The Soldier's Dark Secret. Marguerite Kaye

of hair behind her ears, straightened her shoulders. ‘Bien, at least now we know that it was not a product of circumstances, that kiss in the Topiary Garden.’ Her voice was shaky, but she made no attempt to avoid his gaze.

      ‘The one you insisted was just a kiss,’ he said.

      ‘As I recall, you agreed with me.’

      ‘Because I thought I had exaggerated its effect on me.’

      ‘And what about this time?’

      He shook his head. ‘No. It would not be possible to exaggerate how that just felt. Frankly, it was almost too much.’

      ‘For both of us,’ Celeste said wryly.

      Would another woman have denied it? It didn’t matter. What mattered was that she did not. It made his own instinct to pretend nothing had happened, or to pretend nothing so—so— No, he would not try to quantify it, and he would not try to deny it. ‘Do you regret it?’ Jack asked as he self-consciously tucked his shirt back into his pantaloons.