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She looked down, then quickly away, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, clearly wishing she could disappear into the floor. “Must we discuss exactly how many times I looked?”

“It was what it was,” I chuckled.

Her eyes snapped back to mine. “You were supposed to be unconscious.”

“We’ve already established that I wasn’t.”

She turned quickly. “Just tell me when it’s safe to look.”

I moved the towel aside, tucked myself back into my pants, and managed the zipper and button with fingers that still didn’t want to cooperate.

“You’re safe to turn back around.”

She glanced over her shoulder before facing me again.

“Better?” I asked.

“Considerably.”

“Good. I’d hate to distract you from the remaining locks.”

She laughed despite her embarrassment.

“Two more,” she said as she crouched between my boots.

The first ankle cuff opened easily. She removed it and shifted to my left side.

Her palm landed high on my thigh as she steadied herself over the final lock.

The bruised muscle tightened beneath her touch.

She looked up. “Did I hurt you?”

“No.”

Her gaze followed mine to where her hand rested.

“That’s distracting.”

She snatched it away. “I’m sorry. After what she did, I shouldn’t have—”

“Don’t put your touch in the same sentence as hers.”

She froze.

“That wasn’t a complaint,” I added.

Tentatively, she placed her palm on my knee, crouched down, and guided the key into the lock.

The mechanism released with a soft click, and the cuff fell away.

“Good girl.”

Her breath hitched.

A deep flush warmed her cheeks, and her lashes lowered for a heartbeat before she looked up at me.

She’d just freed a man who could break her neck and disappear before anyone knew what happened. She understood exactly what I was capable of, and she’d opened the locks anyway.