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Is this really just a last chance at a dirty fuck? Is this me letting go before my inevitable betrothal to some old, rich man?
Or is there something that drew me to the Duke? This connection between us…could it be real?
I don’t even know. I run my fingers over his temples, leaning my forehead against his. “I don’t want to go back out there,” I whisper. “I want to stay here with you forever.”
He closes his eyes, nodding gently. “Me too.”
“But…” I sigh.
“But we have to.”
He pulls away from me, and I miss him already. He pulls his pants on, then walks over to the piano and picks my dress up off the floor. The silky fabric doesn’t wrinkle, thankfully, and the Duke helps me slip it back over my body. He zips it up and spins me around, wrapping his arms around my waist. His lips drop to mine and I inhale another kiss, not wanting this to end.
“I want to see you again,” he whispers against my lips.
I nod. “Me too.”
I watch him pull his shirt on over his shoulders, sad that I no longer get to stare at his chest. He closes the buttons carefully, then moves to his bowtie, and finally I drag my eyes away from his body and hunt for my underwear. After a few fruitless minutes, I walk to a tall mirror on the other side of the room.
My hair is a mess. I take a tiny comb out of my purse and do my best to get my dark locks back into place, then move to fix my makeup. With only a small compact and a lipstick to work with, I look nowhere near as put together as I did when I walked in, but it’ll have to do.
The Duke appears behind me, running his hands over my hips. His eyebrows jump up, meeting my gaze in the mirror. “No panties?”
I bite my lip. “I don’t see them anywhere.”
He grins, arching a brow. “Leave them. I like the thought of you naked under that dress. Some confused staff member will find them eventually and wonder what happened in here.”
I blush, wanting to protest. I stop myself, though, and let him lead me from the room. My nakedness feels like another secret only he and I share.
When his hand is on the doorknob, I grab his arm. “Wait.” He frowns when I pull out my phone, flicking to the camera app. “Selfie,” I explain.
“Do you do this with all your conquests?”
“Only you,” I grin. I snap a picture, checking it quickly, then sending it to Kiera. I give the Duke a wink, then we exchange phone numbers.
My heart flutters as he types his number into my phone. He wants to see me again. He’s giving me his number. This is happening.
A tiny voice at the back of my head asks, What if I’m not destined for a loveless marriage?
I try to push the thought down, but it screams louder. What if I could have it all? Someone like Heath who’s handsome and accomplished and a good match. From what I’ve seen tonight, the stories about him can’t be true. He’s solitary, sure, and he doesn’t leave his estate very often…
…but he’s been hurt. His whole family passed away a few years ago, right around Christmastime. That’s got to be traumatizing.
It doesn’t mean he has women delivered to his home for debauched orgies…does it? He could be completely normal. This could be the start of something good.
As we walk back to the party, his back is straight and his face is shuttered. The picture of decorum.
Me, on the other hand? I’m pretty sure I look like I just got royally screwed.
9
Ada
My legs shake as I walk back to the ballroom, my heels echoing against the marble floors. I feel my nakedness with every step, a constant reminder of what I just did.
Oh, my God. What did I just do?
My cheeks burn. Resting my fingertips in the Duke’s elbow, my heartbeat roars.
