Page 62 of A Christmas Temptation for the Duke
“I was thinking of going for a walk outside,” she said to him. “And until a few moments ago, I was going to see if you wished to join me.”
“Outside…” Daniel looked to the window, noting the light snow that fell across the grounds. “In this weather?”
“If it is the snow you fear, do not let it worry you.” she said. “I will keep you safe.”
He scoffed. “I was more curious if that mutt you call a dog will be joining us.”
“Of course he will be. As I keep you safe, he does the same for me.”
“Is that right?” Daniel laughed.
“If you don’t want to come…” She half-turned as if to leave.
“Fine…” Daniel sighed as if agreeing to her invitation was the last thing he wanted. When in truth, he was always going to say yes. “I can’t very well let you wander the grounds alone now, can I? Who knows what trouble you will get into if I am not there.”
“My savior,” she said with a cheeky grin.
“And don’t you forget it.”
They had not spoken of their shared kiss in the sleigh since it happened. In Daniel’s mind, that was for the best. The kiss had caught him by surprise, even if he had not-so-secretly wished for it. Alone as they were, the romance of the setting, and Lady Alison being so vulnerable with him, kissing her had felt as natural as breathing.
What Daniel found most strange about the incident was his ability to keep it to a single kiss. Where the last time they had done so, it had taken every ounce of control he had to tear himself away, this time it was different.
He knew why it was too.And I get the distinct feeling that so does Lady Alison.
It was the lack of hostility that did it. Those last times that he had kissed her were brought about via expressions of anger and passion and fire that burned so hot Daniel had no choice but to kiss her lest he explode.
Things were different now.
It started after Daniel rescued her from those two burglars. Lady Alison, no doubt realizing that Daniel only had her best interests at heart, did not buck and push at everything he said like she once did. She treated him with more respect. She was not always looking for a fight. And most importantly, she no longer acted as if she hated him.
This allowed Daniel to drop his guard. It gave him the chance to get to know her better and on a more personal level. And better still, it meant that he could control himself around her like he had not been able to.
What might happen next? Daniel did not know, nor did he want to. For now, it was enough that he and Lady Alison could coexist peacefully.
Better that I do not think ahead, because I know where that will lead me. Better that I am happy with how things are and pray that they stay this way. No need to complicate that which is so simple.
“Pickle! Get back here!” Lady Alison shouted after her dog, which the moment she set it down raced through the snow and vanished behind a row of hedges. “Oh, how he frustrates me! Why does he not listen?”
Daniel laughed as he and Alison walked the garden path through the snow-covered garden. “Now you know how I feel.”
“And what does that mean?” She widened both eyebrows at him.
“Nothing,” he said with a knowing grin. “Just referring to my sisters. They rarely listen to me, even when they know the advice I give is right.”
“Sounds vexing.”
“You have no idea.”
“It must be hard for someone like you,” she said with a sigh. “Always being right but rarely being afforded the courtesy of being told as much.”
“It is my cross to bear.”
She scoffed and rolled her eyes at him. “You are so… self-important sometimes, you know? Tell me, how do you manage to stand up straight when your head is that size?”
“You tell me,” he responded coolly. “Yours is twice the size of mine, and you know it.”
“It is not!”
