Page 78 of This Marquess of Mine

He gave her a half-grin then, the one that always stopped her heart, and then he reached out and brushed his thumb over her smile. “In our defense,” he said, his voice husky, “it is a beautiful smile.”

Olivia swallowed, mesmerized by the warmth in his eyes, the tenderness in his touch. “Griffin,” she whispered. “I…”

The words were on the tip of her tongue, words of love, the future, words that would change everything. Words she could not take back.

In the end, she lost her nerve. “I should probably go,” she said finally, sitting up.

She dressed quickly, avoiding his gaze, and when she was done she faced him again, unsure of what to say. How did one bring an evening of lovemaking to a close?

“Thank you,” she finally settled on. “This was…everything I’d hoped it would be.”

Almost everything. But it would have to be enough.

“It was my pleasure,” he answered, his voice sincere, though tinged with a dash of amusement she could not fault him for, considering the unusual turn their night had taken.

“Well,” she said. “Good night, Griffin.”

“Good night, Olivia.”

It felt like goodbye, she thought, as she headed for the door. And she supposed it was, in a way. She was bidding farewell to her girlish dreams, the hopeless fantasy she’d held onto these past several years. It was time.

And it was probably for the best. She would marry her duke and lead a full and contented life with him. But she would always have this night to look back on with fondness. She had no regrets.

If anything, she was proud of herself for asking for what she wanted, for taking something for herself, something that had nothing to do with her father or his expectations of her.

And now life would go on as it should, as it was always meant to. And she would be happy with that.