Chapter 96

Cedric nodded thoughtfully. "She has lost some weight," he agreed. "But... it doesn't hurt anything." It certainly didn't hurt how she felt in his hands. He still found her desirable.

Liliana heard the double meaning in his words, and a blush crept up her neck. "Grandma, you should eat more," she said, placing some food on the dowager's plate to change the subject.

But the dowager wouldn't let it go. "A little weight loss is fine, but any more and it won't be healthy. You're her husband; you need to take care of your wife. Cherish her, like your father does your mother."

Cedric's reply was equally layered. "You're right, Grandma. I'll take *very* good care of her."

He served Liliana some food. She didn't refuse it, but she didn't eat it either. By the end of the meal, the food he had given her remained untouched in her bowl.

"You two should stay the night," Dowager Forrest said after dinner. "Your parents aren't back yet, and I'm all alone."

"Of course, we'll stay with you," Cedric agreed instantly.

Liliana had planned on returning to Polaris Court, but Cedric's quick acceptance left her no room to object. Dowager Forrest beamed and pulled Liliana into the conservatory to tend to her flowers, keeping her busy until ten o'clock.

"It's getting late. Don't keep Cedric waiting. Go on up to bed."

Liliana walked Dowager Forrest back to her room and was shooed away. She had worked up a sweat in the humid conservatory, and her only change of clothes was in the master bedroom. She had no choice but to go up.

She pushed open the door to find the room pitch black. Cedric wasn't there. The knot in her stomach loosened. She felt her way to the walk-in closet, flicked on the light, and turned around-only to find him standing in the middle of the room, wearing nothing but a bathrobe.

"Why... why are the lights off?!"

"This is my room," Cedric stated calmly, as if that explained everything. The robe was loosely tied, revealing a expanse of toned, bronze skin and the hard lines of his abs. He looked like a living sculpture, an image designed to tempt.

A ripple of awareness went through her. She dropped her gaze. "I'm just getting my pajamas."

"Be my guest." Cedric opened his own closet and pulled out a pair of black silk pajamas. Without any sense of modesty, he let the bathrobe fall to the floor.

Liliana was kneeling by a nearby set of drawers, looking for underwear. Her eyes accidentally caught a glimpse of something they shouldn't have and her breath hitched. Her ears burned. He was the one who was naked, but she was the one blushing.

He dressed nonchalantly, then looked down at her. "Seen enough?"

"I'm going to take a shower," she mumbled, grabbing her clothes and fleeing the

room.

Cedric watched her hasty retreat, a knowing, unreadable smile on his lips. He knew Liliana, especially in this regard. As a man, he knew women were susceptible to gentle words. If he was patient, she wouldn't be able to resist Besides She loved him, didn't she? Feelings like that didn't just disappear.

Liliana took a quick shower. When she came out, she remembered they were supposed to sleep in the same bed tonight. Wiping her wet hair, she considered grabbing a spare blanket and sleeping in the guest room.

She tossed the towel over her shoulder and walked to the bed. Just as she reached for a quilt, a hand shot out and grabbed her. wrist. The man's share f features seemed softer in the dim light, his expression calm and steady. The calluses on his palm felt rough

against her skin, sending a tingling, electric sensation up her arm.

"We had a deal. As my wife, you have duties to fulfill." His voice was husky. He held

her wrist firmly but wasn't forcing her. He was asking, his tone serious. "Is that

okay?"