Page 73 of Winning Her Duke

“Marriage.”

“What? Why?” She jumped up.

“Gia, I took your virtue in a pile of hay. I have a duty to your honor and I’ll not ignore it.”

“But why can’t we just enjoy this? Neither of us wants to marry. I’m not a debutante hanging all my hopes on finding a titled husband. I know what I want. I also know what you want—or rather what you don’t want. I surely didn’t do any of this to trap you—”

“Of course, I know that,” he reassured her. They’d both been consenting adults, but he still had responsibilities. Instead of being terrified of the consequences, he found he wasn’t all that worried about the possibility of marrying Gia.

Perhaps that fact should have terrified him.

“You said you weren’t ready to marry,” she continued. “And you definitely don’t want to live in the country. I surely don’t want to have to stay in town, and neither of us would be happy with a marriage in name only. So, let’s just have this.”

“Have this? Sex in stables?”

“Maybe not a stable the next time, but it wasn’t unpleasant.”

“Gia. It’s not done,” he reminded her. She was not conventional in any way, but she certainly understood this was far beyond propriety.

“Why Jeremy? Why should we do what is expected when we can be so much better?” She threw his words back at him.

He studied her. Looking for any indication she was simply saying this to appease him.

“If your father were to find out…”

She laughed. “My father and Lydia are having an affair. What can they say?”

“This is truly what you want?”

“Yes. Truly.”

“And if it isn’t what you want any longer, you’ll tell me immediately?”

“Of course.”

He smiled and brushed a piece of straw from her hair.

“Then I will trust you to know your own mind and what you want. I’ll not hold you to a different standard or impose the rules of society upon you.”

“We’ll be friends. And lovers. We’ll enjoy each other’s company both in and out of bed.”

“Speaking of a bed. Get dressed and come with me.” He held out his hand and placed a kiss across her knuckles in the way a man does when paying respect to a lady he didn’t just tup in a barn. “If we’re going to do this, we will at least do it properly.”

Christ almighty, he’d done her so wrong. But if they didn’t get out of here soon, he’d do it all over again.

Chapter Twenty-One

“Hurry,” he said as he tossed her shirt at her.

They dressed quickly and, taking her hand, he led her from the stables and into the back of the house. The kitchens were empty as he and Gia passed through and turned for the servants’ stairs. He had to duck to keep from hitting his head, but this was not the first time he’d sneaked into his own home.

He led her up to the second floor and quickly made a left to his rooms.

Chauncey, Hale’s valet, was already in bed but Hale locked the door just to be safe. Then he turned to Gia.

“Take off your clothes.”

“What is it? Get dressed or take off my clothes?” she said with a laugh.