Page 10 of Married to the Ruthless Duke

“It concerns us when you’re deciding our future, Father.”

“Helen!”

“No, Father.” She shook her head, rising to her feet. “I am telling you that you can’t marry my sister off to this man when we barely know anything about him. There are so many other ladies who would be very willing to marry him. He could select a bride among them.”

“Yes, those ladies might exist, but none of those ladies have a contract with my family. And you seem to be misunderstanding something. I never came to marry your sister. I want to marry you, my dear,” the Duke answered.

Helen stumbled back in shock. “What?”

“You heard me clearly.”

“Why would you want to marry me?” she spluttered in surprise.

“It’s quite simply because I want to,” he answered smugly. “You were so against me marrying your sister, so I decided to listen to you. Isn’t that what a good husband does?”

Her mouth opened and closed in rapid succession as she struggled to formulate a response. A snort escaped Margaret’s lips, drawing her attention.

Traitor.

“You can’t just stroll in here and demand to marry me,” Helen argued.

“Would you prefer I marry your sister instead?” he asked with a lazy smile.

“That’s not…”

“It’s settled, then.” He smiled triumphantly.

Helen stared at him in shock.

How could he be so insufferable?

“Margaret, I think we should give the new couple time to get acquainted with each other,” her father announced suddenly, rising from his seat.

“Yes, Father,” Margaret agreed, rising from her seat and rushing out of the room like there was a fire on her heels.

Traitors.

“I am so going to make sure you regret choosing to marry me,” Helen promised darkly when they were alone.

The teasing smirk disappeared from the Duke’s face, and his eyes darkened and narrowed in annoyance. He started towards her, his steps slow and purposeful, and even though she wanted to stand her ground, when he neared, she was forced to take a step back and then another until she was standing with her back against the wall with nowhere else to go.

The Duke leaned in closer till the only space between them was a sliver of air. Even then, that disappeared quickly as he leaned in closer.

She knew she should have been afraid because he surpassed her in both size and strength, but instead, she felt a thrill that was completely at odds with the situation at hand. His proximity meant that she was assailed with his unique sandalwood scent and his natural musk, which made her want to breathe in deeper. It was only by sheer will she didn’t do it. He smelled so good, she wanted to bite him.

His closeness meant she could feel every hard ridge of his body and the heat coming off him in waves, which sent her heart spiraling, giving her a feeling she dimly recognized to be… desire.

The Duke was obviously not immune. His green eyes were almost black, with his pupils dilated so wide that they shocked her. Her eyes dipped of their own volition down his face, noticing that his nostrils were flared, and his breathing had slightly quickened.

Her eyes dropped to his lips, which were full with an enticing bow on top and oh-so pink, calling to her. They reminded her of a succulent fruit, and she wondered dimly what it would feel like to be kissed by the Duke. As she watched, the said lips were getting closer, and it was clear he was moving to kiss her.

She should have stopped him—at least a logical part of her brain cried for her to stop him—but instead, she closed her eyes in anticipation. Seconds passed, and she felt him grip her jaw, running a finger across her lip, leaving tingles in his wake and then nothing. She opened her eyes and felt the Duke’s breath on her ear.

“You said you were going to reject me? I would like to see you try, little one,” he said, the low timbre of his voice sending shivers down her spine. “I can see just how much your body sings for mine. Marry me, and you’ll never have a cold night again.”

“I will never…”

“I will be expecting you for luncheon tomorrow. I’ll send my carriage to pick you up an hour before,” he stated, calmly rising to his full height. “Don’t attempt rebellion by not coming.”

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