She watched him a moment, smiling. “That makes perfect sense, given what you do now. It’s good you were able to find something that makes you happier than your previous line of work.”
“It is.” He paused, curiosity getting the better of him. “What made you ask?”
She shrugged. “Perhaps it’s as you said, and I simply didn’t realize I had the fear of losing everything to a gambler.”
He had the feeling that wasn’t the answer, but it didn’t particularly matter as long as she trusted him to keep her safe.
“We ought to head back,” she said. “I wouldn’t want Anna to arrive to an empty house.”
He stood and held out a hand to help her up. “Thank you for indulging me.”
Delia laughed as she clasped his hand. “I should be thanking you.” She continued to hold his hand, despite the fact she was standing.
“Not at all.” His eyes held hers for a moment, and that undeniable desire to draw her closer to him was so strong that he had to press the fingers of his free hand against his leg before his arm rose of its own accord.
Her breathing went shallow, almost as if she, too, sensed the change in the air between them.
“Anna,” she said, her throat bobbing as she swallowed.
That was enough to bring Max to his senses. He cleared his throat, dropped her hand, and began to lead them back toward the road.
They’d gone almost halfway down the hill before Delia gave a little squeak beside him, slipped, and began to slide down the slope.
Chapter Nine
STINGING PAIN SHOTup Delia’s ankle as she rolled and grasped for something to stop her descent. As her hand grazed over grass and dirt, a strong pair of arms grabbed her around the middle.
She stopped rolling and looked up to find Max leaning over her, his arms trapping her in place.
“Are you all right?” he asked, concern tracing his features. “Are you hurt?”
Pain pulsed up Delia’s ankle, but nothing else seemed harmed. “I think I’m fine,” she said, not wanting to worry him.
He watched her a moment, his arms still securely wrapped around her middle. If her ankle wasn’t throbbing painfully, Delia would have indulged the competing waves of embarrassment and yearning that rolled through her at the feel of him holding her so close.
“Can you sit up?” he asked.
She nodded, and he leaned back to help her rise into a sitting position. His hand slid from her side to her back, and she shivered.
“Are you certain you aren’t hurt?” He stared at her, those brown eyes fixed on her response.
Delia blushed under his gaze. No one had paid her so much undivided attention since she was an eligible debutante ofeighteen. She hadn’t wanted it then, not from any man. She’d never wanted it.
So why she craved it from Max now, she couldn’t begin to understand.
