He shook his head. “Nothing certain.”
Hope stirred within her. “Something uncertain, then?”
“Murky bits.”
“Such as?”
Mayhap she should not nudge him, but speaking of his memory was providing excellent distraction from the manner in which his big, muscled body seemed to inhabit nearly all the space of the carriage’s interior.
“Violence,” he said, succinct, his jaw tightening. “Nothing I care to remember, and it may be the beating I recall rather than anything from my past. Dreams plague me, and they are always the same.”
Oh, Gavin.
How she loathed his suffering. How she wished she could somehow end it.
You can end it, whispered the voice within. Her conscience, she supposed. She should tell him the truth. She desperately needed to convince Jasper that revealing Gavin’s identity to him was necessary.
“We needn’t speak of it.”
“I ain’t afraid to talk.” He sent her a careful smile. “But how long is the drive to your apothecary?”
“Half an hour.” She visited a very particular shop, which was not in the East End at all.
But Caro had learned long ago that quality mattered when it came to healing. She would venture from the familiar confines of her part of London if it meant obtaining better materials.
“Come.” He held out his hand to her, his broad palm facing up.
She stared at his hand and recalled what it felt like on her skin. This was madness. If she touched him, she would never be able to stop. “I am perfectly comfortable on this side of the carriage.”
He cocked his head at her. “Are you afraid of joining me?”
He was devastatingly handsome. Singularly tempting. He was nothing like Philip, and everything a man should be. If only he could be hers.
“I am not afraid, but I do question your judgment. There is scarcely any room for me.”
That was not a lie. Gavin Winter was massive. It was likely one of the traits which made him such a successful prizefighter.
“There is room aplenty here.” A grin returned to his well-molded lips as he patted his lap with his other hand.
Heat slid through her. He wanted her to sit on him.
And she very much desired to do so.
“I am too heavy.”
“You’ll be light as the butterfly you are. Come, Caro.”
She placed her hand in his, amazed at how much smaller hers was. He tugged, and she went willingly, settling herself on his lap.
* * *
Caro was warm,soft, and sweet-scented, the supple curves of her rump teasing his senses. He never wanted to let her go. Taking care to position her so that she would not come into contact with the rude protrusion of his rigid cock, he settled her more comfortably against his chest. She turned toward him and the brim of her bonnet poked him in the eye.
“Oh dear!” she exclaimed, sounding adorably befuddled. “I did not mean for that to happen.”
He gave her a wry grin, rubbing at his watering eye. “I’ll live to see another day. At least, I think I will.”
He was teasing her, but she frowned.
