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Eleanor’s eyes went to his lips, and he almost pounced on her there and then.

“We have…” She faltered. “Of course, we have spent more time together than most, and I have spent more time with you than any suitor, but…”

“But what?” Gabriel urged, seeking clarity. His eyes were drawn to her chest as it rose and fell with her quick breathing.

“But…” Eleanor turned away. “But nothing.”

Gabriel moved swiftly, closing the gap between them, and stood behind her, not pressing his body to hers but standing close enough that he could feel her warmth and she would feel his. Again, he reached out, but he didn’t take her in his arms; he hesitated.

Eleanor didn’t turn around to face him. “You’re here to ensure I make it through the Season.”

“I’m here to ensure you enjoy your Season,” the duke countered. “That was the task entrusted to me.”

“I am enjoying my Season.”

Gabriel leaned closer, his chest pressing to her back, and she didn’t move from him. His lips brushed her ear. The question terrified him, but he had to ask it.

“Do you wish to marry Lord Fairfax?”

“No,” Eleanor blurted. “I don’t know. I haven’t been able to think about marrying anyone. I wish I knew what I truly wanted, but I don’t. How can any of us know until…”

“…we have it?” Gabriel finished.

Eleanor finally turned to face him, their bodies perilously close, but she didn’t back away. She looked as if she were about to cry.

“I’m scared,” she uttered.

Gabriel placed a hand on her shoulder. “Of what?”

“I don’t know that either,” Eleanor admitted. She tilted her head to the side until her cheek touched his hand. “Of what comes next. I’m stepping into the unknown, and it scares me.”

Gabriel moved his hand to her cheek, her soft, delicate skin like freshly poured cream. “I’m here with you.”

Eleanor let out a sigh and looked in the opposite direction of the hand on her cheek. “Lemon cakes won’t solve every problem.”

Gabriel cupped his hand behind her head, keeping his thumb on her cheek, and he turned her head to face him again, making her look him in the eyes.

“I’m scared, too.” A breath caught in his chest, and he struggled to release it.

Eleanor’s eyes widened. “Of what?” Her mouth hung open slightly.

Gabriel moved his fingers through her hair as he held her head. “Of what comes next.” He couldn’t put it into words any other way. “Of what might be. Of losing myself to…of losing this fight between us.”

“I don’t know how much of a fight we have anymore, Your Grace,” Eleanor said softly. “I don’t know what we have anymore.”

Gabriel’s heart beat faster. From the moment he put his hand on her cheek and she didn’t pull away, he knew he was lost to her. He knew he would give in to his urges, but before that, there was something satisfying about delaying his pleasure, allowing it to build within.

He wanted her, and she wanted him.

Was there anything else left to say?

His other hand went to her waist, and he pulled her against him, feeling her bosom pressing against his chest and the beat of her heart as she breathed more quickly. It was the last test of their resolve. If she pulled away now, he would repeat that, despite how it would torment him.

Eleanor didn’t pull away.

Gabriel kissed her.

CHAPTER 22