Page 27 of Charming the Accidental Suitor
Felicity’s eyes searched his. “So you’re not opposed to marriage, then. One might think you were.”
A pang of alarm shot through him as he watched Felicity’s eyes grow feverish.
Whatever had transpired between them tonight, it had not been friendship.
Not for him, at least. This was not the easy camaraderie he was looking for. This was not the placid, even-keeled partnership he wanted.
But Felicity was moving closer, her hands once more on his shirt and a smile on her lips that made him uncertain.
Shemade him uncertain.
“Some thought you’d never marry again, because you were so in love…”
Her words came in a rush so quickly he couldn’t keep up.
“But you’re not looking for love now, are you? That’s what Ann said…”
He took a deep breath and tried to focus. But the word ‘love’ coming from Felicity’s lips…
It did something to him. Whatever it was…it wasn’t good. Something inside him that had been held tightly together began to unravel. The neat stitching that had kept him upright and calm was fraying at the edges the more she spoke.
“So it had me thinking….” Her tone was light and her gaze bright. “Perhaps you should marry me then.”
His lungs faltered and his gut turned. The whole world went topsy turvey. His heart went wild at the thought of it, but the rest of him…
It froze.
Hardened.
The ease and warmth he’d been reveling in disappeared so quickly, it nearly gutted him.
He barely recognized his own voice as he gritted out. “I beg your pardon?”
9
Mistake!A voice in the back of Felicity’s head was shouting the word over and over as she watched Albright transform right in front of her eyes.
Mistake, mistake, mistake!
What had she been thinking?
She hadn’t. She hadn’t used her brain at all. She’d gotten swept away by the moment. A bolt of blasted hope had hit her square between the eyes, sure as lightning.
But now, seeing this dark hardness in his eyes—so unfamiliar, so cold—she made her smile even brighter and forced a laugh. “Well, you mustn’t look as though I’ve just asked you to commit a crime.”
Her heart was aching, but she laughed again. She was terribly good at laughing in the face of pain, and right now that skill was a godsend. “Really, Albright. So serious.”
His eyes narrowed slightly, and Felicity felt as though she were talking to a stranger. “Marriage is a serious matter.”
It started to make sense then, and that hope she’d felt disappeared, snuffed out like a candle in the wind. It wasn’t disappointment that made her stomach fall to her feet. It was something that made no sense.
It was something so much worse.
It was no longer about what she wanted, but about Albright. About what he wanted. Who he wanted…and why. She swallowed hard, and some distant part of her marveled at the way her smile stayed true.
His jaw worked and she would have taken his heated anger any day over the coldness in his eyes as he said, “Marriage is nothing to make light of, Miss McGovern.”
She felt so very small. “No, of course you’re right. Forgive me.”
