Page 80 of Married to the Cruel Duke

“I think that it was wonderful, and I sincerely hope you would consider doing it again.”

Her eyes shot to him, wide with shock. “Do you really mean that?”

“Have you known me to lie toyou before?”

“I- I- no you haven’t but that would mean that you…” she trailed off.

“I care about you, Rebecca. More than that, I can feel myself falling for you. I would like to take this as a sign you feel the same way.”

“Yes,” she nodded, finally daring to meet his eyes.

What she saw there made her breath catch in her chest.

She had never been faced with such unadulterated admiration and acceptance. Her words stuck inside her mouth.

“Do you believe me now?”

She could barley manage a nod.

He smiled. “Then if you are willing, I would like to kiss you once more.”

“I- I think I would like that too.”

He smiled, then his hand was on her cheek.

Rebecca’s eyes drifted shut, leaning into his touch.

Then she felt him shift. Her eyes fluttered open and her heart pounded in her chest.

He was so close. She could feel the warmth of his chest, the touch of his breath. All she could see when she opened her eyes were his own deep blue eyes staring back at her.

He moved very slowly, giving her plenty of time to move or pull away should she so chose, but Rebecca had no intention of doing anything of the sort.

Then, it happens.

William closes the distance between them.

His lips are soft against hers. They moved slowly, gently almost as though he still expected Rebecca to pull away at any moment.

In an effort to encourage him, her hands hesitantly came to wrap around his shoulders. She sighed, savoring the growing closeness between them.

After a few moments, William pulled back, a hesitant smile on his face. “Good?” he asked.

Her lips curved into a tentative smile. “Heavenly.”

CHAPTER 19

After the kiss, things changed between them. Not in any massive way or anything that would be immediately obvious to anyone else, but to them it was everything.

They were moving forward with their life together. They were finding happiness in each other.

Make no mistake, things were still moving rather slowly between them. In part because neither of them quite seemed to have the nerve to try for another kiss, but that wasn’t to say it hadn’t helped them to feel freer to express affection.

It wasn’t anything huge, William pressing a hand to her lower back as they walked, Rebecca leaning against his side as they sat in the parlor in the evenings.

The newfound warmth blossomed between them as the evening of the dinner party drew closer and closer.

It seemed like not time at all before the day of the dinner party arrived. When she dressed that night, Rebecca could hardly hold still.

---