Page 15 of Reluctantly Rogue

But I'm not too worried.

If Linnea marries Torin, we’ll spend a lot of time together. In all kinds of situations. We’ll get to know each other well. She’s also going to have to learn to listen to me. Trust me. Tell me things that might be a little personal. Maybe a lot personal. The chances of one of us seeing the other naked eventually are pretty good.

But she doesn’t have to like me.

“I guess I'll be going then,” she says, turning on her heel.

“I'll see you downstairs at dinner, Duchess.”

And then, all at once, she's tripping and falling. I watch, almost confused. She has to have tripped over her own shoes. There is nothing on the floor. That section of the smooth stone doesn't even have a rug. But still, she’s suddenly on her hands and knees.

Out of instinct, I'm by her side in an instant.

I wrap my hand around her upper arm. “Are you all right?”

She shakes her head. Then takes in a quick breath.

“Are you hurt?” I ask, more firmly.

“Of course I am!” she snaps.

“Where?”

She turns to look at me, her mouth open. Then her eyes drop and widen, and she quickly looks away.

Right. I'm half kneeling next to her.

Naked.

Anything she didn't see behind the ironing board before, she does now.

I blow out a breath. Well, I guess I’ve made an interesting first impression.

“Did you sprain an ankle? Hurt your wrist?” I ask, making her focus.

“Bruised knees,” she mutters. Her eyes are stoically forward.

“Okay, you’ll get over that.” I stand and haul her to her feet. I don’t know why, but I feel strangely cheerful.

“Yeah,” she agrees. “I’ll get overthat.”

And then I chuckle before I even realize that I’m going to.

“You’relaughing?” she asks, frowning at the doorway rather than at me.

“This is funny.”

“It’s not.”

“It is.”

She’s still staring straight ahead. “How?” she asks. “Women oftenlaughwhen they’re with you, and you’re naked?”

I chuckle again. “Oh, definitely not.” I watch as her jaw tightens. “What’s funny,” I tell her, ‘’is that the shirt I’m ironing is what I’m planning to wear tonight to dinner. When I first expected to see you.”

There’s a beat as she absorbs that. Then I see the corner of her mouth twitch. She shrugs out of my grasp. “I’m sure my mother will appreciate you coming to dinner with a shirt on.”

Damn, I almost laugh out loud.

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