Page 139 of The Dueling Duchess

Cecile leaned toward him and covered his gorgeous lips with her mouth.

Chapter 24

Guy pulled Cecile onto his lap and cradled her in his arms; how could a woman feel so comfortable and familiar in his embrace while, at the very same time, still be the most mysterious, exciting person he’d ever met?

It was Cecile, finally, who pulled away to gasp for breath.

Guy heaved a sigh of contentment. “I thought I was going to have to do something truly desperate to get you to kiss me again.”

“Oh, like what?”

“I was considering serenading you beneath your window.”

She laughed. “Can you sing?”

“No, that’s why it would be truly desperate.” Guy gazed down into her heavy-lidded eyes as they bounced along in the old hackney, the light from the streetlamps flickering over her. “God, you look beautiful tonight, Cecile. That gown is superb on you. But I have to admit I can’t wait to get you out of it.” He gave her another lingering kiss but then pulled back as a thought struck him. “I don’t want an affair with you this time, Cecile. I want more.”

She groaned. “Guy, this is not—”

“I love you. I loved you last year but was too foolish to recognize it. I’ll never be able to erase what I did and said to you back then, nor can I deny that I would have probably married a different woman to save the dukedom. It was the duty I was raised for, Cecile. I simply didn’t believe I would ever have the choice to marry who I—”

“I won’t get married, Guy—not to anyone—but I will be your lover for as long as you want me.”

Guy inhaled deeply, held his breath for a count of five, and then exhaled and asked, “Why, Cecile?”

Even in the dimness he could see she was choosing her words carefully.

“I should have said I won’t marry you now.”

“You mean you might change your mind?”

“I might. But I might not.” She chewed her lip in an uncharacteristically indecisive way. “I don’t know.”

Honestly, Guy was just relieved that she’d not rejected him outright. If she allowed him to stay with her then he could convince her over time; he felt confident of that.

He kissed the tip of her nose. “You don’t need to decide now. We’re in no rush and can take all the time we need.”

* * *

Cecile felt like an ogre for stepping on his joy, but she couldn’t in good conscience agree to marry him. At least not right now. And maybe never. Putting her life in a man’s hands—giving over control of not just everything she owned, but her person, too, would be a huge step, maybe too huge.

Still, it was something she could think about. As he’d said, there was no rush.

The house was as quiet as a tomb when they unlocked the door a short time later.

“Come to my room?” she asked when they reached the top of the stairs.

To her surprise, he hesitated.

“You don’t want to?”

“Oh, I do—you have no idea how much I want to get you into bed, Cecile. But there are a few things I need to tell you first.”

Something unpleasant twisted in her belly. “You want to speak to me now?”

“If that would be acceptable to you?”

Cecile found it more than a little worrisome that Guy would turn down an offer to take her to bed after nagging her for weeks on end, but she kept her concern to herself.