Page 71 of A Christmas Temptation for the Duke
“I would like that.”
She made sure to smile as she walked with him to the drawing room. There, he indicated to a couch by the fireplace as he poured them both a drink.
“Is whiskey fine?” he asked.
“I think I will manage,” she said.
He nodded and finished pouring, at which point he came for her. Two glasses in hand, he gave her one and then hesitated. His eyes fell on the space beside her, which she was sure to leave open. His brow furrowed, unsure if he should sit…
“I won’t bite…this time,” she said, laughing softly. “I promise.”
“I wouldn’t put anything past you,” he said with a relieved smile, nodding once and sitting.
Still, he made sure not to be right next to her. Everything was a battle with Daniel, a step-by-step fight to coax himself from his shell. He was so guarded, so wary of getting too close and letting that guard drop. Alison still could not say for sure why it was, but she had a good feeling she was about to find out.
She had a sip of the whiskey and winced. “It’s good.”
“No, it’s not,” he laughed. “But it will do.”
“I am not a big drinker,” she admitted. “But today is a day of firsts…” She had another sip, wincing again.
Daniel said nothing at first. He watched her closely; the embers of the fire reflected in his eyes in a way that made her fidget because she could see how serious his thoughts were. A decision that he was coming to, yet to truly grasp if he was ready to make it.
She thought to tell him that he could. That he could trust her – that she wanted him to trust her. But she knew too that Daniel was not one to be told what to do. If he wanted to open to her, he would need to do so in his own time.
“I know what you did today,” he finally said.
“What do you mean?”
“With Tommy and Pickle,” he explained. “I know what you did… why you did it.” He looked at her without blinking, as if he were daring her to argue.
She did no such thing. “It was rude what those two women were saying about you. They should know better than to gossip.” She chuckled. “As they should know better than to leave treats out when dogs are about.”
“Rude, perhaps,” he agreed. “But that doesn’t mean what they said was wrong.”
“You are not a bad person, Daniel…” Alison shifted a little closer, thankful that he did not move away. “I do not care what those two women said. They do not know you.”
“And you do?”
“I think I do,” she said. “Or I am trying to. Admittedly, you do make it rather hard to do.”
He laughed softly. “For good reason.”
“You think so,” she said. “But it is not such a bad thing to… to trust others. Especially if there are things you need to speak of, if for no other reason than to say them out loud. You might be surprised what merely speaking our secrets can do to them.”
“Making them real, you mean?”
“Making us see that they are not nearly as bad as we think.”
He shook his head and looked away. “You do not know what I have done. Why I…” He grimaced. “Why I am the way that I am.”
“Then tell me,” she urged him gently. “Let me decide for myself.”
“You think I will?” he asked, snapping his head up and fixing his stare on her in a way she knew was meant to scare her off.
“I do,” she said without looking away.
His smile was soft, but it was not unsure, and she could see at that moment how much he wanted to tell her.
