Page 86 of A Christmas Temptation for the Duke
“Godfrey, I told you I did not wish to be…” Daniel looked up from behind his desk and gasped when he saw Alison standing in the doorway. “Alison. What are you doing here?”
She hesitated at first, the shock of the moment finally catching up to her.
It had been only a few days, yet she had forgotten just how much she adored the man who sat mere feet away from her. Yes, he was dark and brooding. Yes, he was severe and intimidating. Yes, he was like a storm gathering over the ocean, fearsome and powerful and dangerous and best to be avoided. But he was so much more…
His eyes found her, and she found his. They met, softened, and she saw a flicker of what she knew to be hope pass behind them. He furrowed his brow and stiffened as if trying to warn her away… but a smile tugged at his lips, and she knew in that moment that she was doing the right thing.
He wants me to be here. He wanted me to come. I must believe that.
“We need to –”
“What are you doing here?” he asked again, leaning back as he spoke.
“What I must do.” She strode to the desk, her legs shaking so that she nearly collapsed. But she kept her eyes trained on Daniel, refusing to look away. “The only thing I can do. Daniel, before you say anything –”
“You should not be here.” He pushed back his chair, standing, and he grew taller and larger than she remembered. He towered over her, blocking out the flames that danced in the fireplace behind him so there was only shadow. “How did you get in?”
“That does not matter. Daniel, I --”
“Am making a grave mistake,” he hissed. But there was no force behind it, as if he were using words he did not want to speak. “Alison, please, before you say anything else, know that no good can come from you being here. None.”
“I do not believe that.”
“I do not care what you believe.” His brow furrowed but not with anger. She saw sadness in his eyes, as well as heard it in his voice. “You need to leave, now.”
“No,” she said. “Not until I speak to you.”
“We have nothing to say.”
“We do.” She continued to look at him, fire burning behind her eyes. “Before you say anything else, before you… you grab me and drag me from here, you must know. I… I need you to know.” Her stare turned pleading. “I… Daniel, I lo –”
“Stop!” he snarled… although it was more begging than an outright command. “Do not say it. Alison…” His expression was soft, almost scared. “Please, do not say it.”
“I love you,” she said, finally speaking the words that she had wanted to now for so long. “I love you, Daniel. I do. I have for some time – longer even than I am willing to admit. I love you, and before anything else happens, I needed you to know it.”
He looked down at her. A beat passed between them. “And?”
She blinked. “Excuse me?”
“And?” He straightened and fixed her with a scowl. “What is it exactly that you expect me to do with that information? What… is it that you expect of me?”
Alison stumbled back as if he had slapped her. Of all the reactions she had pictured, complete disinterest was not one of them. “I thought… I hoped that you would…”
“Alison…” His voice turned soft and as it did, he stepped around the desk. But he did not walk to her, hesitating at the corner as if he were afraid to get too close. “You know that I am set to leave here tomorrow. And that once I do, I will not return.”
“It does not have to be that way.”
“It does,” he said. “I know what you think you feel. I know what you imagine might happen – what you have dreamed or… or hoped for. But what you think you feel for me makes little difference.”
“No…” She shook her head as if it might batter away his words. “I love you, Daniel. Did you not hear me?”
“I heard you,” he said. “And there is nothing I can do.”
“But –”
“Why do you think I am leaving?” He took a step toward her. “Why do you think that I amrunning?” Another step and she shrank away. “There is no future here for me, Alison. There is no world where I stay and find happiness. I am not leaving because I want to, but because I have no choice.”
“You do have a choice,” she tried pathetically, her voice cracking. She tried to meet his eyes again, but she could not do it. It was as if a veil had fallen between them, blocking her vision. “You… you can stay and –”
