Page 31 of Married to the Icy Duke
She flinched at his harsh words. “Well,” she continued, doing her best to hold her ground, “you did go to war, did you not? And you returned from your boxing match covered with another man’s blood.”
He smiled thinly. “If that is what you think of me, my dear, you ought to be more careful, don’t you think?”
She gave an incredulous laugh, holding his gaze. His eyes seemed to burn into hers. She wouldnotallow herself to look away. It was a battle, and one she did not intend to lose.
“Perhaps it would be prudent to be afraid,” she said at last. “But I am not given to prudent choices. I am not afraid of you.”
The duke’s eyes were dark, shadowed by the moonlight, and the few torches set on the terrace caused strange shadows to jump across his face, following the angular planes and curves of his cheekbones and jaw. He took a step forward, looming over her.
“Perhaps you should be,” he whispered softly.
Her breath stuck in her throat, and warmth coiled in her gut. Like before, Charlotte found herself seized by a desire to step forward andtouch. She was not quite surewhatshe wanted to touch, or even what she wanted, but all she knew was that somethinghadto happen.
It was like shaking up a sealed bottle of something fermented and setting it down on a counter. It would explode, sooner or later, and there was no sense in pretending that it wouldn’t. She only stood there, saying nothing, and held his gaze. The seconds ticked away between them.
And then the duke let out a long, slow sigh and trailed his fingers through his hair once more.
“Do you really think that Tommy finds me intimidating?” he said at last, his voice low. “You think that I should try to look less … deadly?”
Charlotte blinked, a little taken aback by the sudden change in tone.
“I do,” she responded, swallowing. “Many adults find you intimidating, and children are frightened of more things than adults. Perhaps fewer darker colors, or …”
“Black and red areDevilcolors.”
She shot him an annoyed glance. “I am not sure that Tommy cares about your club.”
“Fair,” he conceded, flashing a twisted grin that made her heart seem to constrict in her chest. “What else?”
Charlotte shifted, thinking.
“There is no question that Tommy loves you,” she added, after a moment’s hesitation. “But we can be afraid of those we love.”
His jaw tightened. A muscle ticked in his jaw. “I do not want Tommy to be afraid of me.”
“Do you spend time with him?”
He blinked, glancing away. “I do my best. If I have time, I see Tommy once a day, for at least ten minutes.”
He seemed a little proud of that, as if seeing a child for ten minutes a day was more than enough.
“Babies require more time than that,” Charlotte said at last, choosing her words carefully.
He lifted his eyebrows. “Well, if I have time to spare, I’ll see him more.”
She frowned. “No, not if you have timeto spare. You must make time. This is important, Isaac.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You do not and cannot understand the responsibilities I carry. Dukedoms need their dukes. I havedutyto think of.”
The correct thing to say in response, of course, was something mild and then make suggestions as to how much time Isaac could spend with his nephew.
Unfortunately, Charlotte began talking before she could even consider what thesensiblething to say might be.
“Duty? Ha!” she responded, uttering a short laugh. “Don’t talk to me of duty.”
“Why should I not? You’re a young woman with nothing to occupy your time but parties and a potential marriage,” he shot back. “Your only duties are shopping.”
Charlotte took a step closer, bringing herself almost nose to nose with the man.
