Page 36 of A Virgin for the Duke of Scars
“It’s just that you didn’t visit me yesterday, and I… didn’t think I might scare you. No one attacked us in the convent. We didn’t have to think twice before going to someone’s room.”
She looked beyond him into the room, hoping for a glimpse of his painting. The darkness obscured almost everything.
“What were you painting, dear husband?”
When he didn’t respond, she continued, “Margaret and I would often spend the night together, staying up and talking. I was lonely in that massive suite, and I just thought…”
“I have no need for you tonight,” Aaron said.
“But—”
“I may be cruel, but I won’t force you, wife.”
He looked at her, running his eyes up and down her figure. She remembered she was wearing a new nightgown, thin and far more revealing than anything else in her wardrobe. It was tight around her chest, where his eyes now lingered.
As she watched him watching her, she realized that she could see his entire face. The mask that usually covered it was missing. He must have realized it at the same time because he turned away into the darkness. The only thing that could illuminate him was the single candle by the painting and the dying fire in the grate.
Theresa wondered what his face would look like without the mask. She ached to run her fingers over his skin, to trace his features.
“I expect you to join me tomorrow morning,” he muttered. “You should get some rest.”
She turned to leave; his dismissal was plain and clear. But she turned back at the last minute to ask the question burning in her mind.
“Does it hurt when you wear the mask?”
“It hurts others more when I don’t.” He looked away into the flames.
“You should use honey,” she advised, before pausing for a moment. “And I thought of a new rule.”
“I’m sure I won’t like it,” he said.
She heard the laughter in his voice; he was enjoying this silly game between them.
“I won’t… perform my wifely duties, unless you kiss me without wearing your mask. Goodnight, dear husband.”
She turned to leave, but Aaron reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back into the room.
“You are not the one to decide on this,” he growled.
“But I am. You don’t scare me, Aaron. At least, not as much as you wish you did.”
She turned away from him, and this time, he let her go. She stepped out of the room, shutting the heavy wooden door behind her.
She padded through the manor back to her suite, a smile playing on her lips. She could get used to playing these games with her dear husband.
CHAPTER 12
After the unexpected visitor in the tower last night, Aaron made a last-minute decision to attend breakfast. Perhaps it would be best if he met his new wife on his own terms, rather than having her sneak into his tower in the middle of the night.
Not that he minded seeing her in that nightgown, the way the fabric stretched tight over her chest. The low cut. The entire thing, while meant to be innocent, ignited something deep within him. He still felt it this morning, but tried to wash it away with a morning glass of whisky.
In anticipation of seeing his new wife, he spent more time than usual dressing. He selected the fabrics that brought out the color of his eyes and offset the unpleasantness of the mask. He wanted to draw attention to a part of him that others didn’t constantly remind him of.
What could Theresa possibly see in a villain like him?
He was right, that time they first met in the woods near the nunnery. It wouldn’t do for Theresa to be running around with beasts. And yet here she was, sneaking into his tower in the evenings and joining him at every meal.
Here she was, taking her clothes off for him and allowing him to touch her in ways that felt good. Ways that she had never experienced before. It demonstrated a level of trust—trust that he did not think he had earned. But he would continue to prove himself deserving of her company.
