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Rosa chafed at the recovery process. Her leg healed, but entirely too slowly. Ezio Auditore da Firenze came around, but entirely too seldom.

He was startlingly different from the men she usually associated with. Others might have put that down to him being a man of noble birth, but Rosa's cousin Sophia was a courtesan in one of the finest houses in Venezia—Rosa had heard plenty from her about noblemen's habits and the way they treated women.

Ezio looked at her with respect; he listened when she spoke. Not even all the thieves, who knew exactly what Rosa was capable of, did that.

But perhaps he bore her too much respect. All her attempts at flirtation were met with determined—if possibly wistful—deflections. Rosa was no stranger to the dance of seduction, she had had several lovers, but if he was trying to play hard to get, he was overdoing it considerably.

Her last lover had been sweet and biddable, a young shop assistant who had never had a woman before. Rosa had enjoyed showing him the ways of love. But Ezio would not need to be shown, of that she was certain, and she longed to feel the touch of a man who knew what he was doing. The confidence that was evident in each stride Ezio took … she wanted that confidence inside her.

"Rosa, go and get some air. You are driving me crazy," Antonio exclaimed after the fourth time she had walked past him and all his spread-out papers and knocked several to the ground.

"I have to stretch my leg, to rebuild the muscle."

"You can do that outside. You do not need to stay in here."

She considered telling him that going out made her nervous, because if there were guards around, she couldn't run fast enough to get away. But he had already gone back to his papers, shutting out the world. So she did as she was told, limping outside and hopping on her crutch in circles around the little courtyard.

"Your leg is healing nicely."

She nearly fell, startled by Ezio's voice suddenly behind her. "You should not sneak up on people."

Ezio laughed. "I would not be a very good assassin if I didn't sneak up on them. You mean I should not sneak up on you … but should you not be on your guard?"

Rosa blushed, annoyed. He was right, of course. Being here in the courtyard of the thieves' guild didn't preclude the need to be aware of what was going on around a person. "What do you want here?" she snapped.

"Good day to you, too." His good humor didn't vanish with her sour tone, which didn't make Rosa any happier. Ezio seemed to notice this, because he let his smile fade and adopted a more businesslike tone. "I came to see you, actually. I know that your leg is still mending, and you cannot demonstrate your climbing technique."

"But you cannot wait for me to return to full health and skill," she said shrewdly, trying to cover the disappointment she felt. Apparently a woman had to dress in silks and simper mindlessly to gain the attention of the great Ezio Auditore da Firenze. "How do you expect me to teach you like this?" Rosa slapped at the injured leg.

"Perhaps you could describe it to me."

"Simpleton. As if it could be that easy." She turned away, not sure who she was more angry with, him, herself, or her stupid leg.

She felt strong, warm fingers graze across her chin, lifting her head in his direction, and fought the urge to close her eyes and lean into the brief caress. Ezio withdrew his hand as if it had been burnt by touching her, but his eyes were warm on hers when she met his gaze.

"Your value is not judged by your physical abilities alone, Rosa. Allow yourself to heal and do not pull away from those who would seek to learn from you."

"You, I suppose? Pretty words, to get what you want." Her tone was breathless, though, in spite of herself, her heart pounding with his nearness. What did he want? He held himself so aloof from her, but then sometimes a look in his eyes or a tone in his voice suggested …

"They are not just pretty words. They are the truth." Ezio turned away. "Can you find a way to help me, or not? I need to scale the palazzo soon, or it might be too late."

"Fine." For the sake of their shared mission, Rosa could choke down her anger. "Meet me back here in three hours.

"Thank you, Rosa. I appreciate it."

She watched him as he turned away. Somehow she doubted he appreciated it as much as she wanted him to.