Page 34 of Ella’s Desire

Bronson had spent almost every day of his life skirting honesty, saying what was needed to make his way at court, to glide out of trouble when favor was scarce. To be honest was to be vulnerable, and that was how one lost their head.

Sunlight streamed in through the window and fell on Ella, lighting her beauty in its full glory. The woman he would marry surely deserved honesty, didn’t she?

Bronson sighed. “Falling in love is important to you, I know, and so I thought…” He trailed off, hating how ludicrous this all was to say aloud. She would think him a fool.

He rubbed at a muscle tightening at the base of his neck. “I hoped I could find what sort of things you found romantic, so I read your stories.” He shifted on the bench, eager to be done with the whole bloody conversation. “Then they were so interesting that I couldn’t stop reading them.”

She ran a hand tenderly over the green leather face of the book. “You read my stories to find out what I like?”

It sounded so invasive when worded so. Bronson braced himself for her ire. “Aye.”

“Bronson, that is…” She shook her head, clearly so upset she could not even find the words to speak to tell him how deplorable he was.

“I’m well aware,” he said miserably. The whole idea had been ridiculous in the first place. He never should have done it.

“That is the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard in my entire life,” she said.

He lifted his head. “I beg your pardon?”

She was beaming at him, joy radiating from her. She set the book on the cushion of the window seat and then took his face in her hands. “You care enough to find out what I hold dear.”

“I want you to marry me,” he said earnestly. Though he assumed now was not the time to mention his need for her dowry, his pitiful estate and how his continued life at court relied on Ella.

“And I will.” She kissed him. “In a fortnight.” She kissed him again. “I wish it was sooner.” She ran her tongue along his bottom lip and arched her body against him in apparent suggestion.

“I want to learn all the things you like too.” Her voice was low and sultry and caressed over every intimate inch of his awareness.

He flicked his gaze toward the open door of the solar. “Not here…”

Ella bit her lip and shook her head. “Nay. Let us go for a ride.”

“We’ll need to bring a guard with us,” Bronson reminded her. The idea of a soldier accompanying their ride did not hold appeal.

Ella scoffed. “I only said that to appease Papa. I don’t intend to bring anyone. You and I are perfectly capable of protecting ourselves, as we did yesterday.”

“Nay,” Bronson said. “Let us stay in Werrick Castle today. We can go in the orchard if you like, with the dogs.”

“And Moppet?” She grinned. “Since you are so well acquainted.”

The squirrel fixed his beady eyes on Bronson, put a nut to its mouth and…

Crack.

Bronson nodded, looking pointedly at the creature. “Aye, even Moppet.”

If nothing else, the animals and being out in the daylight near the castle would keep Bronson’s lust in check. For if things continued as they were going, he did not know how long he could continue to rein himself in before Ella broke down his control.

He would want her in a fortnight, of course. He would want her forever. But God help him, he wanted her desperately now.

Ella couldn’t stop staring at Bronson. Was it just her imagination, or did he truly become more and more handsome with each passing day?

The color of his eyes shifted between emerald green when he laughed, and a deep forest green when they kissed. When he touched her.

It had been nearly impossible to sleep the night before with her body humming with desire. She wanted to run her fingers through his fine brown hair and kiss him until they were both writhing with need.

And then finding out he’d read her books in an effort to win her heart. It was all so perfectly romantic.

“So, the stories you wrote.” He watched where Bear and Wolf roamed about the edge of the woods. “Is everything possible?”