Page 21 of Married to the Ruthless Duke

Helen smiled, obviously satisfied with herself.

Let’s see if he’ll still marry me.

She was sure this would be the final straw that gave her freedom. No self-respecting lord would appreciate his wife riding all over town astride a horse, wearing breeches of all things.

“That is very practical of you and safer too. That means if we do a race, you’ll actually be able to compete,” he said finally, stunning her. “I never could understand how women steered horses down precarious slopes while riding sidesaddle. Plus, since you’re wearing breeches, I won’t have to be too worried about you being exposed.”

Helen’s jaw dropped in shock. The Duke just gave her a knowing smirk.

She had really thought that would have been enough to keep him from marrying her. If anything, it made him want her even more, and he imagined her body on full display in those breeches.

When his mind started straying towards seeing her out of the breeches, he coughed, shaking the thought out of his mind.

Looking around, his brow furrowed in confusion at another thing he noticed.

“Where is your chaperone?” he asked with a frown.

“My maid was occupied when I left the house, so I decided to let her be.”

Of all the foolhardy, silly things she had done…

Alexander realized that talking to his bride or scolding her benefited him little except for more defiance, so he decided to try a new tactic.

A predatory gleam entered his eyes, and he advanced, closing the space between them. If she didn’t think him dangerous enough to be alone with, he would help her see.

Dropping his voice to a low timbre that sent a becoming flush through her skin, he said, “Are you sure you didn’t leave her behind on purpose?”

“And… and why would I do that?” Her voice shook as he crowded her against a tree.

The park was basically empty, so it wasn’t hard to play such a risky game with her.

“I don’t know,” he said, keeping his tone playful as he leaned forward to tease her earlobe. “Perhaps you have some other reason for coming to the park.”

“What other reason would I have to come here except for our ride?” she asked innocently, but her breathlessness showed him that his plan was working.

“Why, so you could be alone with me, of course.” He gave her a lopsided grin, effectively trapping her against the tree.

Her cheeks and neck were flaming red now, and the exposed strip of skin at the top of her breasts heaved as her breathing quickened.

“But I’m not alone with you,” she stated, finding her voice as he leaned closer to her. “We are in a public park, so I don’t need a chaperone.”

“Are you certain about that?” he asked with an enigmatic smirk, placing a kiss on the side of her neck.

Her shiver made him smile. He knew he was going too far in his attempt to scare her, but he was having too much fun seducing her to care.

She looked around, realizing that even though they were standing in a public park, they were very much alone, as it was still quite early—far earlier than the fashionable hours that the ton kept. The park was so devoid of people that they might as well be standing in a secluded alcove.

When she looked back at Alexander, his smile had grown with amusement, seeing the realization in her eyes. He advanced closer.

No!Helen screamed inwardly, even though her body screamed,Yes!

She knew how this ended. This time she was in danger of begging him to kiss her if this advanced any further.

Just then, a blur of fur caught the side of her vision as a stray dog darted by, and in the next minute, a pained moan split the air. That stopped the Duke in his tracks, and they both turned towards the sound. An elderly woman was lying on the ground and trying and repeatedly failing to get back on her feet. They both hastened to the spot.

“Are you all right, Madam?” Helen asked in concern.

“I am quite fine. Help me up, will you?”

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