Page 21 of One Naughty Christmas Night

“No one will. It’s the middle of the night. Now, be honest, Victoria. You can’t tell me you didn’t miss me,” he whispered, brushing his nose against hers.

“I—” she swallowed, forcing the words out, “I can reassure you that I did not.”

“Really?” Pressing kisses against her cheeks, he moved his lips to hers.

Victoria stood there, frozen, as he kissed her. She waited to see if any feeling arose, relieved when she felt no desire for him.

Push him away, Victoria.

She wrenched her lips from his and shoved, rushing across the room before turning back to face him.

Bastion tumbled back over a chaise, his legs flailing in the air as he tried to right himself.

“If-if that’s all you wish to speak to me about, Lord Bastion, I must excuse myself. Good night.”

With one last look at him, she grabbed her candle and fled the library.

Heath sat in his chair next to the fire, a book open in his hand.

He’d just started the next page when a soft knock got his attention. He stood, then hurried when the knocking came again, this time more insistent.

Cracking open the door, his jaw dropped when he found Victoria standing outside the door.

“Victoria?” He pulled the door open and let her in. “What are you doing here?”

He shut the door and turned, halting at the sight of her.

She held a book and a candle, her dark hair loose down her back. She wore a silk shawl around her shoulders, but her feet were bare.

“Why are your feet bare?” he asked. She looked down, then back up at him.

He noticed then that her hair was a mess, a frightened look in her eyes.

“I was in a hurry to—to get to the library,” she said, holding up her book.

The antique clock on his mantel displayed that it was half past two.

“You went to the library? At this hour?”

“I read the one I had, so I went to get another.” She smiled at him, and the fright slipped away, a small sparkle taking its place.

Heath motioned for her to sit, and she did, extending her pert toes in front of the fire to warm them.

He returned to his chair and picked up his book, the room falling silent. She opened her book and began to read, and Heath glanced down at the page he abandoned.

“Bastion joined me in the library,” she said in a small voice, his head whipping up to look at her.

“He did?” his eyes widened. “Did he say anything to you?”

Her mussed hair flounced with her nod. “He asked to speak with me.” Her feet made a soft thump when they landed on the floor.

“About what?”

She picked at the edge of her page, staring at it before she looked back at him.

“He apologized to me,” she said, “And then he kissed me.”

Anger flared hot inside him. “He kissed you?”