Page 41 of The Duke and the Temporary Bride

She looked at him flatly. “And as your friend, I will remind you that you will do well to avoid mentioning anything that might force me to reconsider this entire venture.”

He swallowed. “My mistake. It won’t happen again. Now…” He took another sip of wine before giving her an innocent smile. “Tell me the truth—which of your sisters is your favorite? I have my suspicions, but I wish to see how well I know you.”

“You are not going to drop this, are you?”

“Not on your life.”

Benedict was doing his best not to focus on what had happened earlier. An effort that he thought would have been impossible, all things considered.

Sleeping with Selina as he had… His leg literally trembled, and his mouth salivated as he remembered it. The way she had pushed him. The way he had then taken her. The passion that had exploded in that glorious instant was unlike anything he had expected. So much so that if he did not think she would deny him, he might have leaped across the table right now?—

Careful, Benedict… do not let your mind go there. That is dangerous territory.

He attempted to focus on the present instead. This supper, for one, and how effortless it felt. What started off with slight trepidation soon turned jovial as they both found a groove that allowed them to talk freely and openly like… well, like old friends.

That word…friends. It was a rather strange way of describing the relationship that the married couple was trying desperately to nurture. An agreement to ignore what had happened—as if ignoring such a thing was even possible.

“Fine,” Selina sighed as she too took a large sip of her wine. “If I had to pick one… Diana—but only because you made me choose.”

“The youngest.” Benedict nodded in understanding. “I’m not surprised, truth be told.”

“And why is that?” she scoffed.

“It makes sense. The twins have one another, and no doubt, as the oldest, you feel protective of her. I bet they pick on her too, don’t they?”

She tilted her head and frowned. “How did you know that?”

He laughed. “I know people, is why. It’s easier to pick on the outsider, and in your sister’s world, Diana is undoubtedly that. Lucky that she has an older sister like you to watch out for her,” he finished with a wink.

Selina eyed him curiously, as if expecting some sort of punchline or rebuke. As if she was surprised that he could be so insightful.

Not that Benedict took her confusion personally. This right here was the most the two had spoken to one another since their wedding day. Until now, he might have guessed that she thought him a mute! Certainly, a dumb brute.

“And you?” she asked. “Although I suppose with just one sibling, it should be obvious who you favor. There’s no competition.”

He laughed. “I love and hate Edmund in equal measure.”

“In your defense, he is rather easy to hate.” She chuckled, only to gasp and look at him apologetically. “I am sorry. I did not mean?—”

“It is quite alright,” he assured her, making sure to smile so she could see that he was not angry.

Had she said such a thing earlier, he might have gotten angry, for, like Selina with her youngest sister, he was extremely protective of Edmund.

“He did seem rather nice,” she offered meekly. “From the little I saw of him.”

“It is fine.” He chuckled. “Edmund is a unique breed. He has the power to both frustrate beyond reason and garner sympathy so that despite my best efforts, I can never be too angry with him.”

“I’ll have to ask him how he does it.” She snorted. “Keeping your anger in check is my meaning.”

He rolled his eyes. “For starters, he knows better than to bait me.” He raised an eyebrow at her in warning, and she pretended to look offended. “And when he and I fight, there is a good chance it will end in fists. Considering I’m bigger than him, Edmund knows better than to push me.”

She laughed. “Again, I think I could learn from him. I would do well to know when to count my losses and get out before you snap.” She pumped her eyebrows as she picked up her wine glass and took a large mouthful.

She seemed at pains not to annoy him or say the wrong thing. As he was at pains not to react the few times she accidentally crossed the line.

They both seemed to understand what would likely happen if that occurred.

As they joked and laughed, Benedict studied Selina from across the table. From the way she spoke, there was no suggestion at all that what had happened earlier affected her. It was as if she had totally scrubbed it from her mind and was now content to simply be friendly with him.

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