Page 97 of The Duke's Virgin

He kissed me then, and my knees quivered. Stupid knees. Even locking them wasn’t helping, and I didn’t know if I could keep from wilting against him.

In desperation, I summoned up a memory of that last night. He’d said so many hurtful things, there was a plethora of painful options. But there had been one comment he’d made over and over that had eaten me like acid.

Stacia, darling, you’re good in bed, but nobody is that good, and you’re far from the first to try and pull this sort of scheme.

A scheme.

The first lover I’d ever had, and he thought everything that happened between us had been a scheme.

The heat flickering to life in my belly died an abrupt, cold death.

The flush suffusing my body disappeared as if it hadn’t existed. In the wake of the frenzied, heated lust, I felt chilled.

Luka sensed the change and lifted his head. When I pulled away, he didn’t resist. I half-stumbled until we had a few feet between us, then I wrapped my arms around myself, shaking.

“I don’t see what the problem is, Luka. After all, I might be good in bed, but nobody isthatgood.”

He flinched, his mouth spasming.

Why did that makemefeel guilty?

“I’m sorry,” he said roughly. “I’m sorrier than you’ll ever know. For every word I said that hurt you, for treating you like that. Stacia…I’m sorry.”

“Fine.” Huddling in on myself, I looked away. “You’re sorry. I forgive you. Is that what you need to hear? I’ll say it again. I forgive you. You can leave now.”

One of the wooden boards creaked under his weight as he took a step toward me.

“So, it’s over then?” he asked raggedly. “Have I truly destroyed everything?”

“There was nothing todestroy,” I lied. The words wavered and wobbled, but I met his eyes squarely as I said it. “We had a fling, Luka. It’s over.”

Jaw going tight, he crossed to me and caught my arms, moving too quickly for me to avoid him. “It was more than that. I know it. You know it. You felt it, too. I can see it in your eyes, just like I saw it every time we touched, every time you made me laugh and every time I made you laugh.”

“We had fun together!” I fought the urge to wrench away. I wanted to run and hide and pretend he’d never come here. I wanted the day to start over again so I could make another decision—go with Emmett and have him as a buffer when Luka showed up.

But I didn’t have any of that. I didn’t even have time to pretend to compose myself, and I was desperate not to let him see how much he’d hurt me.

“We had sex, we had some laughs, and I gave you a ride to Montreal.That is it,” I told him. “There’s nothing else between us.”

He let go of my upper left arm, and I thought,Finally. But then, before I could so much as move, he cupped the slight swell of my belly.

“There’s this.”

Tears sprang up. “Don’t.” The words were like glass coming from my throat.

“She’s mine, isn’t she?”

“Don’t,” I said again, shaking my head. “You don’t get todothat. Not after what you said, what you did.”

He brushed the material of my shirt away, then nudged the waistband of my skirt down just enough so he could place the flat of his hand completely against my skin. The contact was shocking. After so much time away from him, after finally convincing myself that I wouldn’t see him again or touch him again and that was justfinewith me, having his hand on my bare skin was almost too much.

I wanted to punch him.

I wanted to yell at him.

I wanted to scratch and bite and hurt…

I wanted to melt.

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