Page 23 of The Duke and the Unwanted Bride

“This effort to make me feel sorry for you, as if I am the only one at fault.”

“What does that?—”

“I have apologized once already, and that should be enough.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “And yet, not once have you seen it fit to extend to me the same courtesy.”

“Apologize? Why would I apologize to you?”

He scoffed. “For obvious reasons, I should think. Or do I need to repeat them? Somehow, I doubt you will like hearing them spoken back to you nearly as much as you enjoyed performing them.”

Her cheeks flushed, and she looked away. “I was only trying to… to change your mind and force your hand.”

“Can I be frank with you, Lady Hannah?”

“Have you been anything but, so far?”

“As I stated, I am not marrying for love. But that does not mean this marriage has to be antagonistic. The way that I imagine it, there is no reason that the two of us cannot be friends. That, I think, is more than most could hope for.”

Her brow furrowed. “Friends?”

“Why not?”

She rolled her eyes. “Exactly what any bride wishes to hear. And on our wedding night? I suppose we will shake hands?”

“Again…” He flashed her an amused look. “You come back to the same point. This desire you have for me to touch you.”

Her eyes widened, her cheeks flushed, and she looked away. “I said nothing of the sort.”

“That is not how I heard it.”

Why was he baiting her like this? Why was he baiting himself? A desire to look at her body, curbed again… only it was becoming harder to suppress it.

“Does it matter what I want, now that I know what you wish for? Friends, yes?”

“It is not personal,” he explained slowly and carefully. “I simply… I cannot promise that. Further to that point, although it might pain you to hear, I must confirm again that for as long as we are married, I will not touch you. That is one thing I cannot offer in this marriage.”

“Good,” she said determinedly. “That is exactly what I want.”

“That is not how it looked like the other night.”

Again! He spoke words he did not mean, as if he wished to plant the idea in her head.

“That was not what it—” She bit her tongue again, glaring at him, only to turn it into a smirk. “You speak rather boldly, Your Grace, but you seem to forget that I was in that room, as were you.”

“And?”

She shrugged. “For all this speech of self-control and a lack of desire to kiss me…” Her eyes flashed. “That was not how it looked to me.”

Frederick forced himself to look right at her, his eyes narrowed. “I was playing a role.”

“You were very good at it.”

“I was never going to kiss you.”

“I am sure you were not.”

“If it was not for what I knew you were doing, I would have dismissed you immediately. But seeing as you were there, I thought I needed to make a point.”

“And it was very well made…”

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