Page 84 of The Danger of Desire
Delia felt him withdraw from her as palpably as she’d felt him inside her. And not just physically. As he pulled away, she saw a mask come down over his face.
She couldn’t muster a mask if her life depended on it. She couldn’t stop trembling, couldn’t stop the repeated clenching of her “quim,” as he’d called it. It had just been so... astonishing. She’d watched him in the mirror taking her, thrilling to the rapt expression on his face. Feeling the power of him behind her, inside her... conquering her.
Conquering her? No man did that. This had just been conjugal relations.
She stifled her snort. Right. The most amazing conjugal relations she could ever have imagined. With her husband, of all things.
Hers. He washers! And she would hold on to what was hers for dear life, no matter what it took.
Even if hewasstaring at her now as if he regretted what they’d done. “I’d meant to have our wedding night go differently,” he said, raking his hand through his hair. “To linger over you and make soft, sweet love to you, like a husband should.”
“I liked it,” she said gently, not willing to let him spoil things when she was still quivering from their joint pleasure. “I don’t have any clue what a husbandshoulddo, but I loved knowing that I could make you... insane with desire.”
His gaze shot to her, careful, diffident. “Of course you did. You’ve been making me insane in every other way for the past week—I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t continue the entertaining practice.”
“Me?” she said with a lift of one brow. “You’re the one who’s been makingmeinsane from the beginning by keeping me from my purpose. Who kept showing up at Dickson’s to torment me with fear that you’d expose me.”
He bent close. “Let me tell you a little secret. I never had any intention of exposing you.”
She’d already guessed as much, though she’d never let on. “You could have said something.”
He glanced away, his mask in place once more. “That would have taken all the fun out of it.”
“Is that all it was for you? Entertainment?” She poked a finger at his naked and quite impressive chest. “Well, that came back to slap you in the face, didn’t it, Lord High-and-Mighty? I daresay you wouldn’t have been so cavalier if you’d known you would end up forced into marrying me.”
Having made her point, she tried to slip from between him and the dresser, but he caught her and kept her prisoner with his hands braced on either side of her.
“Let’s settle something once and for all, my sweet.” His dark eyes bored into her. “I wasnotforced into marriage. After your aunt and I left for London, she gave me the choice—attempt to squelch the rumors, or marry you. Ichosethe latter. Because I knew it would be best for both of us.”
That stunned her. Aunt Agatha had offered him an escape, and he hadn’t taken it? Truly?
Just as that began to soften her, the full impact of his words hit her. “Funny how you ‘knew’ what would be best for me, without consulting me.”
“Your aunt didn’t give me the choice of consulting you.” He caught her chin in his hand. “Tell the truth—do you regret the marriage?”
She stared into his eyes. “No.”Not yet, anyway.
Satisfaction lit his features before he masked it. “Then what’s done is done.” His gaze hardened on her. “So don’t ever let me hear you say again that I had no choice. You may feel as ifyouhad none, but I damned well had a choice. And I chose you.”
Those firm words melted some of her worry about the future. Until he added, as he released her, “This may not be a love match, but it’s a good one all the same.”
And that was that. For him, this was nothing more than a wise union between two respectable people who needed to be married.
As he turned away, she fought to hide the bleeding of her heart. He was only speaking a truth she would have said herself a day or so ago. But now that she’d fallen in love with him...
She stifled a groan. She couldn’t have been so foolish as to fall in love with him, could she?
But the truth hit her with staggering force. Lord. She had.
Curse him to hell. He made her feel things, want things...
It wasn’t fair! Especially since his matter-of-fact statement about this being no love match made it clear he didn’t feel the same.
So she must keep her secret safe. The only thing worse than falling in love with a man who didn’t love you was letting him see you wear your heart on your sleeve. That made a woman look pathetic.
As if his words had remindedhim, too, that theirs was nothing more than a convenient arrangement, his mood grew even more distant. He picked up his clothes and began to dress. “I suppose it’s time I let you get some sleep.”
The coolly spoken words sliced deeply into her, but she forced herself to ignore it. “That would be lovely, thank you,” she managed to say. “But you need sleep, too.”Stay with me. Be with me. It’s our wedding night!“You didn’t get much more rest than I did last night.”
