Page 49 of A Gamble with the Rakish Duke
Oliver woke up first. His body was still tender from the bruises he had sustained in the boxing match last night, and he knew what he would see if he looked at himself in the mirror. However, there were other, more delicious things that he wanted to look at.
At the moment, his focus was on his wife. It was his first time seeing her asleep, just as unguarded as she was last night. Her face was soft and peaceful, as if she had no worries in the world.
She was a virgin. He had seen the faint streak of blood on her thighs, which he’d wiped away with a damp cloth before they drifted off to sleep.
No man had claimed her before, and it made him feel guilty for suspecting her of betraying her vows. It also made him feel proud.
Alexandra was his, and he wanted her to know that he was hers.
Her eyes opened slowly, her lashes brushing her cheeks. They immediately met his, and a blush crept up her face. Oliver brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, wanting to see more of her.
“You’re a puzzle, Alexandra. Do you know that?” he murmured, smiling down at her as he propped himself up on his elbow.
“Oh? And would you still want to unravel me?” she asked teasingly.
He liked her that way. He liked her every way, especially last night.
“Tell me something, then. Something about you that I wouldn’t guess,” he urged, his fingers trailing down her arm.
Alexandra looked away for a moment, considering her answer. “My brother Julian. He… He was the one person who alwaysunderstood me. When he was gone, I was unmoored, and Father only saw me as an object to barter.”
Oliver’s breath caught at the sadness in her voice. He had seen her fiery side, combative and stubborn. He’d even seen her happy side. But this side… it was raw.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. His fingers wrapped around her arm and squeezed comfortingly.
“Thank you, but it’s been years.”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t feel sad about it.”
She gave him a small smile. “When I play the piano, I like to think that Julian is still with me. Both he and Mother.” Her voice was laden with grief, but her eyes had lit up when she gazed at him. “What about you? Is there anything you can tell me about you that nobody else knows?”
Oliver gazed at her, frowning. She too had lost her mother, though from what he’d gathered, she actually had a relationship with her, unlike him. And she’d lost her brother too, finding herself trapped with her bastard of a father.
Sometimes life took a lot more than it gave.
“Sometimes, I wonder,” he admitted, “if all of this—the title and the obligations that come with it—was meant for me. If my sisterhad not intervened, I would have been living in squalor, or the blackguards of Devil’s Draw would have murdered me.”
Alexandra studied him thoughtfully, chewing on her lower lip. All he wanted to do then was to kiss her lips again, press her into the mattress, and make love to her all morning—duties be damned.
“You have the command and authority of a leader, but you are also kind to the people who work for you. You are fair, Oliver. I might not have asked questions, but I’ve seen the way you treat your servants,” she said earnestly. “That being said, you are also the most infuriating man I know.”
Oliver laughed. He liked that the tension between them had dissipated. He realized just how at ease he was with his wife.
Imagine that.
A whole year had passed before he could finally say that.
The easy companionship remained even in their outings. They were no longer pretending. This was real.
And he hoped it would stay that way for good.
It was another ball. The old Alexandra would have pouted in private and seethed in public, while exchanging snide remarks with her husband. But that evening was different.
Oliver’s attention no longer strayed from her. She thought he was blatant the last time, but now he had thrown discretion to the wind. She no longer questioned his intense gaze. Shelongedfor it. Shereveledin it.
“Are you ready?” he asked, his eyes sparkling with glee even as he tried to suppress his smile.
When he offered her his arm, she took it enthusiastically. It now felt natural to stand beside him. There were no worries weighing her down as they danced and mingled with theton.
