Page 10 of An Accidental Bride for the Duke
“That word, expectations. You still have not said what it means.”
“Think of them as rules,” he explained. “Those that will be followed if this marriage is to work. I do not want us to be at one another day in and day out, so I have devised a set of said rules that you are to follow to ensure that I…” Again, a smirk tugging at the side of his lips. “That I remain amicable.”
She gave her head a shake. “I don’t understand.”
“Rule one.” He held up a finger. “When it comes to my family, you are to keep them out of your mind as well as your mouth. My past, my family history, that is a topic you are not to cover – the same goes for my brother. Regardless of what you think of him, you are to keep it to yourself. Is that clear?”
Iris was confused.What is this really about?
Nonetheless, she nodded with understanding as now she was desperate to see the duke from her room so she could assess what was going on. And, most importantly, why her body was acting the way it was.
“Rule two.” He held up a second finger. “Once we return home, you are not to disturb me unless there is a good reason for it. I do not expect us to spend much time together, so if I wish to speak with you I will send for you. Just as if you wish to speak to me, you will consider if it is something I deem important.”
“How… how will I know that?”
“I am sure you can figure out what I might deem as worthy of being disturbed for. As a rule of thumb, if you are not sure, err toward caution.”
She snorted. “And I suppose it is not too much to ask that I apply the same rules to you.”
He looked at her flatly. “And rule three,” he said as a third finger rose in the air. “You will provide me an heir.”
That had Iris balking. She blinked, opened her mouth to object, closed it, frowned as she waited for the follow-up. As if the duke might be joking.
He simply looked at her, no emotion whatsoever on his face.
“But you said…” A shake of the head. “How can you say such a thing? When you specifically stated that you would not force yourself on me?”
“Who said anything about forcing myself on you.”
She snorted again. “I might be innocent in many things but even I know what is required to produce an heir. And if you think such a thing is possible without forcing yourself on me...” She raised a challenging eyebrow.
“Are you sure about that?”
“What? Yes!”
Philip looked at her, his expression unreadable, the sense that he was seeing through her words and reading the lie that she was forcing on herself. As if he knew how she was feeling… and how her body was reacting to his mere presence.
It made her uncomfortable. She squirmed slightly and hugged herself tighter. Then she looked away, feeling his eyes still on her…
“I am not going to?—”
“You are my wife,” he cut over her and took a quick step into her. She gasped and her first instinct was to step back but his hand latched out and wrapped her waist. “And as the wife of a duke, certain things are expected.”
“I… that is not… I do not care…” She could hardly speak with him so close, his hand on her waist. Feeling it there. His body too, standing over her so she had nowhere to go. Again, that sense of helplessness took her. And again, it didn’t feel nearly as bad as it should have.
“You object now.” His voice dropped so that he was purring. “Which is why I have given you warning.” Then, his other hand reached up and rested under her chin, stroking it gently as he continued to look into her eyes. And as he did, the grip on her waist tightened. “But you will provide an heir for me, Iris. This is not negotiable.”
“And if I refuse…” Her entire body was shaking and where she wanted to look away, his eyes were too enchanting, the pull of them so powerful, that she could not.
“You would be unwise to.” His fingers closed around her chin, and he leaned in. Her eyes widened and her heart leapt through her chest because she was certain she knew what he was about to do. And despite her objections, despite her best efforts, Iris found her lips puckering because in that moment she wanted nothing more than to feel the duke’s lips on her own. “One month…” He moved past her lips to her ear. “That is how long you will have to ready yourself.”
“Wh—what?” she breathed, her entire body shuddering to feel the kiss of his breath on her ear.
“In one month, you and I will consummate this marriage. So, I suggest you spend that month making your peace with it. Am I understood?”
She said nothing. She could not speak!
“Answer me,” he growled.
