Page 66 of Wedded to the Deviant Duke

He was entirely in control–of her breath, her body’s reaction–all she could do was cry out, writhe beneath his touch, his pressure, his entire being. A building pressure radiated from his fingers, skittering across her skin, piercing her every nerve in a way their previous encounters hadn’t. It built—God, it was entirely too much to handle—and as her final, desperate cry rang throughout the stable, she fell apart entirely. Breathless, spinning, tingling… and in his curving arms.

CHAPTER29

The storm hadn’t let up since their time spent in the stable, and as such, the gallery was ended prematurely to ensure any water-sensitive artwork was brought back inside. Not that Thalia minded; she was quite exhausted after her extensive “exploration” of Gabriel’s physique. Her head was still reeling from it all.

“You two nearly gave me a heart attack!” Charlotte’s scolding persisted well after the trio had reached the carriage, her back rigid and finger pointed accusatory toward her brother. “Gabriel Harding, I was convinced you left Thalia in the wilds! She did a wonderful thing, and you went and made her out to be the villain!”

Thalia grimaced; she really should interrupt Charlotte, explain that the situation as a whole wasn’t deserving of her anger. But Gabriel remained quiet and accepting of his sister’s beratement, seemingly determined to let her expel whatever foul mood she’d been holding onto since last night.

And, quite honestly, she was less worried about his dignity and more intrigued that he was still holding her hand. There was no one to pretend in front of, no one who needed to see him play the part of the smitten suitor. But, Gabriel kept the connection going, even setting her hand against his leg and squeezing it every so often.

“–and furthermore, Gabriel, you shouldn’t have made Thalia your—your little distraction for me! I find it honestly quite offensive that you think I can’t tell the difference between your acting and genuine infatuation!” Charlotte let out a loud harrumph, slouching in her seat as she crossed her arms tightly.

“I’m sorry for the ruse, Charlotte,” Gabriel said simply.

“Oh, don’t start with your excuses! I’ve had it up to here with how you’ve been treating–” Charlotte stopped mid-sentence, blinking furiously as the apology fully processed in her head. She silently stared at her brother, then flipped to Thalia, before finally noticing their entwined hands. “Wait… wait! What on earth did I miss?! Thalia, is he—Gabriel are you actually?—?!”

“You are so very, very loud,” Gabriel winced. “I will be deaf well before reaching old age.” He only cringed harder as a high-pitched squeal erupted from his sister next.

“No—no! That’s completely unfair—I was mad at you! I—you can’t just go and actually be a couple!” Charlotte’s outcry pulled a giggling smile from Thalia; she couldn’t help but react to the young woman’s overreaction. “I’m still mad at you—I want to be mad at you, Gabriel!”

“I’m so sorry, Charlotte,” Thalia chuckled, trying to shape her grin to something more sympathetic. “I hadn’t meant to ruin everything.”

“What?! No! This is fantastic!” Charlotte squealed, upright and clapping her hands excitedly. “I mean, I’m still cross with you, Gabriel, but how could I be mad at you, Thalia? You finally broke through my brother’s icy, rigid, stone-carved–”

“–Yes, I’m an emotionless void, Charlotte,” Gabriel scowled darkly. “Very well put.”

“Oh, you know what I mean, sourpuss,” Charlotte waved a hand frantically, practically bouncing in her seat. “So, what happens now? Do you announce your official courtship? When are you getting married? Oh! If you have a little girl, are you going to name her after me?”

“Slow down, Charlotte!” Thalia laughed. “There are quite a few details to work out between us. I still need a place of proper residency–”

“You certainly do not; you’ll come and live with us at Stonewell!” Charlotte insisted. “It would be entirely inappropriate now if you didn’t!”

Gabriel shook his head curtly, cutting his sister off before she grew too excitable once more. “The opposite of that, dear sister. An unwed woman could not possibly live alone with her suitor; it’s completely out of the question.”

“I’m there, though,” Charlotte pointed out.

“All day, every day, at every waking moment?”

Charlotte’s energy dampened, sliding back into her seat with a furrowed brow. Thalia couldn’t help but feel sorry for her, and though she thoroughly agreed that living at Stonewell was preferable, it would do no one’s reputation any good.

Regardless of her rather outrageous claims in the stable, Thalia knew she needed to try and repair her social image as best she could. Especially now, when she was no longer individually impacted by it.

“Well… she’s not going back to Whitechapel, is she?” Charlotte asked.

Thalia winced as Gabriel’s hand squeezed hers a touch too tight. He reacted immediately, expression softening as he lifted her hand to kiss the knuckles gently.

“I would never allow that to happen.” He set her hand gently back against his leg, a warm flush rolling up her arm and across her face. He’d done it so easily, with a moment’s hesitation. He truly had meant what he said about properly courting her.

“Bold proclamation, dear brother,” Charlotte mused. “But words are not sufficient material for housing.”

Gabriel chuckled, clearly amused. “You act as if I haven’t been carefully planning the retrieval of estate deeds this entire week.”

Thalia blinked, somewhat taken aback. “W-Wait—you’re still going to get them from Giles?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

Again, Thalia blinked. “B-but… our deal has changed. I’m not actually—I mean, you’re actually courting me, Gabriel. You’re truly getting nothing from this, now; I couldn’t possibly–!”

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