Page 98 of The Wedding-Crashing Duchess

He took the remaining step between them.

“I am standing here because I promised I would never do something you did not want,” he said, and the warmth in his expression did nothing to lessen the seriousness in his voice. “So I am going to give you three seconds to tell me no, and if you say it at any point, I will stop. But if you do not, Augusta, I am going to kiss you.”

Her entire body seemed to respond to the words before her mind could.

Ronan watched her carefully.

“One.”

Two.”

His gaze dropped to her mouth. The space between them seemed suddenly unbearable.

“Three.”

For all the anticipation that had built between them, the first touch of his mouth was unexpectedly careful, as though even after counting down he could not entirely believe she had given him permission, and his hand came to her waist without pulling her closer until Augusta, acting on instinct rather than thought, caught the front of his coat in her fingers.

She had never understood how a kiss could make people forget where they were until now, because there was nothing in her mind except the warmth of his mouth, the solid line of his body against hers, and the hand at her waist that seemed impossibly hot even through the fabric of her gown.

When Ronan finally drew back, he did not go far. “There is something else,” he said.

Augusta’s heart immediately began misbehaving again. “More? I am not sure I can survive much more honesty from you tonight.”

Ronan smiled faintly, but his gaze remained steady on hers. “I do not know when this happened, and I do not particularly like not knowing. I can usually identify exactly when something changes, what caused it, and what I am supposed to do about it, but I cannot do that with you.”

Augusta said nothing but Ronan continued.

“I know that I married you because I wanted someone for Sarah, and I know that when we stood together on our wedding day I was thinking more about duty than anything else. I thought if we became friends, if you cared for Sarah and were content here, that would be enough.”

“I…” She stuttered. It was a lot trying to take all of this in, though none of it was unwelcome.

“I thought you wished for me to be more honest with you,” he replied. His eyes never left her face, as though he was trying to figure out everything that there was to know about her. “You still want me to?”

“Yes.” The answer was immediate.

“I’m not sure how to say it myself.” he rubbed the back of his neck. Augusta wasn’t sure if her eyes were fooling her, but she thought she saw a hint of nervousness in him.

“You already know that there is not much to hide from me,” she replied. “I already accept you for the way that you are.”

“That’s precisely what has gotten me to surrender,” he muttered under his breath.

Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. “Surrender to what?”

He looked at her closely again and took a step closer to her. “Would you believe me if I said that I am falling in love with you, and don’t think that I can stop now.”

Her heart nearly exploded at the confession. Oh. How much had she wanted to hear those words from him, and now that they had finally arrived, she found herself entirely robbed of all speech. She looked at him, blinked, and then found herself wondering if she was in a dream.

“What’s the matter?” his brows stitched together.

“I…” she opened her mouth, barely finding her own voice. “I… are you joking with me?”

He looked at her, offended and then let out a laugh. “I am sure that you know already that I don’t have much of a reputation as a comic.”

She pinched herself then, and when she didn’t wake up, she knew that it was not a dream.

“Are you going to say anything in return?” The nervousness had returned in his voice.

Augusta looked around. There were no peering eyes on them, and all she wanted to do was jump into his arms. But she restrained herself, and instead only stepped closer.