Duncan had never gone through so much trouble just to get into a girl’s bed. However, as he rearranged the flowers on the table that was set up in Alix’s sitting room, he had to admit to himself that it was much more than that. He had only admitted a small part of what he’d been feeling recently to his siblings.

He realized that he was more comfortable in her room now. He had kept her simple, clean style in mind when picking out the tablecloth and china. Even the meal was nothing too fancy. He’d left the windows open at first, but had closed them when he realized they were blowing around the papers on her desk. He didn’t want her to think he’d been going through them, knowing how much she disliked people touching her things.

He heard her approach in the hall and fidgeted in place. He didn’t want her to walk in and see him lounging around in her sitting room.

The door opened and Stella helped Alix inside. She was on crutches. Stella did not look surprised to see him, and Duncan suspected that Anton must have told her something. She said nothing, proving Anton was right, and that she really was more discreet than others.

Alix, however, did look surprised, and not very happy, to see Duncan standing there in front of a table set for two. She bid farewell to Stella with a significant glance to let her know a serious phone call would be happening the second Duncan left.

“Hi,” he said lamely, not knowing what else to say.

“Hello,” she said, balancing on her crutches in the middle of the room. Her left leg was wrapped in gauze, as well as her right hand. She was no longer in the dress from the party, but a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt from her university in New York. She’d taken her hair out of the elaborate twist it had been in earlier, to let her dark hair fall messily down her shoulders. She’d washed away all of the makeup that she’d had on for the party. She was beautiful.

After a moment of awkward silence, he rushed to help her sit.

“I thought you might be hungry when you got back,” he explained, as he settled her into a chair. She shivered briefly, and he was pleased with himself for having thought to close the windows. He went to get a blanket off the couch and wrapped it around her shoulders, rubbing her arms to warm her up. He could hear her breath catch when he touched her. He pulled himself away, not wanting her to think he wanted anything more than dinner tonight. Even if he desperately wanted so much more.

“Thank you,” she said, and he wasn’t sure if she meant for the dinner, the blanket, or both. He’d take it.

He sat down across from her and lifted the covers from the plates with a flourish.

“I hope you’re hungry,” he said with a nervous smile.

“Did you do all of this yourself?” she asked, not touching her food.

“I didn’t cook, no. But Helena can’t really cook, either,” he said, a bit defensively. “She suggested I send you flowers, but I wanted to do something more.”

“Why?” she asked, her eyebrows knitted in confusion.

He hesitated. He’d told her so much the night before about himself. Was he willing to tell her everything?

“You’re very interesting,” he said, settling on something that was true, without revealing too much.

“Because I didn’t jump into bed with you the second I met you?”

He laughed out loud.

“Yes,” he admitted, still chuckling. A small smile appeared on Alix’s face.

“I’m sorry to make it so hard for you,” she said, picking up her fork and digging into her ravioli with gusto.

“I find myself wanting you more than anyone else in a long time,” he said, looking at her with desire that he didn’t even try to hide.

She returned his steamy gaze with her own. Duncan considered abandoning his plan and pushing everything to the floor to have her right there on the table, like a bad movie. Instead, he forced himself to look down at his food and tried to concentrate on it.

“I’m not sure what I want,” she admitted, and he looked up. Her eyes were suddenly sad, almost distant. “My father says I have a place here at the university in the fall. If I’m going to be a doctor, I’ll need to focus on that.”

“I understand,” he said, nodding. He didn’t really like it, but he understood. She wanted him, that much was clear, but not in quite the same all-encompassing way that he’d realized he wanted her.

“Well, whatever you want to do is fine with me,” he said, flashing one of his most charming smiles to lighten the mood. He turned on his charity chatter and spent the rest of the meal talking of much less serious subjects.

He didn’t know what else to try, and he wasn’t about to ask Helena for any more help. He’d made it very clear what he wanted. He’d just have to wait and see what she wanted.