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Then he slid a decorative pillow onto the coffee table and, with a gentle touch, slipped off her shoes, lifted her leg, felt her muscle tense, and rested her foot on top of the pillow.
    She was watching him, a wolf’s wariness reflecting in her eyes. She should be wary. He was certainly wary of her. And damn attracted, which made him doubt his own objectivity.
    â€œAn ice pack will help also.” He walked into the small kitchen, found a tray of ice cubes in the freezer, and then wrapped a washcloth around a few. When he returned to the living room, Julia’s eyes were closed and she was leaning against the sofa back, her breathing light, her breasts slightly rising with every breath she took.
    She was beautiful and vulnerable, even available, and if his gut instincts were correct— bad news .
    He didn’t want to disturb her, but he wanted to make sure she wasn’t injured all that badly. He set the bag of ice on the table, slid her trouser leg up, and reached up to pull off her stocking.
    She stiffened, and he glanced at her. Her mouth had dropped open, but her eyes were shuttered and she looked sleepy. Ready for bed. Which made him think of how she would look in his bed.
    Concerned his action had hurt her, he asked, “Are you all right, lass?”
    â€œYes.” This time the bite was gone from her words, and she sounded more tired than anything else.
    â€œAye, well, I’ll be sure.” He slipped off her mud-spattered, sheer knee-high stocking as she tightened her leg muscle, either bracing for pain or feeling it. Then he set the stocking on the table and considered her ankle, delicate, pale, and fetching.
    â€œJust a little redness, minimal swelling, no discoloration.”
    â€œIt’s been tingling the whole way here in the car. It’s healing and feels just fine.”
    He wasn’t sure she could be trusted to tell him the truth about her injury. He slipped off her other shoe and stocking and then considered her clothes, thinking how much she needed to remove them and could use his help. “Your trousers and shirt are damp, and you’re shivering.”
    Her lips lifted a fraction. Even with such a subtle smile, she caused a spark of heat to spiral through him, and he had the most damnable urge to kiss her.
    â€œI should have known you were a wolf,” she said, whisper soft, not bluntly as he’d expected.
    Unable to help himself, he chuckled.
    She quickly added, “I can manage the rest—later—thank you.”
    He saw her as vulnerable all over again. Not calculating. Not devious. But a woman who worried about his intentions. And she should. He was definitely feeling his wolfish side. What was the matter with him anyway? She was with the film crew, and that should have been enough to deter him.
    He glanced at the cold fireplace and then crossed the floor to it. “I’ll start a fire for you, and that’ll warm up the place.” He broke up some kindling, set it on the fireplace grate, and then lit a match.
    â€œYou could have just turned on the heater.”
    He shrugged. “We use the fireplaces in the castle to warm rooms. Seems less wasteful. The room will take awhile to warm up, no matter what the source of heat. Are you sure I can’t help you out of your wet clothes?” He still attempted a serious expression, trying to show he strictly meant business—as in her welfare. Only he was sure it didn’t come across that way.
    She shook her head.
    He put a log on the fire, and once it caught hold, he turned to observe her. Julia’s smile was a mixture of sweet sauciness and the devil. Something about her manner appealed, despite the fact he was fighting the feeling.
    The fire would warm up the small room nicely after a bit, but she was still shivering, and he thought of a way to heat her right up—in her bedroom, under the covers, naked together, kissing and caressing and hell…
    â€œCould I get you a