He stood facing the window, his hands braced on his lean hips, his coat strewn across the floor. His breath came in ragged pants and one obscenity after another left his lips.
“Nicholas,” she said softly. Her heart urged her to move closer, to touch him, to smooth her hands over his shoulders. Her head mocked her foolishness and forced her to keep her back pinned to the door. “Tell me what happened.”
He swung around suddenly, his eyes wide with alarm. “Miss Langley? Mother of all saints! What the devil are you doing here? Leave. Leave now.”
“I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s wrong.”
“Have you lost your mind?” He strode towards her, his body rigid in his intentions, his expression flitting between panic and … and something else. Something that made her heart flutter and knees shake. “Do you know what will happen if Sebastian finds you in here?”
She stiffened her spine ready for battle. Then she reached behind, locked the door, and removed the key. “I meant what I said, Nicholas. You’ll have a companion for the whole day unless you tell me why you’re so irate.”
It had to do with his secret.
She was certain of it.
With a firm stance, he thrust out his hand. “Give me the key, Miss Langley. Give it to me now before I say something I shall regret.”
He would never hurt her.
Indeed, he sounded afraid, not angry.
Fearing he might snatch it from her grasp, she pushed it down between her breasts and shot him a challenging stare. “If you want it, you must retrieve it yourself.”
The thought left her pulse racing, her mouth dry.
He moistened his lips and glanced at her breasts. “Doubtless you think me too much of a gentleman to do something so reckless.”
“On the contrary, you forget I have seen your savage side.” A side she found dangerously alluring. “Besides, you see me as a sister. Touching me intimately will prove repugnant.”
He held her gaze. “Is that what you think?”
“What?”
“That I see you as a sister?”
“Yes, you’ve said as much.”
“Those words have never left my lips.”
She blinked in bewilderment. “They must have. Why else would I say such a thing?”
“Because you see me as a brother. Hence why you’ve hidden the key on your person. You’re confident I won’t touch you.” The corners of his mouth curled into a slow smile. “What if you’re wrong, Miss Langley? What if touching you is the only thing I crave?”
Confusion sent her mind spinning.
Had she been living under a misconception?
Had she—
A sudden bang on the door made her jump.
“Nicholas!” Sebastian’s commanding voice rang through the corridor. “What the devil happened down there?”
Nicholas stepped so close their bodies touched. He braced one hand firmly against the door, trapping her in his masculine prison. “Shh. Don’t say a word,” he mouthed, then pressed his finger to her lips.
Say a word?
She was one degree away from melting into a puddle.