Page 88 of Anything But a Duke
She stared ahead a moment, keeping her back to him, but unwanted relief washed over her at the sound of his voice. They’d been apart for only hours, but she’d missed him for every minute of those hours.
When she finally turned, his face lit in a devastating smile.
He strode forward and took her into his arms. She couldn’t resist placing her palms against his chest, letting him tug her close.
His scent made her mouth water, and the heat in his gaze made her body respond as if they were bare and entwined and in his bed again.
“It’s good to see you,” he said with an open smile. Not even a hint of anger that she had left him without a word the previous night. The guilt of it still gnawed at her.
“I’m sorry I left without saying good-bye.” She needed him to know that much at least. “It wasn’t easy.”
“Having you in my arms now is what matters.”
She tried for a smile and felt her mouth trembling. Curling her hands around the lapels of his suit, she felt the outline of a box inside his upper suit pocket. He noticed her frown and reached a hand up to pull the box free.
“You’re too clever for me to pretend this is anything other than what it is.”
“Aidan—”
“I know I’m expected to get down on one knee, but that would require me to let go of you and I haven’t even kissed you yet.” He lowered his head and brushed his mouth against hers.
Diana had vowed to speak to him before the evening went this far, yet the moment he touched her, she forgot everything but the rightness of being in his arms. She opened to his kiss, slid a hand around his neck to pull him closer. She responded eagerly, letting him sense how much she wanted him and needed this moment.
When they were both breathless, he pressed his forehead to hers.
“This is what I hoped,” he whispered. “That you’d kiss me exactly that way. That you’d want this as much as I do. When we’re together like this, nothing else matters quite as much.”
He kissed her forehead, then released her and took a step back.
Diana wanted him to return to her arms the minute he retreated, but she wouldn’t be able to say the things she needed to say if he continued touching and kissing her.
“I am determined to do this properly,” he said with a wink before lowering himself to one knee.
“Wait.” Diana grabbed his arm to pull him back up. “Please don’t.”
He stood, his muscles tensing underneath her fingers. “You don’t want me to propose.” There was no question in his tone, just a miserable declaration.
“There’s a matter I must discuss with you before you consider proposing to anyone.”
“I will never propose to anyone but you, Diana.” Uncertainty darkened his gaze.
She held up her free hand, urging him to listen. A man didn’t rise to the level of wealth he had without his own brand of stubbornness and determination, but she knew he was a logical man too. A discerning investor, used to weighing various options and considering all the facts before making his decisions.
“There are things you don’t yet know.”
His bark of laughter shocked her. “I’m afraid that’s been a theme in my life.”
The comment reminded her that she had something that belonged to him. She opened a drawer in her workbench and retrieved the envelope he’d offered her the evening of Bess’s séance.
“I’d almost forgotten to return this to you and tell you what I found.”
His expression turned hopeful, intrigued, both auburn brows winging high on his forehead. “What did you find?”
“There’s a technique I used to bring out depressions in paper.” She pointed to the envelope. “I’m afraid it required me to discolor the envelope.”
He stepped closer and reached for her arm. “I don’t care about that. Tell me if you discovered anything.”
“Part of a name, possibly.” She turned the square of paper and shifted it in the light so he could see the ghost remnants of handwriting too. “J-O-S-E-P-H-Iis what I can make out clearly. Perhaps a surname or a lady’s name. Does Josephine mean anything to you?”
