Page 45 of The Duke's Second Bride
He shook his head.
Don’t be foolish, he told himself, and then went to bed to dream of honey-blonde curls and fierce hazel eyes.
CHAPTER 16
“Iwant to go into the village,” Ava declared a few days later, standing in the doorway of Christian’s office.
He looked up from his work with a start. It was so early in the morning that he had not expected anyone to be awake yet aside from him. He often liked waking up in the early hours of the morning to look over his books, or else staying up late at night.
There was a peacefulness he found in not having to worry about anyone else being around. He didn’t need to wear a mask, or force himself to be social, or otherwise find a new and exciting way of letting people down, the way he so often seemed to do at the rare moments he attempted social interaction.
Certainly, he disappointed Ava plenty, which was an impressive feat as any, considering she didn’t seem to have a very high opinion of him—or high expectations for him—to begin with.
And yet the tension that entered the room when he was around her seemed different from the nerves that arose whenever he was socializing with others. With other people, at parties and business dealings and the like, there was a sense that a single misstep would drive them away, the way he felt he had driven away his parents.
With Ava, the feeling he got was more that he was only ever a few moments away from succumbing to the temptation to kiss her. Whether that stemmed from a desire for her or a desire to get her to stop being so damn stubborn was anyone’s guess.
“What is that?” he asked groggily, running a hand over his eyes as though to wipe away the last remaining layers of sleep. “Why?”
“I am the duchess,” she reminded him, crossing her arms as though she was preparing to fight about this.
And I haven’t even said no! He thought with exasperation.
“And we have been at the country estate for quite a while now,” she added.
He raised an eyebrow. “I apologize,” he said coolly. “Are the grounds not to your liking, wife?”
She rolled her eyes. “The grounds are beautiful,” she said, clearly choosing her words carefully, “but I am growing a bit … stifled. I don’t wish for much. Simply an afternoon away. And, as wepreviously discussed, it is within the duties of the lady of the estate to be aware and active in the issues and business of the estate’s tenants. They are our tenants now, after all.”
Her delicious figure was encased in a pale pink dress of sturdy cotton. It was a very practical and humble outfit, the kind he had seen her gardening in with Luke. The color served to bring out the flush in her cheeks, which only led to Christian thinking of how much more strongly he could make her flush … and how far down her body that flush would extend.
Stop it, you fool.
He waved a hand. “You needn’t worry about any of that,” he said.
Truly, he was already thinking of the disastrous fate that awaited him if he were to be alone with her in a carriage for any more than a few minutes. Particularly while she looked like that.
Particularly while he was inexplicably being burned alive by his lust for her.
“Do you mean me to spend my entire tenure as duchess—my entire life—entirely ignorant of the goings-on on the property?” she inquired, her delicate brow furrowed.
“Of course not,” he said.
He meant it. Christian had given some thought to the matter. He could not, in fact, spend their entire lives trying to avoid Ava tothe degree he was right now. But surely at some point this fire he felt for her would pass, at which point they would more easily settle into a comfortable routine as arranged husband and wife.
Whether that flame would take weeks or months to burn out was anyone’s guess—though, at the rate things were going, Christian often felt as hopeless as if it were a life sentence.
Instead of saying this, he offered as an explanation: “It has only been a few weeks.” When she frowned, he continued, “You should be enjoying your rest and relaxation, and your honeymoon.”
She raised a brow at that. “I would hardly call this a honeymoon,” she said archly, “considering you seem to be attempting to avoid me at all costs.”
He sighed out through his nose. For once, why couldn’t she just avoid an argument? Did she not know how infinitely more tempting she became as soon as her stubbornness flared up? At this rate, he would end up kissing her within the next few minutes, going against all the promises he had made.
“I simply wished to give you space in your early days as duchess,” he said carefully. “I imagine it is a severe change to adjust to. There are many responsibilities that come with the title.”
“Yes,” she agreed adamantly, “and the sooner I learn the ins and outs of those responsibilities, the sooner I will be able to adjust to them properly. I know you had planned to go into the villagestoday. I must insist that you bring me along. More so,” she continued, “I think we should bring Luke.”
This caught Christian by surprise. “What? Why is that?”
