Page 63 of The Dark Duke's Virgin

“This is your room,” he said carefully. “Unless you plan on walking the house naked?”

“Oh!” She straightened up and grimaced. “Yes, I forgot…”

An awkward pause until finally His Grace shifted in the bed. “I suppose that leaves it to me, then, does it not.” An even more awkward chuckle as he slowly climbed from the bed.

“I am sorry,” she apologized.

“It is fine,” he assured her as he began to collect his clothes. “You are right to worry.”

“I do not mean to throw you out.”

“I think you enjoy it.”

“I—”

“Miss Dowding.” He turned towards her, stepped into her, took her in his arms again, and kissed her. If there were any doubts about how she felt, that kiss dispelled them in an instant. His strong naked body against her. His lips, full and wet and perfect. Breathing him in, feeling him, it was all she could do to not drag him back to bed.

Of course, that didn’t help the matter.

“I will see you at supper?” she asked.

He smiled. “I am looking forward to it.” He quickly dressed and then hurried for the door. “And Miss Dowding…” He turned back to give her one more appraising look.

“Yes?”

He smiled. “Nothing. I just wanted to look at you one last time.” A wink, and he slipped through the door and shut it behind him.

Caroline collapsed back in bed, heart racing, mind whirring—frustrated because this should have been one of the happiest moments of her life, and yet, it was fraught with danger and misery and despair. But then again, she supposed, what else was new in her life?

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

It was two days later, and Caroline was as confused now as she had been then. Perhaps even more so, as so much had changed in such a short amount of time. Still wondering what she needed to do, still knowing that she could not keep lying, for every day that passed only made things harder, and tonight promised to be a test like no other.

Her mind was fractured, but she needed to stay focused because for the first time in two whole years, since she had fled home and never looked back, she was being thrust into the public eye once more.

The Westchester Ball was the event in question, and Caroline was given no choice but to attend. Her fate, her secret identity, balanced itself on a knife’s edge, and her nerves were slowly eating away at her so that she could hardly breathe.

“You look rather nervous,” His Grace whispered in her ear as he came in beside her. Careful not to touch her, his hand stayed a mere inch from her waist.

“I am not,” she said with little conviction. Nervous, yes. Terrified, certainly. Unable to concentrate when His Grace stood this close, when she could feel his warm breath on the back of her neck… obviously.

“Good,” His Grace said, flashing her a cheeky grin. “Because someone as beautiful as you are tonight has no right to be nervous. Unless the thought of being the most stunning woman in the room is not one that is to your liking.”

She laughed awkwardly with a quick glance about them because she sensed that people were starting to notice her arrival. “Oh, I am hardly that.”

His Grace continued to smile. “Look around, see how everyone stares. What other reason could it be, except jealousy and wonder.”

“Wo - wonder?” she choked on the word, again looking about, indeed noticing the odd pair of eyes watching her. This had her heart racing, her chest turning red, that desire to turn and run mounting…

“Wondering who this angel is that has seen fit to grace them all with her presence,” he crooned, walking beside her, bent over, so he could speak to her and her alone without anybody else hearing.

“Oh… stop it.” Nerves mounting, she hoped His Grace mistook it for simple modesty.

“And I must say…” Gently, his hand rested on the small of her back, and she stiffened at his touch. That hand… the things she knew it could do were they alone. She felt herself begin to sweat for reasons that went beyond panic. “I have never seen you look sotasty.”He breathed the final word, letting it drip from his tongue and into her ear. She shook from it, wanted it.

“Is that so?”

“But you already knew that?—”

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