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Dante’s voice rumbled through his chest. “Did you just fall asleep?”

Alessa blinked. “Maybe.”

“Really?”

“Only for a second.”

“Huh. Not what a man usually wants when a woman’s in his arms, but I guess that’s a good sign?”

The fabric of his shirt rubbed against her skin as she nodded.

“Better?” he asked. “Satisfied?”

Satisfied?Not even close.

Better?Yes.

She mumbled something meant to be meaningless.

“What?” One arm tight around her, Dante fumbled to adjust the absurd scarf with the other.

“Nothing.” She burrowed deeper into his embrace. “Don’t worry, I’ll let go in a minute.”

Dante paused. “Take your time.”

She only wobbled a little when she stepped back. “Will youpleasetell me your name?”

He rubbed his lip. “Tell you what. You save the world, I’ll tell you my name. How’s that for motivation?”

“Seems like a very high bar for basic information about an employee.”

“Take it or leave it.” Dante yawned. “I’m going to take a shower. Drink more water. You’ll thank me.”

Alessa weaved to the sink to fill a large glass. Sloshing more than a bit on the floor, she made her way to bed and resisted the urge to lie down.

Her nightclothes were in the closet off the bathing room, and she wasn’t about to barge in while Dante was showering, so she stripped to her slip and kicked her dress away before climbing into bed. It took some maneuvering, but she kept the sheets pinned to her chest while she reached for the glass again.

She gulped half of it through sheer force of will. The rest would take more motivation. She frowned at the tepid water.Getting ice would require sprinting across the room—bad idea sober, treacherous in her current state—before Dante returned.

Lukewarm tap water would have to do.

As she steeled herself for one more sip, Dante walked out in nothing but a towel.

Alessa lowered the glass from her still-parted lips.

“Sorry. Forgot a change of clothes.” He cocked his head. “You okay?”

Oh. She was staring. And didn’t really feel like stopping. She held up a hand. “Don’t move.”

He scanned the room for trouble, then crossed his arms. “Why am I standing here?”

“You told me to be bold.”

“And?”

“And a half-naked man is in my bedroom, so I’mboldlylooking.”

He ran his fingers through his hair, bemused. “That’s… not what I meant.”