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“A secret” Suddenly his big hands were fra her face The heat of them nearly made her jump out of her skin “Yes, I confess, I do have a secret However, it is not what you think I ask that you…trust me”

“You have given me precious little reason to trust you, Lord Davenport,” whispered Anna

“Your sister and Lord Wrexharee Had they not trustedof Wrexham’s

son ”

Anna bit her lip It was true The ain of his own “Trust cuts both ways, sir If I aue for now, I should like to be told the reason why”

“God give , outspoken hellion to contend with,” he muttered

“Be careful what you wish for,” said Anna

A ghost of a s lady There are good reasons I can’t reveal certain secrets Is there nothing I can say or do to convince you to accept that for now?”

“No,” replied Anna, trying not to let the sinuous curl of his ”

“No?” The question was more a shiver of breath than a sound as he leaned in to close the tiny gap between them

“No” This time a shove punctuated her refusal

Devlin fell back a step “No?”

Anna scowled “For soa very tiresome”

“Ah I see that I shall have to change tactics” He rubbed at his chest “Do you train at Gentle Saloon? For a delicate creature, you throw a very hard punch”

“My father believed that ladies should know survive on their own in the world, including how to protect themselves from predators”