Page 92 of Stolen By the Duke of Ice
“The doors were unlocked.”
Peter took a deep breath. He turned slowly to face her.
“They have never been locked.”
“But—but why?”
Shaking his head, he could formulate no answer.
“You could have walked in here at any time?”
“You could have walked into my chambers at any time as well.”
“But I didn’t know the doors were unlocked.”
“Would it have mattered if you did?”
“I—I don’t know. Perhaps.”
Dahlia’s answer sent a thrill through Peter.
He walked closer to her, his gaze heavy as the implications of her words settled in his heart.
“What are you saying, Dahlia?
No longer able to maintain his gaze, Dahlia looked down.
“Tell me.”
When she looked up again, she was surprised to see Peter so close to her. She gasped softy, not knowing how the sound affected him. She moved back until she was blocked by her desk. He followed her forward and stopped when she was a mere inch away. With a finger under her chin, he lifted her face up to meet his eyes. Her green eyes would be his undoing.
“Perhaps Helena and Matteo have not been working in vain,” she said.
“Dahlia…”
“Perhaps I have formed some feelings towards you. I don’t know! What of it? I don’t—” She gestured wildly with her arm and in the process knocked over the candle.
“Oh, good heavens!”
Acting fast, Peter righted the candle and was in the process of pushing away a book that had been laid open on her desk when he stopped. A word caught his eye.Duke. His attention now completely caught, Peter looked closely at the book. Realizing what it was, he flipped through the pages and then finally went to the first page.
The Duke and the Aspiring Detectives
Dahlia, seeing what he was looking at, gasped again.
“Peter, give that to me!”
Closing the book, Peter gave it wordlessly to Dahlia. This time when he looked at her, his face was hard, and his voice was clipped.
“We had an agreement.”
“Peter, I?—”
“I knew I should never have trusted you to keep your word.”
“No, if you just let me?—”
Peter shook his head. How could he have been so trusting of her? This is what one got when one let their feelings rule over their mind. Peter took a firm grip on his emotions.
