Anna passed a trembling hand over her eyes. Something tender welled inside Anthony and he took her hand and pressed a kiss to her fingers. “You are amazing.”

A smile trembled on her lips. “No wonder men are so enamored of it,” she said in a husky voice.

Anthony chuckled. “And women, too, sweet. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

She turned an adorable pink, her gaze dropping to her lap. The blush deepened to a fiery red as Anthony’s gaze followed hers. Her skirts were still rucked up about her thighs, her drawers parted to reveal the slightest hint of the dark red curls that lay hidden.

Anna made a convulsive move to yank down her skirts, but Anthony captured her hands. He pulled her from the desk and stood her on her feet. Her skirts dropped gracefully to the ground. Though modestly covered, she looked anything but normal, her mouth still red from his kisses, her hair mussed. Anthony’s body stirred at the sight and he reluctantly moved away, silently chastising himself.

Strange as it seemed, he realized the reason for his unease. He actually liked Anna Thraxton. Liked her better than any woman he could think of. She was intelligent, beautiful, capable, held fiercely to her opinions, and was loyal to a fault.

And she liked him—he could see it in her eyes, in the way she grinned so quickly when they talked. As ludicrous as it was, Anthony had no wish to destroy the glimmer of respect he saw in her gaze. He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face, wondering what he was supposed to do now.

Watching him, Anna’s throat tightened. He might be sorry for their impetuous actions, but she wasn’t. She set her shoulders and pretended to smooth her skirts so she wouldn’t have to meet his gaze. She was glad this had happened. Faint tremors of pleasure still echoed through her and her breasts felt full and tight. For the first time in over a year, she felt alive and free and…happy.

A smile quivered at her lips. Anna tried to smooth her hair back into a semblance of its usual style, knowing as she did so that it would take a handful of pins and a mirror to do it correctly. Her hands still shook and it was all she could do to replace the pins she found scattered on the desk. She stifled a giggle when Greyley made an impatient sound and tucked one of her loose curls behind her ear.

She glanced up at him and froze—it was as if he wished to devour her. His gaze was hot, possessive, a furious passion deep in the brown depths.

The silence grew and stretched. Anna cleared her throat, desperate to find a way to ease the tension. The children…yes, she would talk about them. “Since we are here, Greyley, there is one thing I wanted to ask you. Mrs. Stibbons has allowed the new maid, Lily, to assist me in the nursery.”