Page 33 of Fergus

She’d also seen the spectacular view of London from the floor-to-ceiling windows in the main sitting room when she passed by.

Her breath had caught in her throat the moment she’d seen Fergus again. His dark hair was tousled and damp, probably from taking his own shower. He was now dressed as casually as she was, in a clean black T-shirt and dark jeans.

As Thea had thought earlier, he did keep more of his clothes here.

“You want the whole unvarnished truth, hm?” he teased her now.

“Yes,” she answered instantly.

He sobered. “Then last night, with you, was the singular most powerfully intimate experience of my life. I was thrown off-kilter by it. Then Declan arrived before I had a chance to come to terms with what the hell was going on.”

Thea swallowed. “Going on…?”

He nodded. “The two of us making love. Sleeping together. Waking up with you still in my arms, in the middle of the night, and then again this morning.”

Her frown was puzzled. “Isn’t that what usually happens when women stay the night with you?”

He shook his head. “I don’t invite women to my house, let alone ask them to spend the night in my bed with me there.”

“Okay,” she acknowledged slowly, not sure what that meant exactly.

But it sounded as if Fergus was still slightly surprised that he had allowedherto do all those things.

He nodded. “I want to spend as many more nights with you, sharing that same intimacy, as you’ll let me. I know I behaved like a complete dick this morning,” he continued when Thea would have spoken. “But could you try to maybe cut me a little slack? I might be forty-two years old, but I have absolutely no previous experience with what is currently happening between the two of us. None,” he repeated fiercely.

Thea grimaced. “Suave and sophisticated left the building?” she said, attempting to make light of the situation.

Fergus gave the hint of a smile at her reference to having overheard part of his conversation with his twin the previous evening. “Pretty much, yes. I know how to navigate a hookup or a date that I believe will result in the two of us having sex. But what’s happening between the two of us is completely new to me.”

She eyed him guardedly. “And exactly what do you think is happening between us?”

“An earthquake of momentous proportions. At least, that’s what it feels like. You, the two of us together last night especially, have shaken my world.” His voice had lowered huskily. “It’s still shaking.”

She looked at him searchingly for several long seconds, seeing only sincerity in his expression, along with the bewilderment he had spoken of feeling. “What happens when it stops shaking?”

“I have a feeling my world is going to be forever changed.”

“That sounds ominous.”

His lips curved into a rueful smile. “What I’m trying to explain, and maybe not succeeding, is that I was starting to accept those changes. But I wasn’t quite there yet when Declan arrived this morning, and you and I were no longer alone to talk about this in private.”

Thea eyed him warily, unsure what he meant by that, but she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. “Okay. I get that. But it still hurt to have you be so distant toward me. Perhaps for the immediate future, you could maybe think about not behaving like a monumental dick again? It’s not very nice.”

He grinned at her description. “I can do that.”

“I hope so, because this morning was miserable.”

“For me too,” he agreed.

“Good!”

“Vicious. I like that,” he admired.

“You’ve really never had a woman spend the night at your house with you before last night?” she prompted curiously.

“Never.”

“Wow.”

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