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For a moment I'm concerned. I round the edge of the island. I stop right in front of him and put my hand on his leg.
He sucks in a quick breath as his eyes snap open.
“Sorry. Should I have not said that?”
His eyes seemed to drill into mine. Then they drop to my mouth. Tingles cascade through my body.
He swallows hard now. Then he says, his voice husky, “No, Duchess. You probably should not have said that.”
Something inside me tells me to step away. To put space between us. Maybe even to run.
But I don't do any of those things. I stand right there.
His entire body is tense, completely still.
“Why shouldn’t I tell you that you make me feel good?” I ask.
A sound comes from his throat, almost like a groan. Then he swallows. And pins me with a direct gaze.
“Because I don't want anything more than that.”
Heat washes over me. I suck in a little breath. “Then it's good that you make me feel good,” I say softly.
Jonah tips his head back, looking at the ceiling. This time, his groan is very audible. “Duchess,” he says, his voice tight. “You're killing me.”
I don't understand everything that's happening, but I feel a little thrill at his words. A surge of power goes through me.
“How am I killing you?” I ask.
He sucks in a deep breath, then brings his head up to look at me. “You're my best friend’s fiancée. Myboss’sfiancée,” he adds.
Yep. Astrid and I just talked about that.
Still, I hear myself say, “Not officially. No one's proposed.”
I'm not surewhyI say those words. We both know it's as good as an engagement. Kind of. Without the emotion. Which actually makes it a pretty bad engagement.
“Heshould be the one making you feel good.”
I tip my head to the side. “Well, that would be very nice. But that is not the situation we’re in.”
He just looks at me, his gaze roaming over my face, as if cataloguing every single detail. I swear he counts every one of my eyelashes.
Finally, he says, “I got a bunch of kisses at the pub for my birthday.”
“So I read online,” I tell him.
“Torin said it’s a tradition.”
“Well, Torin is the prince. I suppose he can make a new tradition if he wants to.”
“That's what he said.”
I give him a little grin. “But I don't think Torin was being the prince. I think he was being your wingman.”
He doesn’t grin as I expect him to. He looks at me very seriously suddenly. “It’s one of the reasons I wished you were there.”
I freeze. Then I straighten. “You…” I have to clear my throat. “You wished I was there because you were getting kisses for your birthday?”