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the coverlet beside her. “Come join me.”
    He fisted hands at his sides, working to corral his surging desire. “I’d love nothing better than to join you.”
    She pushed up on an elbow, her brow creased with lacy lines. “What’s wrong, love?”
    “Nothing’s wrong. I just think it best if we wait as agreed.”
    “Why? What’s changed? You were eager to have me earlier.”
    “Yes, I wanted you. Still do.” He drew in a ragged breath. “But I foolishly tempted fate with lust, and it nearly cost us our future. I won’t risk it again. Besides, it’s late, and you need your sleep.”
    “I’m not the least bit sleepy.” She floated a hand over her waist and down a rounded hip. “Come see for yourself.”
    Hells Bells. His whole body clamored to join her. But indulging his need would be akin to poking at Satan’s forked tail. He had no desire to be impaled.
    He beat a hasty retreat to the door. “Have no doubt, sweetheart, I want to be with you, in every sense of the word. But I want our joining to be perfect. A night to cherish. I fear we’re both too weary to make this a memorable night.”
    Her brazen smile cannon-balled into him. “You’re wrong. Any night with you would be memorable.”
    Flames torched his insides. He wanted to vault across the room and show her just how memorable it could be. He grabbed for the doorknob instead. “I’m going down the hall for a quick bath, then I’ll make a pallet outside the door. You can have the bed.”
    Her lower lip blossomed into a pout. “You don’t have to sleep on the floor.”
    “Yes. I do.” He yanked open the door to keep from capturing those bewitching lips with his own. “Rest assured, we’ll have many pleasurable nights together. Just not this one.”

Chapter Four
    Victoria lobbed a glance down each end of the hall before easing through the doorway and into the bathing chamber. Hopefully it was late enough that no one else wanted a bath. Just to be sure…she closed the door and gently shot home the latch. There. That ought to secure them some privacy.
    “Is that you, Charlie?” came the familiar deep voice that always fascinated her lower belly. “I said I didn’t require any further assistance. You’re free to bed down for the night.”
    She smiled and turned around. Stephen lay submerged in a large copper bathtub, head thrown back and resting on the tub’s edge. His eyes were closed, his expression peaceful. Gaslight glistened on ebony locks, still damp from a recent washing. One errant curl dangled boyishly on his forehead. Yet she knew her virile lieutenant was anything but boyish.
    She padded across the room, the wood floorboards cool against her bare feet. She wore only a dressing robe which she’d found in Lieutenant Warinner’s hotel room. Surely the Irishman wouldn’t mind. Besides, if she played her cards right, she wouldn’t be wearing it for long.
    Her vow to remain chaste until her wedding night no longer held sway. Being with Stephen was far more urgent. The uncertainty caused by Hammond’s escape triggered a need to savor every single moment with her beloved. Provided he could be persuaded to participate.
    Reaching the tub, she stopped just behind Stephen’s head. His bare chest and the tops of his knees rose above the water. The rest of him disappeared into a cloudy soup. For the first time, she saw him unclothed, and it set her heart to thumping. Planning a seduction wasn’t nearly as daunting as carrying one out.
    She sucked in a breath, rallying her courage. No turning back now. She leaned over and stroked his temple with a fingertip. “It’s not Charlie, my love.”
    Stephen shot upright and twisted around, his eyes big as millstones. Water sloshed around him. “Victoria. What the devil are you doing in here?”
    Devil, indeed. This was going to be divine . She plucked a washcloth and a bar of soap from a small table set near the tub. “I’ve come to help you bathe.”
    “Help me…” His anxious gaze