Page 105 of Seduced

“Will you, by God.”

Then his lips were on hers again.

“Why are you here again?” Poppy asked at length, when they both came up for air, gasping as if they had been underwater.

“To kidnap you,” he said as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “As I said, I thought you might like it.

She smiled. “You were right, I did.”

“And also, to ask you to marry me once more.” She began to move away, instinctively. “No no, wait, let me do it properly. It was all wrong the way I went about it before. I’ll beg, you shall enjoy it.”

She couldn’t help herself; she laughed. But this had to stop. Now.

“There is nothing you could say that would persuade me,” she told him in her most serious voice. “I’m sorry.”

“You said you loved me,” Alexei insisted, a mulish look about his mouth. “And you know that I…I like rescuing you,” he finished lamely.

Poppy smiled sadly to herself; he could not say he loved her. Perhaps he did not fully do so. It did not matter.

She knew how he felt; and more importantly, she knew howshefelt. She loved him so much her heart was breaking. She could love him enough for both of them. But she also felt such an abhorrence at the thought of having her own house, her own children, and one day turning into her brother…She couldn’t even finish the thought. She froze just at the idea of marriage. She wouldn’t know how to start being normal and proper.

No.

Even though she was certain of her feelings, she could never do anything about them.

It wasn’t too bad, really.

She had never thought she would be able to love. Her heart had been numb and aching for so long that she had thought it dead. But here it was, alive and blooming. Blooming for him. It would have to be enough.

“Well, I don’t,” she said. Alexei flinched as if she had slapped him and she reached for his hand. Eager, warm fingers met hers, enfolding her hand completely. “Of course I do, Alexei,” she amended. “It is theneedfor rescue I immensely dislike.”

“Is that why you refused my proposal?”

“I do not like the idea of marrying you in order to be saved. But, no. That is not why.”

“I’m dying,” he said, and everything stopped.

She opened her lips, but she couldn’t speak.

“I beg your pardon; I did not mean to distress you,” Alexei said. “But the fact is that I’m dying without you. Ask anyone.”

“It’s true, he is,” Wilder popped his head in, and Poppy realized that he was the one who had carried her here from the graveyard. How fitting.

He looked drawn and anxious. For the first time, Poppy began to suspect that this was not Alexei being his usual overdramatic self, but something bad had happened.

“What did—?” she started asking Wilder, but was interrupted.

“Some privacy, please!” Alexei yelled at Wilder, kicking the carriage door shut in his face. “I am dying without you,” Alexei repeated.

“Please do not do that,” Poppy replied. “Don’t look at me this way, don’t say that. I…I’m afraid it’s still no.” The profound sadness she saw in his face broke her.

“Do not—” Alexei fought to control his voice. “Tell me you shall not go back to him. I cannot bear it.”

“It is my only home.”

“Iam your only home!” He brought his fist on the wall with so much force the tapestry shred.

“I want you to be,” Poppy said softly and his eyes snapped to hers.

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