Page 55 of Winning Her Duke

Despite his strength and sturdiness, he’d been broken and not put back together to heal properly. In fact, he was so damaged and in so much pain, if he were a horse, she would have had to have him put down to spare him.

She closed her eyes. She couldn’t say any of that. Obviously.

“It is nothing really. In fact, I was going to give it to you. I’m glad it was brought with the others.” She would paint another one for herself later that day and make sure it was kept somewhere safe. He would never know.

“So, it is a gift? For me?” He raised his brow in challenge. She would need to lie and she was horrible at it. Especially with him.

“Yes.” There it was, impossible to decipher a lie from a single word. Wasn’t it? Perhaps it would have worked, but instead of waiting to see the result of her subterfuge, more words poured from her lips. “I didn’t paint it for myself. It’s not like I’m besotted or smitten with you.”

He stood and came closer. Why were her legs shaking? For once she was glad to be wearing a dress so no one could see.

He stared at her for a full minute, his eyes darkened as he stood unmoving. She felt as if he could see right into her soul.

If so, he would know. He would see how she felt and then he would tell her it couldn’t be that way between them. As if she didn’t already know.

She waited, as immobilized as a rabbit locked in the gaze of a wolf. If she remained still, it would be fine. He would move on and she would live another day.

“Perhaps,” he said, his voice low and rough. “It wouldna be such a bad thing if you were smitten. Just a wee bit.”

Her lips opened on a gasp a second before his mouth came down on hers. With her lips still parted, it was an easy thing for him to slip his warm tongue into her mouth.

She was swept away by heat and emotion. Her fingers clenched and she realized her hands were filled with his silky blond hair. He moaned—not in pain but approval—and she pressed closer.

Or would have pressed closer if there had been any space left between them. His arms had already wound around her body and pulled her to him tightly. There was no room to breathe or even for her heart to beat without him feeling it.

And yet, as close as he was and as much as she felt, she somehow still wanted… more.

As if hearing what she craved and deciding to do the exact opposite, Hale pulled away from her, leaving her chilled and bewildered. Then he seemed to decide it wasn’t yet far enough so he pushed her to arm’s length.

He stood before her with wide eyes, his chest heaving.

He’d never been more beautiful. But she knew even before he spoke that she’d just ruined everything.

Chapter Sixteen

Hale was surprised by the strength it took to pull himself from Gia. He’d known from the moment their lips touched how wrong it was.

Perhaps not the very moment.

Indeed, for a full second—perhaps two—he may have even been swept away in the rightness of how wonderful she felt against him. But definitely by the third or maybe the fourth second, he had realized.

He was no better than the men who had filled her parlor the day before.

They’d wanted her body and had no intention of marrying her afterward. Or more importantly, before they touched her.

He had warned her. She well knew his reputation. Her chaperone had thought he wouldn’t take advantage of their friendship. What an error that had been.

Shame twisted his stomach. Was he any better than his parents who had taken what they’d wanted for their pleasure without a care of who they hurt?

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. Her warm brown eyes filled with fear, and her shoulders had pulled in as if preparing for the weight of his rejection.

Any emotion besides the one he grasped onto would have been better. But anger for himself and for whomever had rejected her in her past fired through him.

“You have nothing to apologize for. This was all my doing,” he snapped harshly and ran a hand through his hair, remembering the way it had felt when her hands had been gripping his locks moments ago. She’d held him too tightly. Pain to the point of pleasure.

The pain in his trousers offered no pleasure where he still throbbed for her.

Had he allowed the kiss to go on much longer, he might not have stopped until the discomfort had been sated. It was clear, she had no intention of stopping him. She would have let him do what he’d wanted.