Page 16 of A Duke, a Virgin and a Baby
“Your Grace?” she called, pulling his attention back to the present.
“Hmm?” he blinked and cleared his throat, raising his gaze back to her face.
“The nursemaid?”
“Ah – yes. Fine. I will look into it first thing tomorrow. In the meantime, do what you can to keep him comfortable. What happened tonight should not repeat itself,” he warned, trailing off slightly as his eyes couldn’t help but wander down her body again.
The pale skin of her arms and legs seemed to glow beneath the low lights in the hallway, and he absentmindedly wondered if she felt as warm as she looked.
Anna, confused by his silence followed his gaze down, her cheeks filling up with heat when she realized what was happening.
Julian, feeling caught like a child with his hand in a cookie jar, cleared his throat and ripped his eyes away from her form.
“Henceforth, wear less indecent nightgowns. It is not a good look for someone of your title to… expose so much of yourself.”
Anna exhaled deeply, clearly exasperated.
“Whose disappointment might I be risking? This is my home and I shall dress however I please.”
This woman and her need to challenge me at every turn, Julian groaned to himself, stepping towards her and leaning forward to whisper in her ear, his tone low and menacing.
“If you wear this gown again, I will not hesitate to rip it off of your body.”
Anna inhaled sharply, her chest heaving as her breathing sped and Julian smirked, feeling victorious over how easily he could affect her. With her so close, he could see how her cheeks filled with color, the staining red dropping as far as down her neck.
Suddenly, he was tempted to see how far the flush would go, wondered what she would look like, writhing beneath him, eyes wide and lips slack with pleasure.
Without realizing it, he had reached out for her neck, his eyes locked on hers. But, he caught himself before he could touch her, clenching his hand into a fist before pulling away.
“Good night, duchess,” he muttered, turning away and returning to his room.
Anna’s heartbeat continued to echo in her ears, long after she had gone back to her own bedroom.
She was already feeling drained from having to cater to Nicholas so late at night, but arguing with her husband took even more of her strength.
He was just so… frustrating. He spoke thoughtlessly and demanded so much from her without understanding that he was in no place to do so.
How dare he speak to her as though she was beneath him? How could he sound so ungrateful after what she was putting up with, thanks to him and his infidelity?
And… why was he looking at her like that?
As though he was moments away from swallowing her whole?
Her skin still burned as though his gaze had was still fixed on her and something about the look in his eyes had filled her with both terror and strangely… anticipation.
When he had reached for her neck… she had considered letting him, wondering what his touch would feel like against her skin.
“I must have taken leave of my senses, truly,” Anna muttered to herself as she pulled her covers over her head. “I am likely just too exhausted from taking care of Nicholas for hours. Some sleep ought to fix whatever is wrong with me.”
With determination, she squeezed her eyes shut and willed herself to rest.
However, no matter how hard she tried, she could not seem to forget the disappointment she had felt when her husband had pulled away and left her standing alone in the hallway.
“We will need a nursemaid for the child. One with experience who can be trusted to watch over the child and behave rightly within the estate and outside. We need to be discreet about our search – we do not need anyone hearing about… the current circumstances and making up stories as they wish. Try to find a suitable candidate as soon as possible,” Julian said to the butler.
Ernest nodded sagely. “Very well, Your Grace. I shall begin the search immediately. Breakfast has been served in the dining hall if you are ready to take your meal.”
“All right,” Julian nodded, rising from behind his desk.
