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Grace placed her hand in his. “Me too. The truth is…” She paused in revealing the entire truth about her. Did she trust him enough?

He squeezed her fingers. “The truth is?”

She let out a deep breath. “I haven’t…” She closed her eyes and released a deep breath. “I haven’t been with a man in a long time.”

His eyes widened in surprise. “But you’re… you—”

“I am a harlot?” She let out a strangled laugh. “I understand that it was easier for you to justify bedding me because of who I am.”

He frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“I mean, if I were a woman of character, a pastor’s daughter, a virgin, you wouldn’t have been so eager in your pursuit of me.”

“Of course,” he said, and she snatched her hand back. “I don’t see why that would upset you. You’re obviously not a virgin. You do not expect to marry the man who beds you. And you must enjoy the activity. We’ve discussed this already.”

“What if I said that I do not enjoy it?”

His frown deepened. “Based on our two encounters, I’d say you are a liar.”

She bit her lip. He wasn’t wrong. “What I mean is, I do not enjoy doing this with any stranger. And when I was a harlot out on the streets…” She paused. “Let’s say that men weren’t that gentle. I did not find pleasure in their arms.”

He swallowed, opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. Finally, he asked, “Ever?”

She chewed her lip. “I was forced to do it. I was a child… I did have lovers after that and a couple of them were… better. But when I learned from other harlots that it should have been pleasurable, I started researching everything I could about intimate relations and I… well, I found that I am far better at satisfying myself.”

He chuckled. “You are pretty good at satisfying me as well.”

“What I meant to say with all of this is that I got lost in passion as much as you did. Because I haven’t felt this bliss in a long time. I am not quite used to controlling myself in the throes of passion.”

Ford nodded and took a step toward her. His voice was soft when he said, “Me too.”

She raised her eyes to his, startled. She thought it was surprising a harlot hadn’t experienced pleasure in a while, but a man… In her experience, while working in the brothel, they were quite easy to please.

“How come?”

He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and shrugged. “I was busy. And I was…” He paused and let out a hoarse laugh. “I was actually looking to marry. And that meant I had to cut loose all my previous associations.”

“Oh.” Grace looked away. Warm fingers pressed under her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze with infinite gentleness.

“I am still looking to marry, you know.”

Grace swallowed and nodded. “Let’s hope it won’t be me,” she jested, but the look in his eyes hardened, as his gaze searched her face.

He wasn’t amused by her jest. Wasn’t he the one thinking that he’d rather marry anyone else than a harlot? Or was he offended that she didn’t want to marry him?

She was certain his dream wife wasn’t a brothel owner. But she didn’t dare ask.

“We should go,” he said hoarsely, then looked up at the sky. “Dover should not be too far ahead. We might even make it before sundown.”

Grace nodded and stepped away before walking toward the horse, giving him a wide berth. She didn’t want to touch him after their conversation. Not that it mattered; they had to share a horse again. The same horse they had just made love on.

She looked at the poor animal. She wasn’t certain she’d ever think of riding a horse without remembering this day.

Chapter 23

The sun dipped low over the horizon, painting the sky in fiery hues as they approached the outskirts of Dover. After hours in the saddle, Grace felt every bone in her body aching, but the promise of rest spurred her on as the little village appeared before their eyes.

Ford had surrendered the reins to her some time ago, allowing Grace to guide them toward their destination. She steered them off the main road, leading them down a narrow trail winding between hills.