“I am going to bed.” He straightened up and forced a dispassionate expression, determined to give nothing away.
“I assumed so,” she said with a knowing smile.
“And you?”
“I will do the same. It has been a big night.”
“A long night,” he sighed. “Yet an enjoyable one.”
“You said that already,” she tittered.
He laughed too. “Just making sure you heard.”
They stood staring at each other again. The silence returned. It brought tension with it this time. But it wasn’t awkward. Rather, it was suggestive. She had her hands folded before her, eyes flicking all over him. A slight smile, a look in those eyes which he thought he could read but was likely reading incorrectly.
The attraction Hudson felt for her had never been so strong as it was right then. It was so powerful and overwhelming that was he another sort of man he might have taken her by the hand and pulled her toward him. He wanted it. He knew right then that he did...
She is mine, by rights. She would not deny me. But does that make it better or worse? If I was to have her, I would want her to want me. Not to do so because she thought she must...
No!He gave his head a shake and forced those thoughts away. He was confused. The events of tonight had clouded his judgment. To sleep with his wife would only create chaos, drumming up feelings that he had no desire to explore, because such a thing as that was a weakness.
“Goodnight,” he said stiffly, taking a step back.
“Are you going or not?” she chuckled.
He felt his face flush and again the urge to take her swept him. “I...I was...” His throat grew tight. Hot flushes rippled down his body. His hand began to move forward, the urge to snatch her and... “I will see you tomorrow.” Quickly, he turned and powered across the foyer.
As he climbed the stairs, Hudson could feel her eyes on him the whole way. Likely, she was simply wondering why he had behaved so strangely...or more strangely than was normal. But at the same time, deep down, he wondered if she was disappointed that he had left her. Perhaps she had been expecting more and was now confused. Even upset.
Upset? Surely not. Likely, she is relieved that I was able to exercise some darn self-control.
It was confusing, and Hudson hated confusion. As he stepped into his bedroom and closed the door behind him, the only thing he knew for sure was that he needed to be more careful in the future. Showing any emotions at all was a weakness that he could not abide.
This is a marriage of convenience only! And that is how it must stay!How he planned to keep it that way...if only he knew.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“You impress me,” Florentia said as she steered her horse in beside Hudson’s. They moved at a steady trot across the paddock which surrounded the estate. After an afternoon spent riding together, slowly they were making their way home.
“And why is that?”
She laughed. “I worried that I might be a better rider than you, is why! You have no idea the fear I felt that I might have to teach you how.”
He looked at her flatly. “I have been riding since I was a boy.”
“A good thing too...” She winked playfully at him. “I know how sensitive you can be.”
If this was two weeks ago, Florentia would not have dared make such a joke as that. Not only would Hudson not have known that she was teasing him, but he would have taken offense regardless.The male ego was a fragile thing, and rarely did a man exist who enjoyed being called on a weakness that they perceived as strength. It was a mistake Florentia had made in the past with other men, always to her own detriment.
But this was not two weeks ago. This was today, yet another glorious one which further cemented the growing bonds that she and Hudson were adding strength to every single time they were together.
She knew him well now. She understood him. His quirks. His oddities. How to lure him out of his shell without going too far. And he knew the same of her, almost always just assuming that she was playing with him, and rarely getting upset by the notion. If anything, she sensed that he enjoyed it.
“Those are big words for someone riding side-saddle,” Hudson said simply, sitting up straighter and puffing out his chest.
“What does that mean?”
He shrugged. “If you were to ride properly, I might care for your opinion. As far as I am concerned...” He flicked his eyes over her once and scoffed. “That is not even riding. A child on a pony is a better judge of riding ability than you are.”
