Though Lottie’s heart had begun to pump with furious anticipation when Alec’s arm had slowly wrapped around her waist drawing her firmly against him and offering a tantalizing tease of what lay beneath his clothing, it was nothing compared to the pure joy that had burned through her when he murmured my love. But the utter horror that crossed Alec’s face shortly afterward made it clear that he certainly hadn’t been dreaming of her.

“It was nothing. Really. You were obviously asleep and it was a momentary indiscretion. There’s no need to make this into more than it was,” she said stiffly. If he had so easily brushed her off last night, she could do the same now. “I certainly won’t.”

Alec blinked slowly. “Forgive me,” he began. “I didn’t realize it was of such little consequence to you.”

Lottie clenched her hands against his bone-dry tone. “Well, I’m certainly not going to give in to a swoon because your penis pressed against me for twenty blasted seconds.”

Lottie had never said the word penis aloud before. To anyone. Not even herself. She was rather proud not to have stumbled over it. “Yes, I do happen to have a basic knowledge of biology,” she railed on in the face of his obvious shock, masking her hurt with impudence. “And in case you weren’t aware, women are just as prone to desires of the flesh as men are.”

Alec collected himself enough to shoot her a murderous look. “I am quite familiar, I assure you.”

Lottie ignored the jealous flare in her chest and lifted her chin. “Then we understand each other,” she said with a calmness she most certainly did not feel. “You’ve also answered a few lingering questions I had about the male anatomy, so thank you for that.”

He let out a sputtering cough. “What?”

“You needn’t worry. I’ll be sure to put the knowledge to good use with a willing partner next time.”

Alec’s mouth dropped open, but she did not wait for his response. Lottie rose from the bed with all the regality of a queen and moved to the washstand. Her hands barely even trembled as she performed her ablutions. Alec remained in place but she could feel his gaze burning a hole in her back.

“You go too far, Lottie,” he finally muttered.

Her eyes began to prickle against the hurt swelling inside her, but she squeezed them shut until those tears dried up. She would rather die than cry in front of him now. When she turned around, Alec was bent over his bag, packing with swift, agitated movements.

“I had no idea you were such a hypocrite.” She barely spoke louder than a whisper, but Alec immediately stopped and glared at her.

“I beg your pardon?”