Page 21 of How To Tempt A Bodyguard

She was right. He'd let himself get distracted by conversation when he should have been watching the door.

Dangerous, he thought as he followed her out. She's dangerous in ways that have nothing to do with the men chasing her.

He filed that away with everything else.

The afternoon wore on, grey clouds gathering on the horizon. Rain by evening, Matthew judged. They'd need to find shelter before dark.

Mrs Archer had been quiet since the inn, her gaze fixed on the passing landscape. Not the performative silence of yesterday. This was genuine. Tired.

"You should sleep," he said.

She blinked, refocusing. "What?"

"Sleep. You didn't get much last night either."

"I slept."

"You woke every time the floor creaked. I heard you."

Her eyes flew to his, unguarded for a moment. "I didn't realise you were listening."

"Hard not to. Small room. Thin walls. You talk in your sleep."

"I do not."

"You do. Nothing coherent," he added, seeing her expression. "Just... sounds. Like you were arguing with someone."

She looked away, her jaw tight. "Bad dreams. They're not unusual."

"Want to tell me about them?"

"No."

Fair enough. He wasn't sure why he'd asked. Professional distance. That was what he needed to maintain. Not conversations about her nightmares.

"You were affected by me this morning," she said.

The shift caught him off guard. "What?"

"When I was washing. I saw you in the mirror." She turned those violet eyes on him. "You were unnaturally focused on the window. You said nothing."

Matthew kept his face neutral. "Nothing to say."

"Wasn't there?"

"You're a woman. I'm a man. Not worth commenting on."

"Most men would comment. Most men would…"

She shifted in her seat, drawing one leg up beneath her. "Most men in your position would have taken advantage by now. We've been alone for over a day. I've been vulnerable. You could have…"

"I couldn't."

"You could have tried."

"Then I would have failed." He met her eyes. "That's not who I am."

"And who are you?"