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drawing her attention downward. This couldn’t be
happening! She wasn’t even properly dressed.
    She overlapped the edges of her robe and
tightened the belt, knowing the clingy material outlined every
curve and hollow of her figure. Covering her face with her hands,
she took slow deep breaths. Her husband had sent one of his guards
to seduce her! The reality cut through her, slicing into what
remained of her heart. Mikko hadn’t touched her in months. Finding
his pleasure somewhere else was one thing, but this took his
betrayal to a whole new level.
    Hurt crashed through her anger and
disbelief, spreading what was left of her composure. Her husband
didn’t love her. She’d accepted that fact long ago. But he cared so
little about her that he’d tried to pawn her off on an
employee!
    A warm hand touched her shoulder and she
gasped, instinctively drawing away as she lowered her hands from
her face. Caleb Thrax stood there in all his rugged glory, concern
gleaming in his dark green eyes. “Are you all right?”
    Tears rolled down her cheeks and emotion
constricted her throat. She released a pathetic sob and shook her
head. In one smooth motion, Caleb drew her to him and wrapped his
arms around her. “I don’t want this.” Her heart shuddered as she
was propelled along the inevitable path. “I didn’t want any of
this.”
    She raised her face and looked into his
eyes, feeling the instant attraction, the elemental stirring she
knew would follow. Parting her lips, she offered an invitation a
man like Caleb was powerless to ignore. His face lowered toward
hers. Their lips brushed and lingered. She waited for his mouth to
move, for him to deepen the kiss and take control. Instead he
pulled back and gently pushed her away.
    “You’re married, sweetheart. As tempting as
the possibilities are, that’s one place I won’t go.”
     

Chapter Five
     
    Flinching as if Caleb had slapped her,
Laetif raised her chin. “How noble of you.”
    Her tone was tight and hostile, so Caleb
suppressed his sarcastic retort. “May I escort you back to your
cabin?”
    “No! I can’t go back there.”
    “Why not? Is something wrong with your
cabin? Is that why you’re wandering the halls in your
nightgown?”
    Blushing to the roots of her silky blonde
hair, she snapped the sides of her bathrobe together over her
nightgown. The cut of the gown hadn’t been particularly revealing,
but the clingy material had given him an eyeful. Madame Xyell had
beautiful breasts, high and full with nice tight nipples.
    “I didn’t realize… I’d honestly forgotten
I’d changed out of my clothes. I hadn’t expected to leave the
cabin.”
    “Which brings us back to the original
question. What prompted your exploration?”
    “I was… He… Oh shit, it’s all so fucked
up.”
    Her profanity surprised him. She had always
seemed polished and elegant, the epitome of a refined lady. “What
is ‘so fucked up’?”
    She took a deep breath and tossed her hair,
sending the wavy strands back behind her shoulders. Anger burned
through the pain in her blue eyes until she stared at him with some
unknown purpose. “My darling husband sent one of his guards to
seduce me. I was not amused.”
    “Is this man still in your cabin? I can take
care of that.”
    “I don’t know, and I’m not sure I care. I
couldn’t stomach that room right now anyway.”
    “Where shall I escort you? I can’t have you
loitering in the corridor.”
    Her fingers loosened and the robe gaped
across her breasts, revealing just a hint of cleavage. “If my
husband is determined to delegate my pleasure to someone else, I
think it should be a man of my choosing. Don’t you?”
    Easily seeing her neatly laid trap, he
sidestepped it. “It doesn’t matter what I think. I have nothing to
do with it.”
    “And there is nothing I can say to change
your mind?”
    “I’m sorry, Laetif. I don’t bed married
women.”
    Her eyes flashed frustration and pain. “Even
if her husband has