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Derek turned, and she saw the glassy look in his eyes. “I am not doxed.”

Eleanor smiled; she felt like she did when she caught her sisters stealing extra biscuits when they were young.

“The mighty and serious Duke of Graynor is lost in his cups.” She giggled at the ridiculousness of it all.

Derek stood taller. “I am not doxed or lost in my cups” He adjusted his shirt that became untucked in his fall. “Yes, I had a few drinks to move on, but I assure you I have full control of myfaculties. That,” he said while pointing to the mess of papers on the floor, “was an accident.”

Eleanor cocked her head to the side. “To move on from what?”

“What?”

Eleanor took a step forward. “You said you had a few drinks to move on. Move on from what?”

Derek closed his eyes and let out a murmured curse.

Eleanor had an inkling as to why he was drinking because it was those same thoughts that brought her to his study.

“We need to talk.”

Derek sat in his chair, only wincing slightly. “No, we do not.”

Eleanor followed him, walking around his desk to lean on it.

“I think we do.”

When he tried to look forward, she pulled his chair, so he would face her. “I have an idea that can help us.”

Derek tried focusing on the wall behind her. “We don’t have a problem.” His voice was cold, but Eleanor ignored it. She knew he was struggling with whatever was between them. He hadfooled her with how he reacted to her proposal to Simon, but when he reached out to touch her lip after lifting her chin earlier today, she knew.

She reached out and held his chin, just like he did earlier. “Look at me, Derek.”

Saying his name sent an electric shock through her system. She reveled in the way his name rolled off her tongue, and she cursed herself for not agreeing to use it when he offered it when they first met.

Hearing his name affected Derek as well. His eyes darkened. His tongue darted out and licked his lips which pulled a smile from her own.

“No problem, hmm?” She raised an eyebrow.

Derek said nothing.

Eleanor rehearsed what she was going to say before she came down the steps. She had hoped practicing the words so many times would remove the nerves as she said them in front of him, but it did not. Butterflies began to dance in her stomach, but she tampered them down. She needed to say what she came to say.

“You want to touch me. I want to touch you. I want you to touch me.” Her words came out as a whisper, but she knew he heard her.

Derek’s fingers twitched in his lap.

“We are fooling ourselves by denying this chemistry between us.” She was proud her voice was becoming stronger. If only she could keep it going through this next part, she may get what she came in here for.

“What if I said I have an idea of how to placate this growing need between us without disrupting the plans already in place.”

Derek pulled away from her grip.

“How?” He sounded skeptical.

Eleanor leaned forward, invading his space. “We need to get this,” she waved her finger in between the two of them, “out of our system.”

“And how do you propose we go about doing that?” Derek was very still, each word enunciated with care.

“We have tonight. Just you and me. Together.”