I certainly can’t. God only knows how long it’s been since anyone’s been in there, what kind of shape it’s in. If anything happened—”
Clearly arguing wasn’t going to get her anywhere, and she wasn’t about to let him stop her. Without listening to another word, she spun around and ducked back into the passage.
“Hey!”
His voice echoed from behind her, but she didn’t stop moving, continuing onward. She’d made it down half a dozen stairs when she felt him coming up behind her. She braced herself for him to grab her and make her stop.
He didn’t, as he caught up and fell into step behind her. She sensed him glancing around them.
“You can barely see anything in here.”
“That’s what the flashlight is for,” she pointed out.
“And of course wandering around in a hidden passage you know nothing about with only a flashlight is perfectly safe.”
“I’m getting by well enough.”
“You know, this is my house,” he said darkly.
“Well, then I’d think you’d like to get to know it better, because clearly there’s a lot you don’t know about it.”
There was a beat of silence, and she could practically hear him grinding his teeth. “Is this why you came here? Because you wanted to look for secret passages?”
“No, this is just something I thought of today,” she said truthfully.
“Uh-huh,” he said, his disbelief obvious. “And what were you hoping to find if you did locate these hidden pathways?”
“Isn’t that enough? Actual secret passages? They’re not exactly something you see every day. If anything, you should be thanking me for something that will draw a lot more interest to this place and that your guests will love to see.”
“That’s just what we need. People wandering around inside the walls unsupervised. Never mind the possible safety hazard, there’s no telling where these passages even go.”
“All the more reason to explore them, don’t you think—?”
Her foot suddenly slipped, flying out from under her. She hurtled forward, the flashlight tumbling out of her hand, the ground rushing up to meet her—
Something caught her right arm, breaking her fall, bringing her to an abrupt halt. She was whipped around, colliding with something hard and solid and immovable.
Breathless, she raised her head. It didn’t help. She couldn’t see anything, the flashlight and its faint glow somewhere on the floor behind her. It didn’t matter. She knew whose hand was on her arm, whose body she was pressed against, even as she processed what had happened.
She’d slipped. He’d caught her.
As she peered up, trying to catch even the faintest glimpse of his face, she sensed him looking down at her.
“Are you okay?” he asked. The low rumble of his voice rolled over her like a caress, making her shudder in response.
She immediately knew he’d felt it, his body tensing slightly. He didn’t say anything, and she realized he was probably still waiting for her response.
She managed a nod, only realizing a heartbeat later that he couldn’t see it. “Yes, I’m fine.”
She waited, expecting him to release his hold on her.
He didn’t. His hand remained clasped around her arm, not too tight, but secure, and undeniably there. It wasn’t the tightness of his hold she felt. It was the heat of his fingers against her flesh, the texture of his skin on hers, the coiled strength in his grip.
“Do you have your feet under you?” he asked, his voice even softer, and she nearly trembled again.
She flexed her feet, checking her bearings. The ground was solid beneath her. “Yes.”
His fingers instantly popped open, letting her go. The action was so abrupt she might have rocked back on her heels if he hadn’t let her steady herself beforehand.
She felt him lean back slightly. “Like I said, it’s not safe in here.”
You might be right about that. She turned away to retrieve the flashlight. It lay a few feet away, and she immediately realized why she’d stumbled. The stairs had ended, the ground leveling out. She’d been so distracted by their conversation she hadn’t even noticed. “I tripped. It happens.”
“Not in my secret passageways, you don’t. As I’m sure you remember, we’ve had some experience lately with women coming to Sutton Hall and...falling.”
Jillian could tell from the edge in his words that he was baiting her, all too accurately, as it was. At the moment, the reminder was a welcome one. She needed to get a grip and keep in mind exactly why she’d come here. She didn’t have time to be distracted by anything.
Or anyone.
Picking up the flashlight, she turned back to