Georgie shook her head at her own foolishness. If she wasn’t careful, she’d find herself besotted with her own husband. Or worse. “So, will I see you tomorrow?”

“I’ll try to come. It depends on what happens with Johnstone.”

She took her dress from his outstretched hand and put it on, not bothering with her stays. “You mean you’ll be going after him?”

“Yes. Alex, Seb, and I will wait in the tavern we visited today. As soon as he enters the building, we’ll pounce.”

Georgie sighed. “I wish I could be there.”

“You’ve done enough.” He smiled to soften the sting of rejection, drawing her in for a kiss.

Georgie melted against him as her limbs went weak.

It was he who pulled away. He turned her and silently buttoned up her dress, as efficient as any lady’s maid, and she shivered as he pressed a kiss to her exposed neck. “I’ll ask Mickey to take you home,” he murmured softly.

Pieter had left the back door unlocked, and Georgie sneaked into the house without incident. She entered her room and fell onto the bed in a state of exhausted bliss. Did she feel different now she was no longer a virgin? She made a quick mental catalogue of her body. She felt wonderful. A little sore and achy, slightly more sensitive to the touch of her clothing, but definitely good.

Her long-held goal of taking a lover had been achieved, and she already wanted to do it again. And again.

She remembered the incredible sense of peace and warmth she’d felt when they’d been lying together. Tucked against his body, enfolded in his arms, she’d felt cherished and protected and … loved. She pulled herself up short. He probably made every woman feel like that, as if she were the center of his universe.

Part of her hoped her obsession with him would burn itself up quickly. It would hurt when they inevitably parted ways. He would become bored by her lack of experience. She’d have to watch him transfer that blinding heat and teasing laughter to some other lucky recipient and pretend she didn’t care.

She shoved that depressing thought away. She would take Benedict’s advice and seize the moment, enjoy their time together, no matter how brief.

But first, she needed sleep.

Chapter 32.

Georgie woke to a scratching at her door and sat up as Juliet slipped into the room and bounded up onto the bed like an overeager puppy. She studied Georgie’s face with a close, laughing scrutiny. “What were you up to last night, you naughty girl?”

Georgie frowned as a guilty flush warmed her cheeks. She pushed her hair out of her eyes. “What do you mean?”