“Cruel and harsh. He had an iron will that led him to hurt people. To hurt everyone. He commanded everything to be just so. He demanded that everyone bend to his will no matter how often it changed, no matter how impossible it was,” he added with a cutting voice. “No one was safe under his roof, not even I or my mother.”
The face of his wife softened into care. Not pity, but still more sympathy than he cared for. He shifted his gaze away.
“I’m sorry. That must have been… awful. My own father was cruel as well. It nearly killed my mother. She didn’t live longer after he did.”
“And mine suffered an end too early because of the late duke,” Dominic said bitterly. He put distance between them by moving to stand by his desk. “He demanded perfection and control. I have asked close to nothing of you.”
“Not perfection and not control,” Verity noted in observation.
He nodded, his throat tight. “I have tried. Every day, I let you do as you will. No matter whether you are wandering down streets you shouldn’t, talking to people you shouldn’t, writing gossip rags you shouldn’t, I have let you do as you liked. I will not treat you as my father treated my mother. This is a choice I make every day. And that has to be enough for you.”
As his wife dropped her mouth, she stared at him for a good minute. The shock sat heavily on her. She had to give herself a shake before croaking out a question, “You knew?”
He shared a bitter smile. “Yes.”
“But… how? When?”
“Long enough.” He followed her movements as she collapsed in the nearest chair. “I have given you everything you could ask for, Verity. I have given you my world and everything I could of the one you want. Why you would wish for any more walls to crumble, I can’t imagine. When all I want to do is lock you up in the house to keep from hurting yourself, from making any mistakes, I…”
She jerked her head up, scooting to the edge of her seat. “You wouldn’t. You don’t, I mean. You wouldn’t trap me.”
“No.” He swallowed. “Never. And this should be enough. I have given you all that I can, more than most husbands would be willing to even offer. You must be satisfied with that.”
Before Dominic could step away and let the pounding in his head consume him, Verity was reaching out to him. He stilled as she took his hand.
That soft touch of hers seemed to tell him that she understood, that she needed this, maybe even him. His head cleared. It emptied of the stress and restrictions he lived under, setting it all aside. In the silence he caught her gaze as she started to smile.
He reacted at once.
Dominic closed the distance between them. It was as though his body willed it before his heart or mind could speak. He tugged her hand around him before using his other arm to pull her against him. Their lips met in a crush.
And she responded in kind. She let out a small gasp before her grip on him tightened. He felt the way her fingers scrunched his clothing, digging into his skin. There was a fervor to her warm lips that welcomed the touch of his tongue.
Dominic forgot to think. To breathe. All he did was feel, a storm of emotions he had blocked so well that he had forgotten they existed.
It had been a while since he’d had the pleasure of kissing someone. Though Verity was a novice, she carried herself well into the moment. She lapped hungrily at his touch. Soon her fingers were intertwined on his scalp, a tension that sent a shiver down his spine. He trailed the kisses around her lips and up the side of her cheek before he finally came to himself.
What have I done?
His entire body stopped in shock. Rocked to the core over the moment, realizing the heavy thudding of his chest and his loud breathing by Verity’s ear, Dominic slowly opened his eyes.
As for his wife, she had been kissing his jawline. Her kisses softened one by one. Her lips lingered on his neck as though she too realized it was time to step away. To…
He couldn’t resist pressing one final kiss right above her eye. Then he dropped his arms and stood back, pushing more space between them. It took him another minute to catch his breath. Only then did he look up.
Verity was flushed with swollen lips and bright eyes. She was speechless as she gazed up at him. Never had she looked so beautiful.
There was a second where Dominic allowed himself to imagine a life where he saw her like this quite frequently. And then he accepted reality with the risks and danger before them.
They had crossed a line, he feared, and one that couldn’t be undone. This should have never happened. Had he not taken every precaution to keep away from her? All the attempts at distance, at curt conversations and avoidance, all of that had done nothing.
Were we always bound to wind up here together?
He swallowed. “We cannot continue like this. Too much is already happening. You should leave.”
Too much was already in motion. The secrets and the danger still remained. Their kiss had solved nothing. All it did was cause more trouble.
He wanted to give Cassian a few more days to tell her. It would be best coming from him. If Dominic had to say it… He gave a short shake of his head at the thought. It would not go over well with Verity.
