Page 37 of A Deal with her Forbidden Duke
“The gist of it,” he answered shortly.
Madeleine gave another heavy sigh, pressing her fingers to her temple. “He will be livid.”
“I will deal with your brother.”
The assurance came but it was hard-toned, as if doing so would bother him. As if caring for her in such a way—in any way—exasperated him.
Regardless, she had the strange urge to thank him but tampered it down.
“The wholetonwill whisper about it,” she said, almost to herself. A small, incredulous laugh escaped her. “I am married mere days after my husband was found dead. They will say it was only for the money. They will say?—”
“Do not worry what they will say,” the Duke’s voice came as a reprimand. “You should not concern yourself with such things. Let them talk—it means nothing. Not when you know the truth. You and I, we both know the truth.”
“Itdoesmean something, Your Grace,” Madeleine countered, annoyed.
He does not have to worry about such things.
“You may be able to turn your attention from such things, but it is not so easy for a woman like me. It is all anyone will talk about—they will look at me like?—”
Suddenly, the Duke—her new husband, she reminded herself—leaned into her space. Madeleine’s breath caught.
“What do you want me to say?” He cocked his head. “That I care what others think?” A small snarl curled his lip. “That I should have let you suffer in that pit of a marriage to that scum of a lord? You are mine now, Madeleine, and Iwillprotect you—whatever the cost.”
His promise weighed in the carriage, her name on his tongue hanging between them. She could only gape at him, his intensity taking her by surprise after all his silence. Alexander’s eyes burned into her, his gaze peeling her away, every layer.
The surprise had her words clipped, had her anger unexpectedly curled through her. “I am not your possession, Your Grace. You cannot just claim me in such a way.”
“I do not need to claim you,Duchess.” The title said enough—but his tone said more. That it was not merely a claiming in titles. His voice was quieter yet sharper. “You are mine already, whether you like it or not.”
Madeleine raised an eyebrow, refusing to let the comment go unanswered.
“I think you’ll find, Your Grace, that I am not so easily claimed.”
“Oh, I know,” he said with a smirk, stepping a fraction closer, his eyes scanning her with that predatory intensity. “That’s what makes it all the more fun.”
She tilted her head, meeting his gaze with an equal measure of challenge. “Fun? Is that what this is to you? A game?”
His lips twitched at the corner, but his voice remained steady. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say youlikethe idea of being a challenge.”
“I am not some prize to be won, Your Grace,” she said, though she wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince—him or herself.
His laugh was low, full of dark amusement. “You’re right. You’re far more intriguing than any prize. But you’re also more than a little tempting.”
His gaze flicked to her lips, and the shift in the air was palpable.
Madeleine swallowed, heart racing as she fought the tug of desire she couldn’t quite ignore.
“You do not tempt me, Duke. Not in the way you think.”
He leaned in just a little, his breath warm against her ear as he whispered, “I don’t? So if I draw closer, this control of yours will remain intact?”
She opened her mouth to argue, but the words died on her lips as his fingers grazed her arm, the touch light yet electrifying.
“What are you doing, Your Grace?” she asked, her voice lower now, tension thick in her words.
The Duke didn’t answer immediately, his eyes locking onto hers with a look that made her pulse quicken.
Then, with deliberate slowness, he closed the distance between them, his lips curling into a confident smile.
