A clock somewhere bonged the hour loudly, and Leah winced as she turned and sprinted for the stairs. She’d have to find Avery later. She had about thirty seconds to get to the servant’s hall and be seated for dinner.
But no matter how quickly she descended the stairs, she couldn’t outrun the twinge in her chest. Her feet grew heavier with each step, slowing her progress. When she reached the bottom of the staircase, she plopped down on the lowest step and cradled her chin in her hands.
She’d met her man. He was handsome. His voice wasn’t at all what she’d imagined. And— the thought of the snuffbox made her shudder— she hadn’t wanted a guy with any kind of substance dependencies. But the duke wasn’t what had slowed her, stopped her like a remote control car without any juice left.
She stood, turned, and ran back up the stairs as quickly as she’d descended them.
i
Pink-stained water dripped back into the basin as Avery wrung out the cloth. He dipped it again, letting the cool water soak the fibers. It was hardly the first time he’d tended to wounds here in his attic bedchamber, but he’d hoped that he’d finally left those days behind him. It seemed that he could not yet outdistance his past.
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Gina Lamm
Wincing as he pressed the cloth to his swollen cheek, he blew out a breath. Prachett’s men had thrashed him thoroughly, bruising and breaking his skin. They’d not spared him, only relenting when he’d agreed to fight in the Houndstooth. Damn and blast. He’d sworn he’d not set foot in the ring again. But what choice did they leave him? If Prachett and his men killed him, then his aunt could not last out the month. There was no one to purchase her medicine or to pay for her lodgings and care but Avery. He could not abandon her, no matter how it cost him.
“Bloody hell,” he hissed as he draped the cool wet cloth across the welt on his upper arm. Drops of water ran in rivulets down his chest, dampening the fine spray of hairs on that side. He clamped the rag to his skin and set his teeth against the pain, squeezing his eyes shut.
He blew heavy breaths from his nose, feeling the steady thump of his heartbeat in each welt, each bruise.
After another moment, the pain eased somewhat. He lifted the now-hot cloth and dipped it into the basin again.
Leah’s anguished voice struck him like another blow from the crop. “Oh my God, Avery, what the hell happened to you?”
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Six
Vulnerability. That was the sensation that bubbled angrily through his veins, clenched his teeth, and closed his fists. The knowledge that he was exposed, bleeding and wounded, and she was seeing him in this state turned him into more of an animal than a man. He didn’t turn toward her, keeping his gaze locked on the small window in front of him. He could not show her his weakness, his shame.
“Get out.” His voice was low and threatening.
The floorboards creaked with her steps. “Don’t be stupid, Avery. You’re bleeding. You look like you got hit by a pickup truck.” Concern threaded her words, lending them an almost tender sound despite the insult.
He closed his eyes, trying to get his rage under control.
Water trickled and dripped into the basin beside him.
“This is going to hurt. I’m sorry.”
The cloth had barely grazed his shoulder when he gained his feet like a shot. Whirling, he glared at her.
“I said for you to leave me be. I’ve asked for no favors from you. These chambers are mine, not yours. If you are discovered here, you’ll be turned out into the street immediately. Besides, I’ve no need of your assistance.”
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Gina Lamm
Geek Girls Don’t Date Dukes
He backed toward the corner and widened his stance subconsciously, staring at her through lowered brows.
She stood motionless for a while, the damp cloth still hanging from her fingertips like a dead creature. He mimicked her stillness, not letting his gaze leave her face.
Sighing, she let the cloth fall back into the basin with a fleshy plop.
“Okay, fine. So you don’t need my help.” She crossed her arms, and he struggled to focus on the throbbing pain in his ribs rather than the way her breasts rounded with the unintended frame. “I’ll just stay over here, quiet and out of the way.”
She flounced over to the only chair in the room and sat, keeping her blue eyes trained on his face.
They stood in silence, a pair of combatants unwilling to give the other quarter. Had she been a man, Avery would have been very tempted to give way to his baser instincts and thoroughly thrash the blighter. But this was Leah. Tall, beautiful, odd Leah, who insisted on helping to tend the wounds of a nigh stranger. Despite his best efforts, he could not stay angry with her. Even though she’d invaded his private rooms, he could not ignore the selfless intention behind her reasoning.
“You can stand there and stare at me all you want.