Wicked Seduction by Jade Lee

still in those terrible clothes, Maddy thought as she checked on them after the musicale. Not the younger one. Mr. Morgan appeared sound asleep in the bed, curled into a tight ball under the covers without even a lock of brown hair peeping out. His clothes were piled neatly in a corner and soft snores drifted up from beneath the sheet.
    But Mr. Frazier was fully clothed and sleeping on the floor. Why would a man sleep on the floor? The tray was near his head, meat congealed and ugly on the plate. She frowned, studying the man. His mouth was open slightly, relaxed as he breathed, but that was the only part of him that seemed at rest. She wasn’t sure exactly why she came to that conclusion. After all, he was clearly asleep, resting on his side with his hands in front. They were set in a loose curl, not quite a fist, not quite open. He didn’t even bother to pillow his head as he rested, but seemed to sleep in a state of a half crouch. As if he needed to leap to his feet at any moment.
    It made no sense. How could a sleeping man be crouched? But that is what he looked like, and something in Maddy found the idea both unsettling and infinitely interesting.
    She waited a moment, debating what to do. She had to get the tray, if only to keep it from the mice. But she would have to step around Mr. Frazier to get it. She sighed. There was no help for it, so she moved forward as silently as possible and bent down for the tray.
    There was no warning and no sound. One moment she was leaning forward for the tray, and the next moment he had seized her. He grabbed her wrist and jerked hard, not away from him, but toward him. She toppled forward, but he rolled easily with her fall, pinning her completely in the space between one breath and the next. And then there were no more breaths, she realized, as his free hand gripped her throat and squeezed.
    She couldn’t breathe! She flailed at him, banging her fists against anything she could reach. Nothing seemed to affect him. And his eyes seemed so blank in the darkness, as if he wasn’t even aware that he was about to murder her.
    Her heart was beating triple-time and the ocean roared through her ears. The pressure against her neck was beyond anything she’d ever imagined. Any moment now her throat would give way—crushed beneath his weight—and she’d die.
    She switched tactics. Her fists had done nothing, so she dug her nails into his forearm and pulled for all she was worth. It was that sharp pain that brought consciousness into his eyes. Or maybe it had just been long enough. Either way, one moment he was strangling her, his lips pulled back in a growl. Then the next moment, he jerked backward and fell against the wall with a gasp.
    She dragged air into her lungs, rasping gulps that burned.
    “I’m sorry,” she heard him say. “I’m so sorry.”
    She tried to nod, but she hadn’t the strength. She knew what had happened. She’d seen enough animals startled in their sleep. She knew that some—the most wild ones—came awake snarling and fighting first. Obviously, he was one of that sort, but it was an odd thing for a man.
    “Please. Is it bad? Can you speak?” Regret trembled through his every word. “I’m so sorry.”
    Meanwhile, the boy came awake as well. He jerked out of his sleep, leaping off the bed and landing in an angry crouch on the opposite side of the room. Mr. Frazier reacted immediately, holding up his hand. “It’s fine, Alex. You’re safe. It’s fine.” But his eyes were on her, the question in his expression. Was she all right?
    She nodded. She was breathing without issue, but she knew she would sport bruises. She’d have to wear a fichu until they faded. Thankfully, she had many. She rolled onto all fours, then pushed herself upright. As she straightened, she saw his hands hovering near her body as if to help her, but he couldn’t bring himself to touch her.
    “I’m fine,” she said. Or rather she tried to say. It came out as a croak that had