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“Apologize?” His hands closed around her upper arms. “For what?”

“I know, I just know,” she whispered. “Please, can we leave it there? Please?”

His brows were drawn together. “No.”

She realized that for Jonah, misunderstandings were like lies.

She stepped back, and his hands slid away. “I know that this dress is practically obscene, wet as it is,” she said, head held high.

His head jerked but she kept going.

“I know that dampened skirts are … are disgusting, particularly when … Particularly when one has a figure like mine.”

He stared at her for a moment, his brows knitted as if she were a puzzle he was trying to solve. “Your figure is not obscene. Did my sister tell you that?”

She tilted her head, indicating neither yes nor no. “I would prefer it if you left the room before me.”

“No.” His eyes roamed over her body. “Did Regina insult your figure?”

Bea groaned inside because the man was stubborn as … as a cow. “Yes.”

“I’ve known she was mad for years.”

“Well …”

He held out his hands, palms up.

Bea frowned at them and then looked up at his face.

“My fingers are trembling, Bea. Your curves, your body, your breasts, your hips are all perfectly sized for my hands. You are perfect for me. I look at you, and all I can think about is taking you to bed.”

“Jonah!”

He leaned forward, eyes on hers. “I’m so hungry for you that I can’t think straight. I keep telling myself to send you to a carriage, and then come by tomorrow with an appropriate posy and tell you some sort of compliment, but the truth is the only thing I want is to stroke you all over. Tongue you all over.”

Bea was struck dumb.

He was looking at her as if she were desirable.

More than that: beautiful.

She blinked at him, and to her surprise, a low growl came from his lips. “What did she do to you, Bea? What did Regina do to you?”

“She was rude,” Bea said, not caring much at that moment. She was too fascinated by the look in his eyes. She was about to take that last step toward him, slide her hands into his thick hair and pull him down to her—

She heard someone walking quickly down the corridor.

“I gather Lady Paget remembered the domino cloak,” she said, glancing toward the door.

An expression passed through his eyes so quickly that she almost didn’t catch it.

“They walked on,” she said slowly. “Did you hear—”

He interrupted. “My carriage has surely arrived. I believe I’ll go see if I can find my coachman.”

“Of course,” Bea said. She pulled off his coat and pushed it toward him.

His eyes fell to her breasts. She could feel herself growing red because they had bounced when she removed his coat.