Page 36 of A Duke for Stealing
Some of their tension seemed to die away, and Everett’s rigid shoulders eased down.
“And why is that?” He asked, genuinely curious.
Rose thought about it for a moment. It was not as if any of them were ugly. And their manners, for the most part, were quite on par. Save for the occasional burst regarding the bluestocking view, but their group was not the only one to partake in such conversation.
“We just never seemed to quite find our place, I suppose,” Rose confessed.
For a moment, a tinge of loneliness slithered through Rose’s body, pushing away the residual feelings of need. Once she shook her head, both sensations disappeared entirely, and she turned her focus back to the table.
“Either way, I am aware it does not matter,” she went on. “I am a Duchess now and acknowledge that my presence will be required.”
“You are married now,” Everett pointed out, feeling more like himself.
“It could be different for you.”
Again, Rose only shrugged, and for some reason he could not identify, that bothered Everett.
“How about this,” he offered, and without even thinking about it, he reached for hands, “What if I were to offer you a reward for going? Do you believe you could find a little more excitement for this soiree?”
A blush bloomed on Rose’s cheeks as he touched her, but she drew up a dubious brow.
“What sort of reward?” She asked warily.
Everett chuckled.
“Something you will like,” he promised, stroking his thumb across the back of her hand. He enjoyed the feel of her hands. So soft. So warm and small. Addicting. It was soveryaddicting to touch her. Even if he’d just sworn to himself he would not do so anymore, just mere moments ago.
Her eyes narrowed.
“Why do I not believe you?”
At this, Everett laughed and let go of her hands, needing to pull back before he lost himself again. He thought for a moment that she swayed toward his fleeting touch, and wondered if she was worried about getting lost again, too. Yet as he took another look at her, Rose was standing steadily again, her hands braced on the back of a chair.
“You will have to trust me eventually,” he stated, tucking his hands into his pockets before they ventured toward her again.
She’d made it clear the last time they’d touched, she did not want that. Or, at the very least, that was what she’d said. Her body, however, seemed to want something else.
“Do not forget that I know you, Everett,” she replied, interrupting his wondering thoughts. “Trust is something I highly doubt I will find in you.”
Everett felt his amusement wane at her icy words, and for the first time in his life, he felt the smallest twinge of guilt over how he’d once lived his life.
You may not trust me, but you nearly just let me take right here and now against this table.
“Trust or not, we still must go to this ball,” he muttered as he turned to leave. “Call on your friends. I expect you to have a new dress for the occasion. One that represents your new station.”
CHAPTER NINE
“Rose, darling, we have missed you!” Amelia gushed, pulling Rose into her arms.
“Good to see you, old friend,” Ophelia said warmly, patting her shoulder.
“How are you?” Theo asked.
“Tell us everything,” Seraphina encouraged.
It had been two long weeks since Rose had seen her friends, and as they all surrounded her, she realized that despite how busy she’d been, she had missed them all very much. She hugged them all tightly, even Ophelia, who was not prone to such affections. Her body had felt strangely lonely since she’d left Everett’s company last night, and it was as if she was hugging her friends in an attempt to rid herself of it. It did not work.
“Must we talk of me first?” Rose asked, trying to push the memories of last night and the feelings it left her with away.
