Page 92 of A Virgin for the Duke of Scars
“I thought that the answer would be quite obvious,” he said softly.
She scrunched up her face, her brow furrowing in confusion.
Theresa turned to the lake, her shoulders shaking. “This was my home. I loved my sisters, and they loved me. My mother took me from them, and then you introduced me to life in theton.”
“You are correct, wife.” Aaron came to stand beside her, both of them looking out over the water. “They taught you well how to love, and it is thanks to your love that I am a changed man.”
“Though not so much as I would like you to be.”
“The idea of you leaving…” He trailed off, trying to find the right words. “Wife, I love you so much that it hurts to be away from you.”
Theresa went still, unable to believe her ears. She turned her head toward him and opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it, at a loss for words.
“I have wanted you since I first laid eyes on you that day. I wanted you even when I had no right to, even when my instincts said that I should keep my distance.”
“And you did keep your distance, husband. You excelled at it,” she bit out.
That much he had expected. Of course, she did not believe what he was saying now. He had spent the last few weeks telling her that he would never open up, that he would never share his true self with her.
But here he was, pouring his heart out to her.
He was nervous about what was to come. Her skepticism oddly made him feel at ease, as if this were a conversation they could have had at the dinner table.
They had already had this conversation a dozen times.
“You are correct to say that I have been the cause of much strife in our marriage,” he began, turning to face her fully.
He put his hands on her shoulders, holding her in place so she would not look away from him.
“If I am to be worthy of your love, it means taking a risk.”
He took a deep breath and searched her face, but there was no judgment in her eyes. She would give him the time and space he needed, but she would not wait for him forever.
He had made her wait long enough.
Slowly, Aaron reached up to his face and untied the mask from around his head. He lowered it until there was nothing between them.
Theresa fought the urge to draw a sharp breath when he finally lowered his mask. It was not that the scars were so breathtaking, but his actions had surprised her despite how slowly he had moved.
An hour ago, she had been saying her goodbyes before loading up the carriage to leave for her family home—the family she barely knew. She would have had to start all over, learning the subtle nuances of being in a family.
But now, Aaron stood before her and offered her another way.
She slowly lifted her hand to his face and caressed the cheek that was always covered by the mask. Her fingers traced the raised scars.
Aaron closed his eyes at her touch; she imagined that no one had touched him so intimately in years.
“Perhaps it is a good thing you insist on wearing the mask. You are too beautiful to be married to a nun like me,” she whispered.
Then, she leaned in and kissed his scars. Her lips trailed over the raised skin around his eyes, his forehead, his cheeks. She wanted to soothe him, to reassure him that she did not find his scars beastly. Each kiss was a gesture of intentional love.
When she could take it no more, she pressed her lips to his for the first time without anything standing between them.
This kiss was different than the usual passionate ones. It was slow and gentle. It was soft and tender. Their lips moved together like long-lost lovers. Theresa could have spent the rest of the afternoon kissing him.
Only, there was something else she needed to say to him.
“You have reconsidered your rules, and I have reconsidered my trip,” she said, pulling back just slightly.
