Page 53 of His Ruined Duchess

There, on the other side, stood Selina.

While he might not have been surprised to see her there, he was utterly shocked by the sight of her. Selina had clearly stolen from her bed, just as he had, and she was dressed down as proof of it.

Her fragile chemise was the only thing left on her. No stays, no overdress, nothing. The dark swaths of her hair, which were usually piled into elaborate arrangements on the top of her head, hung down around her shoulders and draped down over her chest. The fabric separating her bare flesh from his eyes clung to her, doing little to hide the curves beneath it.

Perhaps equally strange was the utterly serious look pinned to her face.

“May I come in?” Selina kept her voice low, but still, she did not enter without permission, which might have better concealed her appearance at his door.

Hugh stepped to the side, not saying a word, only gesturing inside. When Selina was past the threshold, he closed the study up once more, latching the door out of an abundance of caution—and perhaps hope as well. Turning, he found Selina perched in the center of the room, and he approached her, coming around to her front so that they could speak eye to eye.

“Is there something I might assist you with, Your Grace? You have come at such a late hour. And so… informally dressed.”

Selina’s pulse fluttered beneath the smooth skin of her neck, and she swallowed hard, blinking pointedly before meeting Hugh’s stare. Furthermore, when she did, that stern expression remained in place. Despite her nerves, Selina was attempting to be a resolute businesswoman which should have set Hugh right, not further excited his thoughts.

God, looking at the woman is like staring into the sun, too bright and strong for my eyes to withstand. Ugh, I have become a blathering poet.

“It must stop.”

Her voice was direct and level, and Hugh furrowed his brow, doing everything he could to keep his tone equally unmoved.

“What must?”

Gesturing between them, Selina struggled to keep her composure, the tension evident in her jaw as it shifted beneath her skin.

“This. What is between us. Itmuststop.”

Grinding his molars, Hugh sucked in a deep breath through his nose. He had wondered if Selina would say something. They had both been guilty of the touches and wayward glances over the past week. Too many times had they found each other’s fingers, winding them together where they could not be seen. Too many times had he stood just behind her, feeling the weight of her presence, the heat of her body, so near him.

Hugh had never been so addicted to anything the way Selina ensorcelled him. Worse, it was not only the sensation of her but also the memories of what she felt like as she came apart on his fingers. It was the sight of her, the sound of her voice, the way her smile made his blood rush through his veins.

Still, it was clear that Selina had come to a firm decision, and Hugh noted a rising nausea that filled him alongside a growing pain beneath his ribs.

He nodded once. “I see.”

But then Selina sagged, the breath rushing out of her as her eyes found the floor. When she looked back up at Hugh again, Selina looked pained, as if something sharp pressed into her chest. There was a glassy shine to her warm brown eyes.

“There is something between us. I understand, Hugh. I do. I know I have not been innocent in this, and I accept that responsibility. I-I want to be near you as well. I will not deny that. But thisneedsto stop. I am to be wed, and I-I will not be a wife who has a lover behind her husband’s back. I cannot bring myself to allow that.”

Hugh had not thought of the possibility. The notion that Selina would allow herself to take a lover, let alone him, was preposterous. He knew that. Chemistry and heat between them were undoubtedly there, but Hugh knew better than to assume anything about it. He’d felt a connection with others before, and it always ended when they had had their fill of each other. One night of passion, and they parted ways.

He’d presumed that if Selina ever did allow him inside her, it would be the same. Except, the thought that he might have her only once, the thought that he might not see how she looked in his bed come morning, actually twisted his stomach, offering a sick sensation that Hugh could staunchly do without.

That was a problem in and of itself.

So, why then do I care if she has concluded that she won’t take a lover? I never expected it to be me, even if she did.

No, he had not expected, believed, or presumed that he wouldeverbe Selina’s lover. Still, a part of him that he had kept buried silently reminded Hugh that he hadwantedit, however.

“I have not asked that of you, have I?” The words came out from a place of irritation, and Hugh knew he was operating with his defenses up.

Selina shook her head, taking a step closer to him. “No, you have not. But the fact remains. This fascination must come to an end, and I see no way to end it without serious intervention.”

Something unnameable prickled in the air, and Hugh stiffened, sensing the change. He kept a close eye on Selina’s expression, and while the resolution was there, so too was a growing sense of urgency.

“And do you have a mode of intervention in mind?” Hugh asked, his heart rate beginning to tick up as his skin hummed with latent energy.

It was like this whenever the two of them were in a room together: the need to be close, the way his fingers begged to touch her, and the way every fiber of his being felt drawn to her side. Hugh’s stare roamed over the creamy skin of Selina’s neck, his attention doubling down on the way her slim garment barely hid her from his eyes.

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