“Good morning.” His voice, smooth and amused, caressed her skin like a field of buttercups, and he held out a steaming cup, offering it to her. “Tea,” he said.

She pushed herself to sitting, reached for the cup, and took a fortifying sip. “Thank you.” Blinking herself into full consciousness, she said, “I thought you didn’t drink tea.”

“I don’t. But I know you do,” he said with a shrug, looking much improved from the night before. His cheeks weren’t quite so hollow, and his eyes weren’t quite as lost.

“Did you … that is, were you able to sleep at all?” she asked.

“I did,” he said, half incredulous, half relieved.

“That’s good,” Sophie said sincerely. “Although I think we’ve proven that you’re quite capable of falling asleep without any assistance from me. I wasn’t even awake last night. You did it all on your own, Reese.”

“No,” he said firmly. “I wouldn’t have slept without you.” He shot her a wary look. “You’re not trying to renege on our deal, are you?”

She swallowed. “No. But I can’t deny that I’m questioning the wisdom of it.”

“Why?” he asked hoarsely. “You spent the night with me, and the world didn’t come crashing down. The most scandalous thing that happened was a series of wagers involving buttons.”

Sophie stared down at his jacket, still covering her lap. True, nothing untoward had happened—yet. But a strange heat had simmered between them. At times, she’d felt herself involuntarily leaning toward Reese, like a tulip stretching toward the sun. She couldn’t admit such a thing to him, but she was fairly certain he felt it too, which was a very dangerous thing.

Because whatever attraction they might feel toward each other simply could not be acted upon.

She was all but betrothed to Lord Singleton and could not disappoint her family, who were depending on her, counting on her, to keep them out of the poorhouse.

“Are you worried someone will find out?” Reese probed. “Because I’ll do everything in my power to protect you. To make sure not a single soul knows.”

“Yes, it’s partly that,” Sophie admitted. But she was more afraid she might not be able to resist Reese. That she might begin to long for a future she couldn’t possibly have.

“And you’ve established rules,” he said, almost desperately. “I’ve sworn to abide by them. I wouldn’t risk losing you—that is, your help—by violating the terms you set.”

And that’s when she realized what she must do, as a safeguard. As a last line of defense against her own, irrepressible desires: She had to tell Reese about Lord Singleton—and add one more rule, perhaps the most important of them all.