Perhaps there was. It was a little embarrassing but he could not bring himself to care. The street was dark with no traffic. He had been loath to leave her and, in fact, she had begged him not to, but he wouldn’t shame her by sneaking out of her room in the daylight. Better to leave her now and leave her reputation intact, regardless of how hard it was to pry himself away from that sweet, soft body. Lucian pushed a hand through his hair and winced when one of his muscles pulled. He’d not made love like that for years—even before the fire really. Ellie was one demanding lady. Who’d have thought? Well, perhaps he should have known. The Ellie he had once known had taken full advantage of every moment in life and, he had to admit, he liked that side of her very much. The hours until he was back in her bed tonight were going to be long indeed. Torn between returning to his townhouse and resting as he should, or going to the mill and getting a head start on the day, he opted for the mill.
