Page 44 of My Darling Rogue
Gabriel’s hand cupped Celia’s jaw with firm tenderness. “We are attracted to one another. I care for you. The title ensures it is a good match. And there is no denying we were caught in a comprising situation.”
“One of your making, Gabriel.”
A tiny smile lifted the corners of his lips. “Yes. You are right, and I’ll be damned if I am sorry for that moment we shared in the garden. I know there is more to your objections. Some other reason for fighting this that I’ve yet to uncover. You remember me saying once that I would discover all your secrets? This one is the most important. So, tell me, Celia. Tell me the truth. Why would marriage to me be distasteful?”
Celia’s lips clamped shut. Reveal her secret? She could not. But she also did not know what to do. Perhaps she could blame her reluctance on something many young ladies in her position likely experienced. She wanted freedom. A right to choose her own husband. The right to follow her own path.
Gabriel’s eyes sharpened, his hand gripping her wrist just a little tighter. “I will know if you lie to me, Celia. And I punish liars.” His head dipped toward hers, his nose gently brushing her temple in a frightening juxtaposition to the harsh words. “I enjoy administering punishments, if you want the truth of the matter.”
Celia’s breath escaped in a shaky puff of air. “You won’t hurt me. I know you won’t.”
Amusement briefly lit the whiskey-colored depths of his gaze. “No, but I will make sure you are extremely uncomfortable. Now, no more stalling. Tell me, Celia.”
Celia trembled. Her pulse pounded so fiercely, forcing its way through her veins, that she felt faint. And before she knew what was happening, the words bubbled up, escaping her throat in a helpless admittance of guilt.
“I am not pure. I am not the one you deserve as a bride.” She choked on a sob. “Don’t you understand? I am not a virgin, Gabriel. I cannot possibly become your marchioness.”
He froze in place, his features turning to stone but not before she saw the hurt he could not conceal. His fingers closed with almost painful intensity on her wrist before he caught himself. For a heart-stopping moment, Celia thought he might cast her aside in disgust. Instead, his grip loosened.
“Do you think that matters, Celia? To me, of all people? I was nothing more than a bastard until earlier this evening. If you are worried you might sully the title I now carry, do not fret. My father’s actions were a defilement on their own.” His laughter was a bitter sound, his eyes pinning her with the promise of sinful fantasies and punishments. “Besides, do you honestly believe I don’t already know everything about you? Especially something of such magnitude? I’m well aware of the fact you are not a virgin. You might be surprised to know that the how and why of it matter very little to me.”
The dark intensity of his demeanor should frighten her, but Celia only felt a macabre fascination. An unlikely calmness settled over her now that she’d voiced her dark secret aloud. This revelation could ruin her. Any other gentleman would reject her upon learning she did not come untouched to the marriage bed. But Gabriel apparently did not care. He wanted her beyond all reason.
Maybe, if she was brave enough to let him in, he might possess the power to destroy all her carefully constructed walls.
How Celia longed for the opportunity to be wiped clean. To have the nightmares and fears purged at the hands of this man. Could he build her broken body back up until she was stronger than ever before?
“So, you are not pure, Celia Buchanan. Well, neither am I. We’re the perfect pair, don’t you think, to become the new Marquess and Marchioness of Rosenthorne?”
Gabriel’s palm cupped her chin, his fingers digging slightly into her cheeks. The pressure reminded Celia of her promise to be his. She’d agreed to this when they were alone in the garden. And she abruptly realized there was no backing out at this juncture.
How could she even consider it after revealing her terrible secret? No one else would want her now. Thinking of the dishonor and scandal this could potentially cause her family caused a small moan of distress to rise in her throat.
Gabriel heard it. His hand drifted up and buried itself in her hair. His fingers were soothing and yet inexorably firm against her scalp.
“Whatever happened in the past shall remain there, Celia. Our future is all that matters. Theonlything that matters.” A smile of something resembling pain twisted his lips. “Trust me to do what is best for you. Trust me to do whatever is necessary to keep you safe. But understand this, sugarplum. You are mine now. Mine. And I am not a man who shares his possessions. Should you ever seek the attention of another man, even if that man is my own brother, I will not hesitate to erase him from this world and have you witness his demise.”
His words made her shiver. Gabriel Rose was a dangerous man who had likely killed before. God above, he’d just warned her he would not hesitate to take a life if he believed it was warranted. Giving herself over freely to a man who considered her one of his most prized acquisitions was probably the most rash decision she’d ever made. And the only one that felt completely right.
Gabriel took a deep breath and seemed to gather himself. The uncertainty and pain she witnessed earlier disappeared. Left in its place was the confident, arrogant man she knew so well.
He smiled in that charming manner of his. The one Celia could not resist. The one that somehow twisted her into a wanton creature prone to surrender.
She was his. And Gabriel wanted her just as she was.
With all her flaws and mistakes.
He placed a finger beneath her chin. The heat in his gaze incinerated the fog surrounding her. Everything became crystal clear when he asked her a question for which he already knew the answer.
“Do we understand one another, Celia?”
Celia mutely nodded, staring at him. Of course, she understood even if she wasn’t quite sure just what he expected from her as a wife.
Anticipation curled in her stomach as she waited to see what he would do next. It sent her heart racing. Made her mouth dry. Chased goosebumps across her skin.
“Excellent. Now, get on your knees for me.” Gabriel’s voice was smooth as poisoned syrup and just as deadly. “I wish to see how well my future wife follows commands. And just how much she trusts me.”
Celia swallowed hard. “Now?”
