Page 53 of Distracting the Duke

His gaze on her was intense, unrelenting. Still in that quiet, soft tone, he said, “Say something, I beg you.”

She swallowed. And swallowed again. A soporific drink would not go amiss right now. Her nerves needed to be quieted.

She must not open her heart to him.

She must not.

Instead, she said, “Thank you for your honesty. I confess I turned away from you for the same reason that you avoided me. I didn’t wish to be alone with you, because of the way you affect me.”

His eyes glittered. “Are you afraid of me?”

“No. I’m afraid of myself. I can’t trust myself to behave well in your presence.”

A small smile creased his lips. “Then we are both suffering from the same ailment. The only cure I know that will assuage the desire is to give in to it. I’m tired of fighting it, quite exhausted, Clara.”

Assuage the desire? Surely he didn’t mean…? Suddenly she was frantic. She needed to get out of here at once before she fell under his spell.

He was too quick for her. She’d barely left her chair before he seized her about the waist and held her to him.

Oh no!

Oh yes!

“We can’t do this, Marcus!” she exclaimed.

“We can do it. Admittedly, we shouldn’t.”

“What about Ellie?” she cried.

“What about her? We have unfinished business, you and I.”

“No. I can’t.” She was almost in tears.

Simon had hurt her too many times for her to risk it again.

And Kate— Her sister’s betrayal still cut her heart in two. How could she do the same to Ellie?

But Ulvercombe’s breath was in her hair, his cheek pressed against hers, and she felt the heat of his body suffusing into her, overwhelming her resistance. Thankfully, he didn’t kiss her.

“Please,” she whispered. “Don’t. I can’t. Nothing more can ever happen between us.”

His breath hitched. He eased back and gazed down at her.

She hung in his embrace, half elated, half desolate. This simply couldn’t be. Because of Ellie, because of Simon, because of herself.

Ulvercombe’s thumbs stroked slowly down her cheek and rubbed at one corner of her mouth. The sensation was incredibly erotic, and she desperately wanted to take that thumb into her mouth and suck on it, and have him groan in response.

“My darling,” he said in a tone of great tenderness. “I know your secret. I know what that bastard did to you. I hope he’s burning in Hell, for he has nearly ruined you. It breaks my heart that so bright a light has been so cruelly eclipsed.”

Her blood stilled in her veins at his admission.

He knew? About Simon? What he did to her?

How? Who had told him?

Horrified, mortified, she pushed out of the duke’s embrace. He had no right to her secrets!

What had happened between her and Simon was intensely private. If Philip had said anything…she would find the Pajou statuette and break it over his head!