Page 34 of Mr. Notorious and the Nefarious November

He raised a brow. “You are making it difficult to forget.”

“I don’t want you to forget.”

“I see. Actually, I don’t see, but I’m certain that’s because I’m a man and your superior feminine logic has once again outpaced me.”

“No wonder you were such a renowned rake. Women must love when you say things like that. The truth is, I’m not being logical at all.”

“Really?”

She smacked his leg.

“Ow.”

“I do…” She swallowed. “I love you, but I don’t like how it feels having you know that.”

“Rather like taking your heart out of your chest and offering it up on a platter?”

Her gaze met his. “Exactly.”

“I know the feeling.”

She thought about all the times he’d admitted his feelings to her, risked being hurt or rejected. “I know you do. And the truth is, I always loved you. I was afraid you’d hurt me, so I went with the safer choice years ago and tried to hold you off now. But you passed all the tests.”

“I still have one more to pass.”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to give you any more tests. I don’t want you to leave for Italy at sunrise. I don’t want us to be apart. Ever again.”

“An army of dragoons couldn’t have forced me on that ship in the morning. Not after seeing you naked on my bed. You need time to learn to trust me. I can give you that. I’ll wait forever if you give me some encouragement, once in a while.”

“That’s hardly fair to you.”

“That’s love, Beatrice. Now that I know you love me, I can wait forever.”

She stood. “Well, I cannot. As you know, I abhor a rake. But there is one thing to be said for them.”

“We’re charming?”

“No. Rakes are extremely skilled in bed sport.”

“Ah, yes.” He laid back on the bed and put his hands behind his head, looking rather pleased with himself but also incredibly delectable. How could she not want to climb up that body and lick every inch of him?

“And now that I’ve had a taste of your expertise, how am I to resist you?”

“You won’t have to. Another thing we rakes are good at is sneaking into bedchambers and stealing kisses in secluded alcoves.”

She shook her head. “Not good enough. I don’t want stolen kisses or furtive meetings. I want everyone to know you are mine.”

“I’ve always been yours, since I first saw you at the ball my brother hosted for your debut.”

“You remember that?”

“Every moment.” He closed his eyes. “When you walked into the ballroom you took my breath away. You wore a white silk gown with gold thread woven through, and you seemed to shimmer. Your hair was in those long curls that always made my fingers itch to wind around them, and you had gold in your hair as well. Pins with little gold stars on them.”

Beatrice put a hand to her heart. “You remember all that? I didn’t even remember those pins until you mentioned them just now.”

He opened his eyes and smiled at her. “I remember the first time you looked at me. Your eyes were so green, and when your gaze met mine, I felt as though I’d been punched in the breadbasket.”

“Well, that’s romantic.”

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