Page 32 of My Dangerous Duke

“Not yet,” she pouted, burrowing her face into a white button-up shirt.

“Are you always like this?” He asked, his voice full of amusement as he got out of bed, stood, and placed Eleanor back down on the bed- alone.

“Only when I am sick,” she teased, feeling a little more herself again.

Xander smirked at her as he shook his head, then began to walk toward the servant’s bell.

“You are feeling better. Mrs. Gaines will be up shortly with your soup,” he told her, walking further away from her. “I will let her know you are to finish every drop.”

“Wait,” Eleanor said anxiously, feeling her heart clench painfully as he went to leave.

To her relief, Xander stopped immediately and turned to look at her with those devilishly charismatic silver eyes. His eyebrows were tensed slightly as if he was trying to hide any emotion.

“Please stay,” she pleaded, finally giving in to what she wanted to say since her wedding night.

His eyes widened slightly as his chiseled lips parted just enough to reveal a glimmer of his white teeth, but he said nothing.

“You do not- I mean, you could stay. I-”

Tell him,her heart urged her.Tell him you feel better than you have ever felt in his arms and you want to sleep in them.

“I will stay,” Xander agreed quietly, saving Eleanor from the dreadful confession.

She breathed a sigh of relief as he let go of the doorknob, and began to walk back toward her.

“You will?”

He nodded, taking a seat in the chair by her bed. It was a far cry from what she wanted, but it was better than him leaving.

“On one condition,” he told her, holding her gaze as he laced his fingers together and rested his elbows on his knees.

“Oh?” She asked, feeling both timid and excited.

“If you are going to be under my care,” Xander informed, her silver eyes beginning to glow again. “Youmustdo as I say. No arguing.”

“I do not argue, we have a truce,” she whispered, unable to help it. Her lips spread into a full grin as he cocked an eyebrow at her as his lips twitched. “I promise,” she agreed quickly as Mrs. Gaines knocked on the door. “If you say, I obey.”

The humor in Xander’s gaze was suddenly taken over by something else. Something that made her entire body feel sensitive and her lower belly spasm as it did the night in his study.

“Careful, Honey,” he warned, his voice deeper, more primal than before. “That kind of talk can be dangerous.”

As Mrs. Gaines flew into the room like an excited bird, Eleanor and Xander continued to stare at one another. She was not sure if he was warning her- or himself.

Chapter 15

Three Weeks Later

“Why are we doing this?” Xander fumed, staring daggers down at Eleanor. “After what happened last time, I was hoping we would have a valid reason to kick your parents out of our home.”

Eleanor had recovered from her bout of sickness, and since then, her relationship with Xander had changed drastically. He still was gone a lot, looking for a way to get them both out of this mess, and he still did not sleep in her bed; but he no longer tried to avoid her.

“We have many reasons,” Eleanor replied, continuing to toy with his cravat.

He was sure she was done now and just fussing, but he let her. Though he would never admit it, he had been starting to give into his cravings a little. A touch of her hand here, or a tug of the arm there. Nowhere near enough; it only scraped the smallest surface of his deep itch.

“Name them,” he demanded, trying to stay focused.

She threw him a look that clearly saidwatch yourself,then gently pushed his chest and walked away from him.

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