Page 12 of The Duke of My Desire

A laugh huffed from her lips. “But not all of you react to rejection by throwing a tantrum.”

“True.”

“He knew from the beginning that our affair would be brief. I told him so, before it even began. I said I would not be his mistress, that our arrangement would be casual and short-lived.” She sighed. “Stupid man.”

She looked at him as if intending to say more, but the moment she met his gaze, the irritation on her face gave way to puzzlement. “What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m sorry,” he said, his cheeks heating as he realized he was staring. “It’s only that the women I know rarely speak so openly. I’m…not accustomed to it.”

“If you’re trying to tell me I should guard my tongue, it’s no use,” she said, a wry smile on her lips. “I’ve tried, but I’m afraid it cannot be done.”

He shook his head. “That wasn’t what I was saying. I like that you speak your mind.”

She cocked her head to one side and regarded him for a moment. “My husband always told me my bluntness was one of the things he loved best about me. I was never sure I believed him, either.”

This was the second time she’d mentioned her husband, and Gregory had noted the fondness in her voice, the affection in her eyes. She’d clearly cared for the man, but had she loved him?

Did she love him still?

And why did he want to know?

He wasn’t sure why it mattered to him, only that it did. Very much.

“Well, you can believe me,” he said lightly, even as he struggled to shove the serious thoughts away. “I like your bluntness, and I never lie.”

She inclined her head with an amused smile. “Then I thank you for the compliment, Your Grace.”

“Considering all we’ve been through, I think you can call me Gregory.”

She nodded. “And you must call me Justina.”

“Justina it is.”

He liked the feel of her name on his tongue, and the tiny thrill that shot through him at the informality.

They looked at each other for a long moment, smiling like new friends, then Lady Dunne—Justina—turned to face the window again. Gregory did the same, staring out at the autumn day while they awaited John’s return, though his thoughts were firmly on the intriguing woman beside him.

CHAPTER 4

Justina peered out the carriage window as London slowly faded into the distance. The duke’s plan to retrieve her valise from Adelasia’s shop had been a success. His driver had returned to the carriage carrying what looked to be a purchase in plain brown paper, and now they were finally on their way out of town.

She sighed softly. How strange her life had become in just a day’s time. Fleeing her home, her city, with a stranger who was also a duke in an effort to avoid a lover who may or may not be hunting her.

If it wasn’t so frightening, she might have laughed.

As it was, she felt more like crying, not that she would allow herself to do so. She refused to cry any more tears because of Nigel, though she’d certainly been alarmed when she’d seen him outside Adelasia’s shop. At least, she thought she saw him. She hoped she was wrong.

Because if she wasn’t—if she had seen him—that meant his threats had been genuine, and he truly was determined to find her and keep her, willing or not.

Oh, Phillip, I’ve been so stupid.

Her husband’s kind blue eyes flitted through her mind, and her heart squeezed with missing him.

He’d always been the patient, steady side of the coin that was their partnership, where she was impulsive and strong-willed.

Was he watching her now from above? Was he disappointed in her and the choices she’d made that had led her here?

She wouldn’t blame him if he was. She was certainly disappointed in herself. She should have seen what Nigel was, should have known that he was not the sort of man she should invite into her life. But how was she to know what he was? She’d discussed her expectations, laid out her rules, and he’d agreed. How was she to know he’d been lying?