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“No, my friends,” she answered softly, grabbing their hands. “Have I not performed well this evening? Were my dance steps not acceptable?”

“Oh, no, you looked lovely, darling,” Alice assured her quickly.

“But…” Teresa added softly, “you looked…like you were dreaming.”

Unable to help herself, Helena’s eyes wandered to the bar and were once again rewarded with Morgan’s smile. Whether he had been talking with her brother, flirting with another woman, or making someone laugh, Morgan’s eyes always seemed to know when hers were upon him, and he always met her gaze.

Heat pooled in her lower belly as she caught the soft flare of his nostrils, the way his dark brow angled slightly while he continued talking with his friends. He waspleasedshe was looking, she realized, and she felt her lips lift into a smile as she looked back at Alice and Teresa.

“I am working on acceptance,” Helena said to her friends with a slight bow of her head. “Of my present and my future. Is that not what everyone wants?”

“Well…I suppose so,” Alice murmured, eyeing Helena carefully.

Two masculine hands wrapped around Alice’s waist and Duncan’s smile appeared by her shoulder as he planted a kiss on her neck. Helena watched joyfully as her friend’s face lit up with happiness and she turned in his arms to kiss his lips.

“Hello,” she said warmly. “What are you doing over here?”

“We have to come to nick some provisions from the refreshments table,” Morgan answered, stepping out from behind Duncan.

Helena’s blood sizzled in her veins as Morgan’s green eyes locked upon hers, and he reached for her hand.

“Could you help me with my selections, Miss Helena?” he asked, his tone innocent as he brought her knuckles to his lips.

Even the smallest brush of his bottom lip was enough to make her tremble.

“Still helpless, Lord Grandhill?” she toyed.

He smiled at her wickedly as he let go of her hand.

“As a child,” he remarked with a sarcastic grin. “Help me choose?”

As Duncan began to converse with Alice and Teresa, Helena and Morgan strolled towards a table covered with tiny finger sandwiches and other bite-sized treats.

“You look lovely this evening, Helena.” Morgan murmured as he studied the food.

Helena’s heart fluttered at the compliment. It was nothing unusual. Nothing he would not have said before when they were in front of the others. But this time, the small praise touched her deeply.

“You look quite handsome, yourself,Morgan,”she replied, letting her tone drop into a seductive, smoky tone as she said his name.

Morgan’s eyes closed briefly as he drew in a tense breath. A smile itched on her lips while he struggled with himself.

“You are kind,” he replied, snapping his eyes open before giving her a predatory look. “Are you having a pleasant evening?”

“Pleasant enough,” Helena murmured back. “A bit boring, though.”

A smile tugged at her lips as she dared a glance at Morgan, who was already smirking.

“Shall we make it a bit more exciting, then?” He asked, his tone deeper, so only she could hear.

“Yes,” she whispered, keeping her eyes on the table, pretending to look over the choices.

“Yes, what?” Morgan rasped, a touch of harshness in his low tone.

Helena felt her cheeks heat with embarrassment as her abdomen filled with arousal.

“Yes please,sir,” she whispered.

Morgan inhaled sharply through his nostrils as his jaw clenched and a short, low growl only she could hear escaped his throat. Keeping his eyes on the food, he reached for a sandwich beside Helena’s hand and traced the tip of his finger against it. The small touch sent a blaze of delicious fire up Helena’s arm, and she fought the urge to whimper.