Page 25 of The Duke’s Unwilling Bride

Using the raucous noise to cover my steps, I continue to tiptoe through the hallway and glance about, noting the emptiness therein. The rest of the servants must be too busy with the ball, and that serves my purposes just fine. One foot in front of the other, I creep up the stairwell, keeping the maid’s instructions in my mind.

Soon enough, I reach a large door. The dark wood is rough, masculine, and the scent surrounding it is wholly Foxford. I draw it deep into my body, somehow finding a bit of reassurance in that aroma. Once more glancing about, to make sure I’m not being seen, I rap at the door.

Nothing.

Moments go by and my heart climbs in my throat. But still, I’m not granted entrance. I try again, frenetic energy pulsing through my body as I wait, only to remain shut out. Reaching out, I try the knob and turn it, my body singing as it gives way and allows me entrance.

I step into the dim room, the only light coming from the massive fireplace to the left. At the right, a gigantic bed fills the space. The wood columns look to be the same wood as the door, but that’s not what gives me pause. Metal rings line the posts, as well as the head and the foot.

I’ve never seen a bed look like this before, but then, I’ve not seen all that many. To be fair, the beds at Harhurst Hall and the townhouse aren’t the grandest creations known to man. But still… I make my way over and palm the heavy ring before tugging it. When nothing happens, I frown and tug again, but this time, even harder.

“Seems as if my little doll has become a mouse, sneaking about where she doesn’t belong.”

CHAPTER 12

Joseph

The nosey little omega jumps, her loose hair fluttering behind her like leaves in the wind. A frown tugs at my lips as I note the state of disarray. True, she’s still in her gown, but with her hair floating around her face, it somehow makes the rest of her look even more scandalous.

Perhaps it’s because I long to wind my fingers through those strands as I pull her head backward, bending her to my will. Or maybe it’s the fact I can somehow smell her far more acutely every time those strands move. Either way, this is the very last thing I needed after an already hellacious evening.

As she turns, her eyes gaze up at me, apprehension lurking in those crystalline depths. After tonight, however, there will be far more than just apprehension. I plan to show her exactly what being tied to me will mean.

Something has gravely run afoul, and I still cannot put my finger on it. But I know this woman resides at the crux. Whether she’s acting on her own or her cousin is aiding her in this ploy, it doesn’t matter. It’s she who will suffer the wrath for forcing me down the aisle when I had no such intentions.

Shucking off my jacket, I take my time as I lay it across the back of a custom-built chair. No doubt she’s been so blindsided by my bondage rings she hasn’t even taken the time to observe this additional, more discreet piece of furniture. Oh, but she will become intimately acquainted if I have anything to say about it.

Rage simmers just below the surface as I stalk closer to her, noting the rise in her eyebrows. She backs away, her steps light and faltering, but a predator can always spot the actions of its prey. The room is perfumed with the scent of her distress as I continue to close the distance between us with long, sure steps.

“I- I came to speak. Please hear me out, then allow me to leave unscathed.”

“There are other ways to seek an audience with me,” I growl, loosening my cravat. “Far less scandalous ways, I might add.”

“Yes, but…” She trails off, a whine catching in the back of her throat.

It’s such a delicious sound, fraught with anxiety and panic. Just where I want her. Winding my cravat in my hands, I pull it from my neck with a hard yank, startling another jump out of her.

“Yes, but? You know I’m right. So tell me, what is so important that it brings you here into my bedchamber, touching things that do not belong to you?”

“It’s the matter of our wedding.”

“Oh, wish to somehow pull me even further under your scheme? You already got what you wanted. What else is there? If it’s a matter of money-”

“What the blazes is it with you and money?”

“Language, young lady. If you are to be my wife, there are rules you will follow. The first is, you will use language befitting a young lady. Unfortunately, you’ve already made a muck of rule two by becoming enmeshed in scandal.”

“Which wasn’t my fault.”

“That remains to be seen.”

“What could I possibly have to gain? I don’t want to marry you.”

“Oh? Is my fortune not tantalizing enough? Or is it because you already know you won’t see a farthing without my expressed permission?”

“It’s because I refuse to saddle myself with someone as temperamental and hot-headed as you. Besides, I prefer a man who is well read and not one that cares more about what’s on his head than inside it.”

Smirking, I lean against the bed, crossing my arms. This little omega thinks of me as a dandy? Well, that’s certainly an amusing wrinkle to things. “And I suppose you and all your learning somehow makes you better than me?”