Amelia rolled to her side and scooted to the edge of the bed. Eric lay on the floor, the bed’s quilted spread his mattress, a spare blanket covering him, a spare pillow at his head. She smiled and relaxed at the thought of him. Eric was unlike any man she had ever known. No other man in her life would have afforded her the courtesy of sleeping fully-dressed on the floor when a bed was handy. None of them would have paid her way to a new life. What kind of man would do that?
Puzzling over the oddity, she drew in a breath and sat up to swing her legs over the side of the bed as silently as she could. A man who would rush to her aid was one in a million, a man with a big heart. He wa s a man who deserved her help.
She stood and tip-toed around him on her way to the washroom. The sight of Eric’s handsome face slack in sleep, his hair tousled on the pillow, was captivating. The top buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing warm skin and taut muscle. What would it feel like to lie down beside him? To press her body against his and wrap her arms around him? Would he feel like Nick? Eric was certainly larger than Nick. Perhaps he was larger all over.
Her smile dropped and she jumped into the washroom, shutting the door on temptation.
“Stop it!” she scolded herself in a whisper, spreading her hands over her round belly. Giving in to the wicked instincts she shared with her mother and sisters had destroyed her life once. She couldn’t let it destroy her second chance.
She needed fresh air and solitude to clear away her sinful inclinations.
She used the washroom then snuck back into the room and over to its tiny bureau. Eric slept on. She sorted through the clothes he’d bought for her, adding them to the pile of things she would have to repay him for.
Fortunately, the means of repaying Eric for his remarkable generosity had fallen in her lap. Or rather opened a door into her. She slipped her nightgown off over her head and reached for her underclothes. Benton Chase could be the perfect business partner for a rancher in need of a distributor. He’d hinted around the edges of his business dealings all through dinner the night before. It was a perfect fit.
Amelia wriggled into her morning dress, careful of the bulge of her stomach, and contorted to do up the fastenings. If only she could devise a way for Eric and Ben to broach the topic of a partnership. But how did you prompt two men to start talking?
She let out an impatient huff as she fumbled with the buttons at her back.
“Do you need a hand with that?”
Amelia gasped and twisted to face Eric. His eyes were still half closed. He muscled himself to sit, a sleepy wince on his face.
“I’m terribly sorry,” she rushed to apologize. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
He took his time standing and brushed away her concern with a vague gesture. It was followed by a yawn. “What time is it anyhow?”
“Early,” she replied. The only clock in the room was Eric’s pocket-watch which, if she wasn’t mistaken, was still in the pocket of his suit coat from dinner.
Eric stepped out of his makeshift bed, stretching his back. Amelia’s eyebrows rose. He was rumpled and his shirt was untucked. His stretch gave her a fine glimpse of the plain of his abdomen, the enticing trail of dark hair leading down to pleasures she knew all too well. He relaxed with a sigh, his shirt shifting back into place.
Her reaction to the tantalizing glimpse was ten times more powerful than it should have been, leaving her short of breath and light-headed. The urge to touch him, to slide her hands over what was sure to be warm, masculine skin, had her burning hot and cold. It was the same urge that had kept her running back to Nick to taste the forbidden f ruit, magnified a hundredfold.
She swallowed to force the shameful impulse down.
“What’re you doing up so early anyhow?” Eric mumbled, stepping
Puzzling over the oddity, she drew in a breath and sat up to swing her legs over the side of the bed as silently as she could. A man who would rush to her aid was one in a million, a man with a big heart. He wa s a man who deserved her help.
She stood and tip-toed around him on her way to the washroom. The sight of Eric’s handsome face slack in sleep, his hair tousled on the pillow, was captivating. The top buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing warm skin and taut muscle. What would it feel like to lie down beside him? To press her body against his and wrap her arms around him? Would he feel like Nick? Eric was certainly larger than Nick. Perhaps he was larger all over.
Her smile dropped and she jumped into the washroom, shutting the door on temptation.
“Stop it!” she scolded herself in a whisper, spreading her hands over her round belly. Giving in to the wicked instincts she shared with her mother and sisters had destroyed her life once. She couldn’t let it destroy her second chance.
She needed fresh air and solitude to clear away her sinful inclinations.
She used the washroom then snuck back into the room and over to its tiny bureau. Eric slept on. She sorted through the clothes he’d bought for her, adding them to the pile of things she would have to repay him for.
Fortunately, the means of repaying Eric for his remarkable generosity had fallen in her lap. Or rather opened a door into her. She slipped her nightgown off over her head and reached for her underclothes. Benton Chase could be the perfect business partner for a rancher in need of a distributor. He’d hinted around the edges of his business dealings all through dinner the night before. It was a perfect fit.
Amelia wriggled into her morning dress, careful of the bulge of her stomach, and contorted to do up the fastenings. If only she could devise a way for Eric and Ben to broach the topic of a partnership. But how did you prompt two men to start talking?
She let out an impatient huff as she fumbled with the buttons at her back.
“Do you need a hand with that?”
Amelia gasped and twisted to face Eric. His eyes were still half closed. He muscled himself to sit, a sleepy wince on his face.
“I’m terribly sorry,” she rushed to apologize. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
He took his time standing and brushed away her concern with a vague gesture. It was followed by a yawn. “What time is it anyhow?”
“Early,” she replied. The only clock in the room was Eric’s pocket-watch which, if she wasn’t mistaken, was still in the pocket of his suit coat from dinner.
Eric stepped out of his makeshift bed, stretching his back. Amelia’s eyebrows rose. He was rumpled and his shirt was untucked. His stretch gave her a fine glimpse of the plain of his abdomen, the enticing trail of dark hair leading down to pleasures she knew all too well. He relaxed with a sigh, his shirt shifting back into place.
Her reaction to the tantalizing glimpse was ten times more powerful than it should have been, leaving her short of breath and light-headed. The urge to touch him, to slide her hands over what was sure to be warm, masculine skin, had her burning hot and cold. It was the same urge that had kept her running back to Nick to taste the forbidden f ruit, magnified a hundredfold.
She swallowed to force the shameful impulse down.
“What’re you doing up so early anyhow?” Eric mumbled, stepping
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