Page 70 of The Duke’s Unwilling Bride

“Yes, please. And I shall like to hear all about what you’ve been doing since my cousin sent you away.”

“Only if you can grant me the same courtesy.”

“We are of an accord.”

* * *

As the day winds down, I pace the floor of my room, waiting to hear Joseph as he enters his own. The fact I can even consider him by his Christian name tells me just how far we’ve come. And to think that it only took a heat and him seeing that I wasn’t a lying wretch.

Though, granted, I still feel as if I’m in the dark about what’s happening. I know I can peek into his mind, but it still feels intrusive somehow. That and I’m not at all practiced in it. Not that I’m still just an open book, but I feel like he’s better at this than I am.

Hopefully, tonight, we can sit down and finally have a frank conversation. Since we are now bound together, he will have no difficulty. Ignoring the twinge in my shoulder, I pull up the floorboard to grab my father’s pipe.

Now, more than ever, I want to feel the paternal, calming presence, to see if I can somehow come to terms with everything that’s happening. It’s all too fast. Though no one has said yet how long my heat lasted, it feels as if just yesterday Joseph found me at the whipping house.

Somehow, he’s gone from an overbearing ogre to someone I can actually see as my husband. The problem is, I’m still not sure I’m able to wrap my head around the actual process of how that happened. Is it just the bond? Or did something actually shift between us?

Love match. Mary’s words flit back into my mind. My greatest hope is that we can work toward that, but I’m not sure. There’s still so much between us… but somehow it doesn’t feel all that insurmountable.

And it’s not as if I find him reprehensible… A glowing warmth fills my body as I conjure up his thick-muscled body. No one has ever made me feel safe in the same way he does. Not even Father.

More than that, it’s what he does to me that draws me to him. He’s a harsh lover, but still so aware of my limits. Not once has he crossed a line with me that’s made me doubt his mastery over every inch of my body and soul.

But to have a successful love match, more is needed. I’m sure of it. I just have no clue what those little pieces are. Not yet. My marriage doesn’t resemble my parents’ in the slightest.

I never saw a claiming mark on Mother or Father, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t exist or they weren’t in love. In fact, sometimes, out of the corner of my eye, I can see Joseph looking at me in the same way Father used to look at my mother. Warmth and tenderness dance in his eyes, as if I’m the only one he will ever see.

Mulling over these thoughts, I pull out the pipe and hold it to my chest, rocking back and forth as I conjure up images of the man who raised me. I’m so consumed with my thoughts, I don’t even realize Joseph is there until he clears his throat.

“I didn’t take you for one to indulge in smoking the pipe.”

I whirl about, attempting to hide the evidence behind my back, but it’s no use. “I’m not- That is-”

“Easy, love,” he murmurs, a soft purr vibrating from his chest. “It’s not an accusation. Only teasing.” His sincerity comes through the bond, but old habits die hard.

Frowning, I stare up at the man who just so recently held me in such contempt. “What, not going to ask me about how I procured this pipe? Not wondering how much of your money I spent without you knowing?”

With a large sigh, he sits on the edge of my bed. “I deserve that. Come, let’s talk, you and I.” He holds out his hands to me, and as much as I wish to refuse, I find I cannot break the magnetic pull between us.

Reluctantly, I stand in between his thighs and wait for further instruction. “That’s my good girl,” he murmurs against my shoulder as he runs his lips across me.

With a firm grasp, he holds me by the waist and hoists me up to sit on his lap. At any other moment, I might have pushed him away, not wishing to feel like a child. However, as he wraps his arms around me, I find it’s the exact form of comfort I need.

Turning into his chest, I nuzzle against him, taking in that woodsy scent that never fails to calm me down. Through the bond, I feel his constant presence, his soothing strength. To think we’ve somehow come together as something more than enemies. I still cannot wrap my mind around the change.

“Not so great a change,” he grumbles against the crown of my head, his hot breath sending goosebumps down my body. “I’m still that arsehole you met, only now, I hold no vengeance toward you, no great violence because I believe you’re lying to me.”

“But I didn’t-”

“I know that now. I only wish my stubborn mind believed you without waiting for the evidence of the bond. For that, I will apologize. However, you will never get a sorry out of me for the things I did to your body in response. You loved every minute. Craved it, even.”

Heat infuses my face, but before I can even conjure a half-truth, he tips my head up and frowns down at me. It reminds me that from now on, I’ll never be able to get away with anything. Joseph shakes his head, a deviant smile tipping his lips.

“But don’t worry, my darling wife. I shall still allow you to keep your secrets, even if you have to destroy my house to do so.”

I move to leave his lap, but he tightens his hold, refusing to let me down. “It was like that when I was given this room. I figured it would be a great place to hold my secret treasures.”

“I hope that in time, you will not feel the need to store your precious things in such a precarious place. May I?” He holds out his hand, obviously wanting to see the pipe.