Page 51 of The Duke's Unclaimed Bride
“Your Grace…” she whispered, her voice trembling.
“Look at me,” he said quietly.
She did.
For a heartbeat, the world around them fell silent. His hand slid to her waist, drawing her closer.
“That sharp tongue of yours… I could spend all day taming it,” he said, his voice rough. “And I know exactly how.”
Her lips parted, and his blood pumped harder in his veins, every muscle pulling him closer to her?—
“Have you two found it yet?” Lady Eliza called, walking up behind them. “Oh! Pardon me, Your Graces.”
Laurence released Edith quickly, swallowing.
“I didn’t mean to—” Lady Eliza began.
“It was nothing, Lady Eliza,” Edith dismissed, straightening.
Lady Eliza glanced between them, then cleared her throat. “Well then, about the game…”
“We have located the ball, Lady Eliza, but it seems we cannot agree,” Laurence gritted out.
Lady Eliza looked at the ball and tilted her head, oblivious to the nature of the discussion she had interrupted.
“It looks clear to me; the shot should be retaken,” she declared, before walking away.
Out of the corner of his eye, Laurence could see Edith’s lips curling into a smug half-smile. Her cheeks were still flushed, and her breath hitched as he looked at her.
Oh, he knew how to wipe the triumph off her pretty face.
Control yourself, Alderbourne.
This was not the place to imagine the ways he could tame his wife.
“Not a word,” he sighed, picking up the ball.
Edith nodded, and the pair went to rejoin the other players.
His wife had won… this time.
A couple of hours later, they drove back to the townhouse.
Laurence was looking out the window, trying to distract himself. Edith was resting, her head leaning against the cushion.
She always looks much more tranquil when she’s like this. Has she fallen asleep?
He leaned over, reached out his hand, and let it hover over her own, suddenly overcome by an unshakable desire to close the gap between them. He looked down at her lips. They were soft and still slightly damp from her last glass of champagne.
Without warning, a bump in the carriage jolted her awake, and her head struck the back of the seat.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yes, yes… I’m all right,” she said, sitting up.
Laurence sank back into his seat with his fists clenched. He’d nearly kissed her again.
Not that the thought repelled him; far from it. His mind drifted to her often enough that closing the gap between them felt inevitable.
