaw. Those pale eyes closed as I brushed my lips across the jagged line under his eye, then across to the bridge of his nose.
“You’re going to undo me. You know that right?”
“Mhmm.” I murmured, lowering my head.
When you need, you come to me. Let me be that man, Nyssa.
His words resounded. My body answered with that low ache. Then the old clock chimed, eight am. My thoughts collided. Alaric, dressed, ready for the day.
The others.
They’d be here soon.
Shit.
I jerked upright. “Alaric…”
“It’s okay,” he tried to soothe me.
“No.” I pushed from his lap. “No, it’s not okay. They’ll know.”
One brow rose. “Know?”
“They can’t know about this, Alaric. They can’t—”
Know this was going to happen all along.
Heat filled my cheeks. They’d never look at me the same. Mrs. Reid. Mr. Reid… Rafe. God, Rafe would know in an instant.
“I have to go.” I glanced at the door behind me. “I’ll go back to my room, climb back into bed. I’ll mess the sheets a little. They’ll never know.”
He let out a low chuckle.
“You think this is funny, don’t you?”
“No.” He rose from the bed and strode toward me. His fingers finding my cheek instantly, as though he could see me. “I find it adorable and utterly fucking intoxicating.” His thumb brushed my cheek. “Go, if you must, Nyssa. But if you expect me to play it cool with you under my roof, you’ll be sorely disappointed.”
“Try.” I muttered, harder than I wanted.
He straightened. “Okay, but remember this. You’ll be just as tortured.”
