Page 85 of A Virgin for the Duke of Scars
He stood before her, looking down at her with an intensity that she had come to expect. She knew he would kiss before he moved an inch closer, but still, she did not move.
Shewantedhim to kiss her.
She wanted to feel his affection one more time before she left, no matter how long she decided to stay with her family. Maybe before she left Blackwell Manor for good.
She wanted something to remember him by.
Aaron hooked a finger under her chin and tilted her head up. Slowly, he leaned in so that she could feel his breath on her lips, as if giving her the chance to pull away.
Theresa leaned into his touch, and their lips met.
He kissed her softly, probing and nipping her lips to see if she would yield to him. When he was met with no resistance, he deepened the kiss. His tongue plunged into her mouth, seeking hers with deliberate strokes.
Theresa had no doubts that he would take her right there and then if she let him. And shewantedto let him take her.
But he kept his hands on her waist as he kissed her. He nipped her plump lower lip once more, then soothed it with a swipe of his tongue. He explored every corner of her mouth.
Theresa moaned against his lips and arched into him, feeling his hard manhood poking her belly. His body pressed against hers made her realize how much she wanted him, how wet she was for him.
And maybe it was that realization that caused her to pull back.
She pressed one more chaste kiss to his lips and stepped away.
Aaron ran a hand through his hair, giving him a disheveled look that was so different from his usual appearance. He laughed and then sighed.
“I cannot let you go. But I also cannot give you what you want.”
“Then it seems we have reached an impasse,” Theresa said with a finality that shattered her heart.
The heat that had blossomed between them cooled, the desire evaporating.
“If what I offer you is not enough, I will not force you to stay,” he said. “I have been clear about what this marriage would be like from the start. If you choose to go, you are free to do so.”
Theresa could not mistake the finality in his voice. There would be no compromise on this issue. She would not move from her position, but his rigid stance told her he would not be moved either.
He could make love to her, but she would never have his heart.
Not the way she wanted it.
With a curt nod, she turned back to her packing and slammed the lid of the trunk shut. She lowered her head so that he could not see the tears welling up in her eyes.
“I see how it is, Your Grace,” she said, sarcasm lacing her voice.
She could hear Sister Edith telling her that sarcasm is not becoming of a woman of God, but she did not care anymore. She would never be the nun Sister Edith had raised.
“Theresa…”
Aaron extended a hand toward her, asking her to come to him. She let his arm hover in the space between them until he slowly lowered it and took a step back from her.
“Please go. I wish to rest before I leave,” she said.
“If that is what you wish,” Aaron sighed.
She nodded again and turned her back to him, not breathing until she heard the door click shut.
When she was finally alone, the emotions she had been holding in all morning burst out. She could not fully explain to Juliette why she needed to retreat to her chambers, why she needed to go to her family.
With Aaron in front of her, it was far more difficult to pretend that she did not feel something for him. She had no idea how to act around him, knowing that she had bared herself to him and he had deemed her not worthy of his full trust.
