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It didn’t.

His desire only grew when he held her against him in the water, her clothing clinging to her feminine curves, then when he placed her foot against his thigh, he was ready to come.

It was embarrassing to admit even to himself how much her simple touch undid him.

He had undressed a few women in his time, but he’d never imagined that putting clothes onto a woman would arouse him even more.

And now she was cradled up against him, not even aware of her effect on him.

They reached her townhouse soon enough, and both mounted the servants’ stairs, leaving puddles of water behind them.

“How am I going to explain this to the maids tomorrow?” she whispered as they reached the corridor leading to her bedchamber.

“Why would you explain anything to them?” Adam whispered back.

“Well, they’ll wonder.”

Adam opened the door to her chamber and chuckled. “Come in. And you can just say you don’t know what happened.”

“And let them speculate? You know that most gossip is passed through servants, yes?”

Adam locked the door behind him. “Not Gage’s servants. They don’t gossip.”

“Everyone gossips,” she said, then turned toward him, her brows raised.

Adam walked closer and took his coat off her shoulders. “Are you fine getting undressed by yourself?”

She nodded. “It buttons upfront—” She paused, and the line between her brows deepened. She took off her spectacles, rubbed them against her gown, and put them on again, only to take them off again in frustration.

They were wet, streaks of water making it impossible to see, no doubt. She put them away, then she started unbuttoning her gown, only her fingers slipped and shook. She bit her lip in distress as her eyes grew panicked.

“I can help you with that, you know,” he offered.

She swallowed. “Yes, actually, I might need your help.”

He was surprised that she acquiesced so easily. He thought she would have protested more in the name of her maidenly modesty.

“I’ll just help you unbutton it,” he reassured her. “No need to worry.”

She nodded, watching him strangely as her chest rose and fell with deep breaths. With nimble fingers, he undid her riding habit and helped her take it off as she struggled with its weight. He hung it over the chair by the hearth and turned toward Beatrice to say his goodbyes. Their mission for today was over. He had helped her as much as he could, and now was the time for him to leave her behind.

Instead, he froze, watching Beatrice stand there in a single night shift clinging to her naked form. It was so wet it might as well have not been there at all. He could see all her curves, the shapely legs, rounded thighs, even the dark patch of hair between her legs… He needed to look away. He had no right to watch her like this.

His gaze drifted up to her belly button, her lovely rounded stomach like goddesses from the Renaissance paintings, and then her soft, beautiful breasts with the beaded peaks pointing under the cold, wet fabric.

Adam’s throat went dry. He turned away, but it was too late. The image of her body was burned into his mind. “I need to—” He cleared his throat. “I have to leave.”

Approaching footsteps sounded behind him and then she touched his arm. “I am terribly sorry to ask, but my hands are shaking. Will you help me dry myself?”

Adam swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing, his mind in complete disarray. He couldn’t possibly refuse a lady’s plea for help. Especially since he was the reason for her current predicament. He nodded without looking at her and marched toward her dressing room.

He took a few towels and returned, covering her with the fresh linen. He wiped her face and ruffled her hair playfully and she chuckled, gripping his arms.

She dislodged the towel away from her head and threw it at him, a wide grin on her face. Her hair curled and lay haphazardly on her face, somehow making her more beautiful, although he was certain it shouldn’t have.

As he tucked an errant lock behind her ear, she leaned into his touch and closed her eyes like a cat seeking affection. They stood like that for a long moment until he couldn’t fight himself any longer. He tipped her chin with his knuckles and bent his head for a kiss.

She met him halfway, rising on tiptoes and wrapping her arms around his neck. He sipped on her lips, his arms snaking around her waist and pressing her close to him. He released her abruptly and stepped back.