Page 36 of Bride Under Contract

He said nothing to that—didn’t even smile.

Oh, why did her jokes always fall flat? Grace thought.

But then she felt a shift, so subtle it was nothing she could define...just a light tension between them.

And she knew it was the stir of arousal.

How, when she was still coming down from her first time?

She took a breath, trying to ignore his naked body lying beside her, trying to ignore the thrum in hers. Forcing herself to consider the ramifications of that one, heady indulgence.

‘What if I am...?’ She could barely say the word, the thought too daunting to contemplate.

‘It will be dealt with.’

‘Hmm...’ Grace wasn’t sure she wanted to know what his method of dealing with things might be.

‘When are you due?’

When she didn’t answer, he persisted.

‘Grace, when was your last period?’

‘I’m not sure...’ She sat up, tried to get her head around dates, but it was hard to get her thoughts out of this night, let alone cast her mind back. ‘Just before I came away.’

‘It will most likely be okay.’

‘Yep.’ She took a breath and looked around the vast room. She knew he was trying to reassure her, but she didn’t feel reassured. She’d always wondered how people lost their heads and took risks...in truth she’d privately been a bit dismissive...

Now she knew better.

‘I ought to get back.’

‘Already?’

She nodded, and went to get up, but he reached for her shoulder to halt her.

‘Why are you being so brittle?’

‘Because I feel stupid,’ she admitted. ‘Because I wanted everything that happened tonight, except for the part where we didn’t use protection.’ She ran a hand through her wild hair and refused to let him see how panicked she felt. ‘Can I use your shower?’

‘Of course.’

She glanced around the room for her clothes...

‘They’re in the ballroom,’ he said.

‘God, so they are.’ She closed her eyes, a little mortified by the rather loose behaviour he seemed to have unearthed, but then opened them to his lazy smile.

‘I’ll find you a sarong.’

‘Thank you.’

‘I don’t have any female underwear, though.’

‘No hidden stash?’ she teased, and instantly regretted it.

Except he laughed, and she could, right there, have gone over and kissed him. Finally, someone who got her stupid jokes.

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