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“Olivia?”
She faltered when she spied Tobias walking down the hall toward the library with Lord Westfall. After saying something to the marquess she could not hear, Tobias walked toward her. Westfall went ahead to the library.
“I thought you and the marquess were to be fishing?”
He arched a brow at the noticeable tremble in her voice.
“We retired earlier than planned to complete discussion on the school and hospital we are building.” Dark green eyes searched her face. “I understand from Mrs. Potter you visited your parents? Is the Viscount well? You seem a bit rattled.”
His concern had tears prickling behind her lids. She so desperately wanted to rush into his arms and be comforted, but knew he would hate such a display of excessive passion. “Yes, Tobias,” she said, walking toward the parlor. She breathed a soft sigh of relief as he followed her, a mild frown marring his handsome features.
They entered, and at the snick of the door, she spun around. And mortified herself by bursting into tears. “Oh! My nerves must be more unsettled than I realized, forgive me.”
Instead of drawing her to him, he leaned on the door and folded his arms, a cold and cynical look shuttering his features. The hurt in her heart grew worse, and she valiantly tried to control the sobs.
“You are clearly upset,” he said, “gather your composure, dry your tears, and try to speak sensibly.”
Anger surged through her, and she welcomed the distraction from the memory of William’s cruel touch. “You are being unfeeling!”
“I have no time for theatrics.” His eyes took on a darker shade of green. “I am not given to indulging women in manipulative tears. You know how I feel on the matter, Olivia.”
She was instantly flustered. “Not all tears are tools for manipulation, Tobias,” she cried softly. “And I am not just some woman! I am your wife.”
Impatience flashed in his eyes. “What has happened?”
“I…I…had a dreadful encounter with my stepbrother.” Her heart pounded, and she was suddenly afraid of how much to reveal. And with despair, she realized it was because she was petrified he would truly say or do nothing. If she were to reveal the truth and Tobias remained unconcerned, she would be shattered, for she was more than halfway in love with her husband. If he showed he did not care, she would not be able to bear it.
Unable to voice her fears and anxiety or her mounting love, she marched over to him. She stretched up to him and grabbed his hair to pull his lips down to hers. Then she kissed him hard and passionately. With a muffled groan of surprise, he unfolded his arms and tugged her even closer to him. The kiss was hot, hungry, and demanding and as she shivered in his arms, she realized how badly she wanted Tobias’s touch and taste to wipe away the vile threats of William.
Tobias gripped her hips and marched her backward toward the chaise lounge. They halted when the back of her shin hit the chaise, and his hand drifted around to cup her buttock into his large palm. She cried out softly when he tilted her and ground his hardness between her thighs.
He pulled his lips from hers, breathing raggedly. “You tempt me, countess, but Westfall awaits me with pressing business that must be sorted before he returns to Town this evening.”
Her heart broke in denial. She needed this. “I…I…needed your kiss,” she whispered half under her breath, feeling exposed and terribly vulnerable.
An unidentifiable emotion shifted in his eyes. “What has happened, Olivia?”
She remained muted, her heart beating a furious rhythm.
“Well?” he clipped, and she winced.
“Kiss me, Tobias, love me,” she murmured pressing hot, desperate kisses along his neck. She tugged frantically at his cravat, and as the silken cloth slid through her fingers, she parted his shirt and bit into the soft of his neck. He gripped her hands and clasped them gently. Dipping his head, he kissed the tip of her nose, her cheek, the corner of her mouth, and she curled into him, reveling in the tenderness he displayed.
“I must attend to business, I cannot dally.”
She lifted her head from his chest and nodded with words trapped in her throat.
After pressing a kiss to her lips, he walked toward the door. He gripped the knob, before glancing back with a frown. “I do not like you being upset and in tears.”
She tried to smile but it wobbled. “I am considerably eased,” she answered truthfully. “Nor am I crying any longer.”
“Good, I trust you will inform me after my meetings what has occurred?”
A throb of tension pulsed behind her temples. Perhaps. “I… Yes, though I may do so with tears.”
His gaze searched her face intently. “Do you wish me to remain? I will inform Westfall—”
She hurried forward. “No, attend your business meeting. I shall retire to my chambers until we meet for dinner. The argument with William was quite unsettling, but I am fully capable of dealing with it and that had been my intention. Seeing you, I…I unraveled a bit but I am back to sorts.”
