Page 80 of The Duke and the Runaway Bride

She had not seen him yet. He stared at her in her new flowing pink summer dress and wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms. The host continued to speak loudly, but the Duke could hear nothing except the ringing in his ears.

His legs moved before he could stop them, and he strode across the garden toward his wife. He would not take no for an answer.

Beatrice spotted him on his way over, and her face immediately lit up before she looked down at her feet and tried to compose herself. She stood with a woman he did not recognize—perhaps one of Charlotte’s maids.

Edwin did not know what he would say to her when he came face to face with her, but he did not stop to talk. He took her by the arm and dragged her away, not unwillingly, to talk in private. He led her past a hedgerow and a large rhododendron bush. The air was filled with a sweet, floral scent.

“We need to talk,” he said when he stopped.

“Yes,” Beatrice agreed.

She did not immediately apologize, and he could not bring himself to either.

“You must come home,” Edwin said. “Enough is enough.”

“Should I?” Beatrice asked.

She was hesitant and guarded, and he did not know at all where he stood.

“Yes, you should,” Edwin stated. “You are my wife, and we should not be living apart. I demand that you return to the estate, so we can go back to how it was.”

“I don’t know if we can go back to how it was,” Beatrice countered. “Not after?—”

She did not get a chance to finish. Edwin grabbed her and did what he had been aching to do since he saw her arrive—he kissed her. He had been aching to do it, but it was a good way to stop them from arguing, too.

Beatrice was stunned and did not do anything, and then she kissed him back with fervor. She wrapped her arms around him and clawed at his back, moaning deeply.

Edwin stuck his tongue straight into her mouth, pushing hers back as if it was blocking what he needed to get to. He felt his member stiffen, and he wanted to do a lot more than kiss her. He ran his fingers through her hair, groaning and biting her bottom lip. He pressed himself against her, needing to feel her body against his.

They had been apart for far too long, and he had missed many things about her, including how she felt pressed against him. He wanted to rip her dress off and take her in the middle of the gardens, but one scandal was enough.

When they came apart, Beatrice was breathing heavily, and the look in her eyes made him want to rip her dress off even more. They stared at each other, not knowing what would come next. They might have gone further than the kiss if they had not heard voices close by. They would unlikely be found, but neither of them wanted to risk it.

“Come home?” the Duke said softly. It was a question, not a demand.

“I will,” Beatrice replied. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you, too,” Edwin admitted. “I have not been myself this past week. It is not only me who needs you, but Mother and Elizabeth too.”

“I would have come back,” Beatrice told him. “I would not have let Elizabeth down.”

“I know you would not have. I should have come to you earlier.”

“Yes, you should have,” Beatrice agreed.

“You must fix your hair,” the Duke said.

Beatrice touched a hand to her hair and laughed. She did her best to smooth it. When the voices got closer, the two of them laughed together. If they had done more than only kiss, they might have been caught.

“We should return to the event,” the Duke urged. “We can show that we are a united front and make a generous donation, and then we can go home. There, we can continue what we started here.”

“I would like that,” Beatrice agreed. “Shall I take your arm?”

The Duke shook his head. “Go on ahead. I need a moment to cool off.”

Beatrice’s eyes flicked to his crotch, and she giggled. “I shall be waiting for you.”

Edwin watched her go. She was the most beautiful woman in the world. He felt pleased with himself for being a man of action, even if it had taken a week.

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