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Bash chuckled, green eyes squinting at the corners. “I see how you turned that around there.”

Then he leaned in and gave her a tight hug. Emotion welled in Theo’s eyes, and she pushed it down. She couldn’t imagine her life without Bash, the Duchess, and Perry. They were the closest thing she had to family. This estate was home.

She guided Bash out of her door with a gentle shove. “Now get on, you.”

He tipped his imaginary cap her way. Then paused. “If he hurts you, I hurt him. That simple. We don’t know how similar he is to our…”

Father.

Bash worried his lip. “For some reason, I don’t see him being that sort of man despite his scowling and our little standoff in your office. But I won’t have my family hurt by that evil again. I couldn’t do anything then. But I can—and I will—now.”

“Thanks, Sebastian,” she said softly. “Let’s hope our intuition is right about him.”

His smile slid back into place. “So, when does your contract commence?” He bounced his eyebrows.

And Theo shoved him outside, swinging the door shut on his foolish grin.

She shook her head and let out a soft huff, her chest so very light. What a day. She made her way to her bedroom. She paused, gaze locking on the chair still an arm’s length away from her bed. Visions of earlier came flooding back. Breath puffing over her skin. The soft graze of knuckles on her inner thigh. His heat slipping around her.

He’d been right there.

She’d had a duke naked in her bedroom today.

And she couldn’t wait until she got him back again.

A laugh erupted from her, and she clapped her hand over her mouth.

Theo Dawson. What in the world have you gotten yourself into?

13

Theo

Theo scrubbed her hand over her mouth as she stared down at the papers on her desk. She hadn’t had a chance yesterday to inform the Duke of some of her ideas to help with the estate’s finances, but she did have a few that she was feeling especially hopeful about. And it would diversify the estate’s income, which was never a bad thing. As the recent events had proven. Hopefully, the Duke had received her message so she could walk through her ideas.

She glanced to her left, where Perry was busy scribbling away, his silver brows pinched in concentration. “How are the revised leases coming along?”

He was silent as he finished what he was writing, then looked up. “This is the last one. Almost done with it. Would you like to look over them again before I write to the tenants to come in for signing?”

Theo nodded. “I’ll take one last look. I’ll look over the one for the Yates family first. You’ll go to them? I would rather not have them come in after all they’ve endured.”

“Of course.” He grabbed some papers, stood, and walked over to her desk. “The Yates’s lease is already done.”

“Perfect. Thank you, Perry.” She scanned through the document, nodding. Everything lined up with the original draft.

A soft knock echoed through the chamber, and she glanced up. The Duke had arrived. He looked…well, he looked worse for wear. His clothes were clean and pressed, his hair tidy—though it was so short, it probably didn’t take much—but something about him just seemed unkempt. Even behind his scowl, his features sagged, and faint circles shadowed under his eyes.

He strode into the room, and she hurried to stand. His gait was stiff. What had he gotten up to last night?

“You requested we meet this morning?”

She bowed quickly and then shuffled her papers together. “Yes, I’d like to walk through some ideas I have to recuperate our losses.”

He dropped gingerly into the seat before her desk, a wince flitting across his face before he schooled his features. “Proceed.”

She hesitated. Curiosity brewed inside her, threatening to make itself known, but she forced herself to stay composed. She also hadn’t missed the glances Perry was darting the Duke’s way.

“Are you well, Your Grace?” she asked quietly.