Page 94 of Stolen By the Heartless Duke

They stared at one another until Hector seemed to wake up from a dream, and gently withdrew his hand. “Right,” he said, “we should continue your training.”

Jane felt as though all the air had been sucked out of the room, but she obeyed and took her starting stance again. She knew that something had subtly shifted between them.

Jane’s arms trembled as she tried the movement again.

“No.” Hector stepped behind her before she could recover her balance. His hand settled lightly against her elbow while the other rested just above her wrist.

“Relax your shoulder.”

“I’m trying.”

“I know.” His voice sounded lower than usual.

She swallowed.

He adjusted her stance another fraction, his chest almost brushing her back. “There.”

She attempted the movement again. This time she twisted free cleanly.

“I did it.”

“You did.” There was unmistakable approval in his voice.

She turned toward him too quickly. The motion left scarcely any space between them. For a heartbeat, neither of them moved.

The candles on his desk burned quietly behind him, casting warm light across the room. Outside, rain continued its soft yet relentless tapping against the windows.

Jane became acutely aware of everything. The scent of sandalwood lingering on his coat. The warmth radiating from his body. The way one dark curl had escaped its perfect place near his temple.

Heat spread through her chest. Neither of them stepped away. She could hear his breathing. “I never thanked you properly.”

“For what?”

Jane licked her dry lips. “For believing I could do this and helping me.”

“You have never lacked courage. You only lacked someone willing to teach you.”

Something inside her tightened painfully. “You believe in me?”

“I always have.” The words slipped from him before he could stop them.

Another silence lingered between them. His gaze fell on her lips.

Jane’s pulse stumbled. She ought to move. She ought to say something clever. She ought to remember that he was a duke,and that this arrangement between them was temporary. That they were searching for Colin and Evan rather than meeting up like this under cover of darkness.

Instead, she whispered, “What are you thinking?”

Hector’s eyes darkened. His gaze lifted from her mouth up to her eyes. “Nothing I should be.”

Her breath caught. He raised one hand almost unconsciously. His fingertips brushed a loose curl near her temple. He tucked it carefully behind her ear. The touch lasted scarcely a second, but felt infinitely longer.

Her heart was hammering so loudly that she wondered if he could hear it. “Hector…”

His eyes darkened. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, he leaned closer. She found herself doing the same. The world seemed to narrow until only the space between them existed. His breath warmed her cheek.

If she lifted her chin another inch…

The memory of the alley returned. The wall at her back. His mouth on hers. The desperate relief that had driven them together.