The staircase incident stayed with me all afternoon. Every time I moved, the memory sent a confusing rush through me. I tried to read in the library, but the words blurred on the page. I tried walking in the garden, but my mind kept drifting back to the heat of his body behind mine and the rough edge in his voice when he told me to watch my step.
By six-thirty, Mrs. Hale knocked softly on my door. “Mr. Draven requests your presence at dinner tonight, miss. Seven o’clock in the dining room.”
I sighed. “Tell him I’ll be there.”
I changed into a simple dress, nothing too fancy. When I walked into the dining room, Lucian was already seated at the head of the table. He looked up as I entered, his eyes scanning me briefly before returning to the glass of wine in front of him.
“Sit down,” he
