Page 57 of The Duke of Kisses
He stepped toward her again. “I came a long way to talk to you.”
She didn’t turn. “You said in your last letter that if I didn’t respond, you’d leave me alone.”
“Turns out that’s far easier said than done. But if you want that, I’ll go.”
She looked toward him, her aqua eyes unfathomable. “I don’t know what I want. I know I wanted you, but I think that moment has passed.”
“Was it really just a moment?” he asked. “I am not going to marry Miss Stoke. How could I consider anyone when the only woman who occupies my mind is you?”
“Please don’t say anything more.” Her voice was tight, and he caught a glimpse of anguish in her eyes before she turned her head. “There are…reasons we can’t be together.”
He’d been about to go to her, had hoped to touch her. But her words stopped him cold. Yes, there were reasons—according to his mother. Was Fanny aware of them too?
“Your mother—”
“You mustn’t listen to her,” David said. He erased the distance between them and clasped her waist, turning her to face him. “None of what matters to her matters to me. I don’t care that your family and my family despise each other. I refuse to allow something that occurred before we were even born dictate our happiness.”
She stared up at him then blinked. “It wasyourfamily that employed my great-uncle and accused him of kidnapping and murder.”
He couldn’t tell if she was asking him a question or not. It hadn’t sounded like a question, but her expression seemed to indicate surprise. “You didn’t know? What other reasons could there be to keep us apart?”
She shook her head and glanced toward the pintails. “Your promise to your father, for one. Can you really turn your back on that pledge?” When her gaze met his once more, her uncertainty was plain.
He put his other hand on her waist and longed to pull her against him, to reassure her that he was choosing her. “I miss my father every day. And I loved him so very much. It pains me to break that promise, but I made it in a time of grief and anguish. He would have wanted me to be happy. And you, Fanny, you will make me happy. As much as I loved him, I vow to love you even more.”
“You love me?”
He wanted to erase the doubt lingering in her eyes. “More than I can say.”
She dropped her sketchbook, and her arms came up to encircle his neck just before she pressed her mouth to his. He’d waited so long for this kiss. Months. Weeks. A lifetime.
He tilted his head and pulled her to his chest, desperate to feel her heat and desire. Her lips slid along his, tantalizing his senses. Then he felt her tongue, and he opened to meet her, surrendering himself to delicious abandon.
Their secluded location meant he didn’t have to worry about someone stumbling upon them. Unless… He pulled back. “How far away is your house?”
She tugged at his neck, urging him to continue the kiss. “Far enough.”
That was all he needed to hear. He splayed his hands along her lower back, caressing her curves and relishing the feel of her body pressed to his. Need pulsed through him. It would be very easy to take things much too far. He nibbled her lower lip and pulled his mouth from hers.
Her eyes were dark with desire, her lips reddened and parted as she drew in rapid breaths. “How can you love me?”
His mouth curved into a smile. “If I knew that, I’d be a far wiser man than I am.”
“And why did you stop kissing me?” She looked supremely put out.
“Because I don’t want to overstep. Not until we’re married. Will your parents accept me, or will they be as opposed to our marriage as my mother and uncle?”
She jerked back from him. “Marriage? I’m fairly certain they won’t allow it.”
He frowned. “I came to ask your father for your hand—provided you wanted it. Of course, I must ask you properly.”
“No, don’t.” She shook her head, edging away from him until he dropped his hands from her waist. “I can’t marry you.”
* * *
His eyes widened and then his jaw clenched. “This business between our families doesn’t matter. It has nothing to do with us.”
“No, but it would be difficult.” And it wasn’t the only thing. How could she tell him that his mother had threatened her?
